Tuesday, 13 Dec 2022

Written Answers Nos. 383-400

Departmental Schemes

Ceisteanna (383, 415)

Joe Flaherty

Ceist:

383. Deputy Joe Flaherty asked the Minister for Social Protection if steps will be taken to address an anomaly whereby a recipient of a non-contributory pension will not be able to rent out their empty home under the terms of the fair deal scheme; if she is aware that the former family home will now be treated as an asset and contribute to their means assessment, and in most instances renting out the home would mean the elderly person losing their pension. [62015/22]

Joe Flaherty

Ceist:

415. Deputy Joe Flaherty asked the Minister for Social Protection will steps be taken to address an anomaly whereby a recipient of a non-contributory pension will not be able to rent out their empty home under the terms of the Fair Deal scheme; is he aware that the former family home will now be treated as an asset and contribute to their means assessment, and in most instances renting out the home would mean the elderly person losing their pension. [62016/22]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Social Protection

I propose to take Questions Nos. 383 and 415 together.

The Department of Social Protection provides income supports through a mixture of contributory payments (which are based on a person's social insurance record) and means-tested social assistance payments. The State Pension (Non-contributory) is a means-tested payment for people aged 66 and over, habitually residing in the State, who do not qualify for a State Pension (Contributory), or who only qualify for a reduced rate contributory pension based on their social insurance record. For the purposes of the means-test, it is necessary at the outset for applicants to provide full details of any income(s), assets, savings and investments they hold (and the income(s)/assets of their dependent spouse, civil partner, co-habitant, if applicable).

Following the award of pension, a reporting obligation continues to apply whereby the pension recipient (and, where relevant, their qualified adult dependant, personal representative or agent) must notify the Department in a timely manner of any change in their circumstances that may impact on their pension entitlement. Such changes would include notification of the commencement of rental of a property held by the pension recipient.

In general, the family home is not assessed as part of the means assessment for any of the Department’s schemes unless it is put to profitable use. An example of profitable use is where the family home is rented entirely while the applicant lives elsewhere.

The assessment of the family home in such situations is in keeping with the overarching aim of the system of means testing which is to ensure that, insofar as is reasonable, people with higher amounts of income or capital use their income or realise the value of their capital to support themselves, without relying solely on a social assistance payment.

Last July, I signed legislation which introduced a disregard of up to €269.23 per week in respect of income from renting a room in their own home. The prescribed conditions for benefitting from this disregard can be found in the Social Welfare (Consolidated Claims. Payments and Control) (Amendment) (No 10) (Income Disregard) Regulation 2022 (SI 397/22).

Any changes to assessment of capital or income would have to be considered in an overall budgetary context.

I trust this clarifies for the deputy.

School Meals Programme

Ceisteanna (384, 385, 386)

Violet-Anne Wynne

Ceist:

384. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 671 of 8 November 2022, if the independent evaluation of the school meals programme to inform future policy direction that she referred to and the final report due to be completed by the end of the year is on schedule; the timeline for the publication of the report; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62354/22]

Violet-Anne Wynne

Ceist:

385. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason that schools which were approved for the school meals scheme in 2022 received the funding for the hot dinner option at a cost of €2.90 in contradiction to the Government website which stated the option of €1.90, and a €0.50 snack; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62355/22]

Violet-Anne Wynne

Ceist:

386. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Social Protection the regulation that is in place in relation to the suppliers of the school meals scheme and the way that they are ensuring that health and safety guidelines are being met; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [62356/22]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Social Protection

I propose to take Questions Nos. 384, 385 and 386 together.

The School Meals Programme provides funding towards the provision of food services to some 1,600 schools and organisations benefitting 260,000 children. The objective of the programme is to provide regular, nutritious food to children to support them in taking full advantage of the education provided to them. The programme is an important component of policies to encourage school attendance and extra educational achievement.

Budget 2022 provided €68.1 million for the programme with an additional €9m provided to allow access to all new DEIS schools from September 2022. Additional funding for the programme has been provided for 2023 bringing the total to €91.6m. This represents a 49% funding increase in the period since 2020.

