Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 1 March 2022
492. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Social Protection the statutory basis for requiring an applicant for the free travel scheme to have a Public Services Card in order to apply; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10881/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe free travel scheme provides free travel on the main public and private transport services for those eligible under the scheme. These include road, rail and ferry services provided by companies such as Bus Átha Cliath, Bus Éireann and Iarnród Éireann, as well as Luas and services provided by over 80 private transport operators. There are currently approximately 1,023,000 customers with direct eligibility. The estimated expenditure on free travel in 2022 is €95 million.
The free travel scheme is a non-statutory scheme and is not governed by legislation. Decisions in relation to applications for non-statutory schemes are made by Officers of my Department based on published guidelines setting out the conditions of entitlement in detail.
Although establishment of a customer’s entitlement to Free Travel is made on a non-statutory basis, delivery of Free Travel to customers is by way of a free travel token embedded in the customer’s PSC, which the customer presents when availing of free travel on a range of public transport services.
The Department introduced the new Public Services Card Free Travel (PSCFT) in December 2013. In excess of 94% of Free Travel customers have now registered for a PSCFT card. Whilst a small number of legacy paper passes remain in circulation, paper passes are no longer issued.
This wide saturation of the PSCFT is having a hugely positive impact on travel operators’ ability to authenticate the identity and eligibility of Free Travel customers. While no date has been fixed yet for the withdrawal of the paper free travel pass, discussions are ongoing.
In 2019 the Data Protection Commission (DPC) published a report on the processing of personal data in relation to SAFE registration and the issuing of PSCs. In the report, the DPC stated that nothing in the findings made by the DPC impacts the validity or use by individuals of PSCs already issued and that nothing in the findings impacts existing free travel users or prevents DSP from processing and issuing further free travel variants of the PSC.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