Funding under the school meals programme can be provided for breakfast, snack, cold lunch, dinner, hot school meals and afterschool clubs and is based on a maximum rate per child per day, depending on the type of meal being provided.

My Department provides the funding directly to the schools and organisations, who are then required to procure the provision of the food in compliance with relevant HACCP, Food Safety regulations and the Nutritional Standards for School Meals. The Nutritional Standards for School Meals were developed by a working group led by the Health and Wellbeing Programme in the Department of Health, in consultation with Safefood and the Healthy Eating and Active Living Programme in the Health Service Executive.

The current rates of funding are €0.60 for a breakfast/snack, €1.40 for the cold lunch, €1.90 for the dinner and €2.90 for the hot school meal. The dinner provides a hot meal, but are different from the hot school meal, in that they tend to be provided by schools with onsite cooking facilities whereas food for hot school meals is prepared offsite and either delivered hot or reheated in the school.

Entry to the School Meals Scheme has been confined to DEIS schools in addition to schools identified by the Department of Education as having levels of concentrated disadvantage, meaning that their students would benefit from access to the School Meals Programme.

In March 2022, the Minister for Education announced an extension of the DEIS status to an additional 320 schools from September 2022. In July, I announced that access to the hot school meal option would be extended to the 282 newly-designated DEIS primary schools and to the cold lunch option to the 38 newly-designated DEIS secondary schools from September benefitting some 60,000 children.

This means that since my appointment as Minister for Social Protection, I have increased the number of schools with access to the Hot School Meal option from 37 to over 500.

I am committed to continuing to expand the school meals programme and building further on the significant extension of the programme in recent years. In this regard, I commissioned the evaluation of the school meals programme to review all elements of the programme. The evaluation will also help to inform future decisions around this important programme.

The final report is on schedule to be completed by the end of the year and will be published thereafter.

I trust this clarifies the matter.

Question No. 385 answered with Question No. 384.

Question No. 386 answered with Question No. 384.

Departmental Policies

Ceisteanna (387)

Jim O'Callaghan

Ceist:

387. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Social Protection the main policy achievements of her Department since 27 June 2020; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61657/22]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Social Protection

My Department has delivered significant achievements since June 2020. At that time, the country was in the middle of the Covid-19 pandemic and this department introduced the Pandemic Unemployment Payment a few months previously in response to the unprecedented disruption to the labour market caused by Covid-19. Some 29.7 million PUP payments issued at a cost of over €9.2 billion while 880,000 people received payment under the scheme. PUP recipients transitioned to standard jobseeker terms and the scheme was closed on 31 May 2022.

The 2023 Social Protection Budget is the largest in the history of the state, while Budget 2022 was also significantly larger than previous years. Budget 2023 includes a €12 increase in the maximum rate of all core weekly payments, e.g., pensioners, widows(ers), lone parents, jobseekers, carers, and people with disabilities, with a €2 increase in payments in respect of children of social welfare recipients. The Working Family Payment thresholds are to increase by €40 per week for all family sizes, while there is an increase of €20.50 in the monthly rate of Domiciliary Care Allowance bringing the payment to €330 per month.

Also announced on Budget Day was a significant set of lump sum payments in 2022 aimed at providing additional and immediate support to social welfare recipients during the current cost of living crisis. These payments include a once-off double payment for all weekly paid social welfare recipients, a double payment of Child Benefit, an additional €400 for Fuel Allowance recipients, an additional €200 for recipients of the Living Alone Allowance, an additional €500 for Working Family Payment recipients, and an additional €500 payment for carers and people with disabilities.

The Report of the Child Maintenance Review Group was published on 16 November 2022. The Government has accepted the Group's recommendations in relation to the social welfare system. As a result, child maintenance payments will be disregarded in the means test for social welfare payments; the "efforts to seek maintenance" requirement will also be removed from One-Parent Family Payment and Jobseeker's Transitional Payment; and the liable relative provisions will be discontinued. These are significant policy changes which will be of great benefit to lone parents. The Department is working on early implementation of these recommendations in 2023.

Last week, I launched a public consultation process for a proposed new Pay-Related Benefit for Jobseekers, which represents a major reform of Ireland’s Welfare System for jobseekers. Pay-Related Benefit would link a person’s jobseeker’s payment to their previous earnings and work history and is the norm in European countries.

In February 2021, in line with the Programme for Government commitment, a Benefit Payment for 65-year-olds was introduced. This provides a benefit payment, based on an individual’s PRSI record, for employed or self-employed people who are aged between 65 and 66 and who were required to or chose to retire at 65 years.

Also in 2021, my Department undertook a policy review of disregards in the means test for the Farm Assist scheme. As recommended by the review, the list of agri-environmental schemes that attract a disregard was extensively extended, with effect from June 2022. Budget 2023 has subsequently announced that the amount of this disregard will increase from €2,540 to €5,000 from January 2023.

Community Employment Schemes

Ceisteanna (388)

Michael Healy-Rae

Ceist:

388. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will examine the pay and terms of the community employment supervisors (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61665/22]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister of State at the Department of Social Protection

I value the role CE supervisors and assistant supervisors play on over 800 CE schemes in local communities across the country. They support CE participants to get work experience and develop future work opportunities for those who are long term unemployed, while providing essential services to local communities. As the Deputy is aware, CE supervisors and assistant supervisors are not employees of the Department and are not public servants. They are employees of individual schemes. This means that any discussions on employment related matters are complex.

In the role as funder of CE, Department of Social Welfare officials have ongoing engagement with community employment supervisors and their union representatives to discuss operational issues and other matters of common concern, the latest of these engagements was Thursday, 1 December.

The Department, as the funder of CE schemes, received correspondence earlier this year from Fórsa and SIPTU seeking a pay increase for CE supervisors and assistant supervisors. Fórsa and SIPTU have referred this pay claim to the conciliation service of the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC). The WRC has issued an invite to the Department to take part in a conciliation process. Any increase in pay rates that could potentially increase the overall cost to the State of funding schemes must take into consideration the potential cost to the Exchequer. The Department has been in ongoing contact with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform on this issue, given the potential cost and the knock-on effect it would have on the increased grant funding required to run schemes.

Minister Humphreys and I fully agree that there needs to be a process in place to deal with this pay claim. However, the Department can only participate in a process on the strict understanding that this is in its role as funder of schemes.

I have been pressing for progress on this issue and am looking forward to positive engagement from all parties, including the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Social Welfare Benefits

Ceisteanna (389)

Brendan Griffin

Ceist:

389. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Social Protection if clarification will be provided in relation to an application by a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61679/22]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Social Protection

The person concerned made a claim for Illness Benefit from the 4 April 2022 to the 16 October 2022.

In order to qualify for Illness Benefit, a person must have 39 PRSI contributions paid or credited in the second last complete tax year from which the claim is made, or they must have 26 reckonable PRSI contributions paid in both the second last complete tax year and the year prior to that. The person concerned did not satisfy the required PRSI contribution conditions.

If the person concerned is experiencing difficulties in meeting her basic financial commitments, she may contact the Community Welfare Service at her local Intreo Centre to see if she may qualify for assistance under the terms of the means tested Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme.

I trust this clarifies the position for the Deputy.

Departmental Expenditure

Ceisteanna (390)

Cian O'Callaghan

Ceist:

390. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Social Protection the total spend on rent supplement to date in 2022, broken down by county in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61685/22]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Social Protection

The provisional expenditure of Rent Supplement paid by the Department of Social Protection at end of October 2022 was €63.7 million. Rent supplement’s expenditure breakdown by county is not maintained.

The scheme provides short-term income support to eligible people living in private rented accommodation whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation costs and who do not have accommodation available to them from any other source. The scheme ensures that those who were renting, but whose circumstances have changed due to temporary loss of employment or income, can continue to meet their rental commitments

Since the introduction of HAP, rent supplement is reverting to its original role of providing short-term support to those who have become temporarily unemployed and require income support to meet their tenancy cost while they seek alternative employment.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Social Welfare Eligibility

Ceisteanna (391)

Brendan Howlin

Ceist:

391. Deputy Brendan Howlin asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will review a disallowance of carer’s allowance and carer’s support in respect of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61701/22]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Social Protection

Carers allowance (CA) is a means-tested social assistance payment made to a person who is habitually resident in the State and who is providing full-time care and attention to a child or an adult who has such a disability that as a result they require that level of care.

I confirm that my Department received an application for Carers Allowance (CA) from the person concerned on 3 July 2019 which was awarded from 29 August 2019.

On the 9 November 2020 the person concerned commenced employment.

A review was carried out on 23 September 2022 and following that investigation a Deciding Officer decided that the person concerned was no longer entitled to the CA payment or the Carers Support Grant (CSG) as they were proven to be working over 18.5 hours per week.

The CA and the CSG payments were both suspended with effect from 1 December 2022.

The person concerned was notified of this decision on 23 November 2022 and was offered the opportunity to furnish within 21 days of the date of the letter, any statement or evidence they wished to supply in the matter.

Following receipt of additional information from the person concerned in relation to the reduction in her working hours, I wish to confirm that Carers Allowance has been reinstated from 1st December 2022 and arrears due have been issued to their nominated bank account. A letter outlining this position issued to the person concerned on 6 December 2022.

I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.

Social Welfare Benefits

Ceisteanna (392)

Bernard Durkan

Ceist:

392. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the progress to date in determination of application for fuel allowance in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61707/22]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Social Protection

The Fuel Allowance is a contribution towards the energy costs of a household. The payment of €33 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €924 each year) is paid from late September to April. One of the conditions for receipt of fuel allowance is that a person must satisfy a means test.

The fuel allowance means test is linked to the maximum rate of State pension (contributory). An individual can currently have a weekly income of €120.00 above the maximum rate for State pension (contributory) plus any increases for age, living alone and dependents and still be eligible for the fuel allowance. In this case the permissible means, based on the household, is €383.30.

Following a means assessment, it was determined that the household means exceeded the permissible weekly means of €383.30. The application was disallowed, and the person concerned was notified in writing.

As the Deputy is aware, I announced a new means threshold of €500 for a single person. As the household means will exceed the increased threshold, the person concerned will not qualify for fuel allowance from January 2023.

It is open to the person concerned to submit a new application if there are any changes in their circumstances.

Under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme, Additional Needs Payments may be made to help meet an essential, once-off cost which customers are unable to meet out of their own resources, and this may include exceptional heating costs. Decisions on such payments are made on a case-by-case basis.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Social Welfare Payments

Ceisteanna (393)

Claire Kerrane

Ceist:

393. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection if recipients of the working family payment will receive the Christmas bonus payment to social welfare recipients; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61723/22]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Social Protection

In response to the ongoing cost of living pressures, I announced on Budget Day that my Department will spend approximately €1.2 billion on social welfare measures before January to help individuals and families through this difficult period.

The Christmas Bonus is paid to pensioners, people with disabilities, carers, lone parents and long-term unemployed people in recognition of their long-term financial dependence on their social welfare payment for all, or most, of their income. Those in receipt of the Working Family Payment will not be eligible for the Bonus on the basis of their WFP entitlement. However, some people on Working Family Payment will receive the Christmas Bonus as they are also in receipt of another payment. For example, over 5,000 people in receipt of Working Family Payment are also in receipt of One Parent Family Payment, which is a qualifying scheme for the Christmas Bonus.

Furthermore, in order to help families with children, a double payment of Child Benefit was paid last month. Child Benefit is an extremely important support that reaches hundreds of thousands of hardworking families.

In mid-November, the Department paid a range of cost of living supports, which included a €500 lump sum payment to 44,000 families receiving the Working Family Payment.

In addition, from January, the income thresholds for the Working Family Payment will increase by €40 for all family sizes. This will mean that current recipients will see an increase of up to €24 per week, and more families will qualify for the payment.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Social Welfare Benefits

Ceisteanna (394)

Michael Healy-Rae

Ceist:

394. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection if the new income thresholds for fuel allowance are coming into effect on 1 January 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61748/22]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Social Protection

The Fuel Allowance is a payment of €33 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €924 each year) from late September to April, at an estimated cost of €366 million in 2022. The purpose of this payment is to assist these households with their energy costs. Only one allowance is paid per household.

In Budget 2023, I secured funding for the largest ever expansion of the Fuel Allowance scheme. It is estimated that this expansion could bring up to 81,000 additional households into the scheme. The changes announced take effect from the 2nd of January.

For applicants aged 70 and over, there is a new means test limit of €500 for a single person and €1,000 for a couple. Under the formula used to assess means for the Fuel Allowance for over 70s, the threshold for capital that is disregarded in the assessment will increase from €20,000 to €50,000. Also, from next January, an over-70 applicant no longer needs to be in receipt of a qualifying payment. Existing household composition rules continue to apply.

For applicants under age 70, the weekly means threshold is being increased by €80, from €120 to €200 above the appropriate weekly rate of State Pension Contributory.

Also from January 2023, Disablement Benefit and Half-Rate Carer's Allowance payments will be disregarded when assessing means for Fuel Allowance purposes.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Social Welfare Benefits

Ceisteanna (395)

Seán Sherlock

Ceist:

395. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Social Protection if a person (details supplied) in County Cork is in receipt of their full social welfare entitlements. [61759/22]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Social Protection

The person concerned reached pension age on 27 January 2016. According to the records of my Department, they have a total of 1,510 qualifying paid and credited social insurance contributions for the period from their date of entry into insurable employment, 18 July 1966 to end of December 2015 which equates to a yearly average of 30 contributions.

This gives entitlement to State pension (contributory) at the current weekly rate €227.70. In order to qualify for a maximum rate of pension, a yearly average of 48 contributions is required. The person concerned is in receipt of the correct rate of State pension (contributory), commensurate with their social insurance record held by my Department.

I have arranged for a copy of the person’s social insurance contribution record to issue to them. If they consider that they have additional contributions or credits that have not been recorded, it is open to them to forward documentary evidence to my Department and their pension entitlement can be reviewed.

The person concerned is also in receipt of the Household Benefits package. It is also open to them to apply for the Fuel allowance. Although the quickest and easiest way is to apply online at www.mywelfare.ie, I have arranged for a fuel allowance application form to issue.

I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.

Social Welfare Eligibility

Ceisteanna (396)

Pearse Doherty

Ceist:

396. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Social Protection if a person (details supplied) in County Donegal has an entitlement to any cost-of-living payments announced in budget 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [61776/22]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Social Protection

Fuel Allowance is a means-tested payment to assist householders on long-term social welfare payments, or equivalent from an EU/country with which Ireland has a Bilateral Agreement, towards the cost of their winter heating needs.

The person concerned applied for Fuel Allowance on 18 October 2022. I am pleased to inform the Deputy the person concerned was awarded Fuel allowance with effect from 21 October 2022. The person concerned has been notified in writing of this decision.

As part of the overall social welfare Budget 2023 package of €2.2 billion, I announced an additional cost of living payment of €400 for qualified Fuel Allowance recipients. This additional cost-of-living payment was payable to Fuel Allowance recipients for week commencing 14 November 2022. As the person concerned will receive arrears of Fuel Allowance from 21 October 2022, the additional cost-of-living payment of €400 will be included in their arrears.

The customer concerned is also in receipt of Free Travel and the Household Benefits Package, comprising a Free Television Licence and an Electricity Allowance valued at approximately €35.00 per month.

I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.

Social Welfare Eligibility

Ceisteanna (397)

Paul Murphy

Ceist:

397. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason that those on illness benefit for less than 12 months were not included in the category of persons who get an additional week's benefit for Christmas. [61777/22]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Social Protection

In response to the ongoing cost of living pressures, my Department will spend approximately €1.2 billion in social welfare measures this year to help individuals and families through this difficult period.

Traditionally, Illness Benefit was not a qualifying payment for the Christmas Bonus as Illness Benefit is a scheme which, by its nature, is a short-term social welfare scheme. It has a high degree of churn with people coming onto the scheme and moving off every week, often with very short duration claims. The average duration of a claim for Illness Benefit is only 6 days.

However, I appreciate that individual circumstances can vary from case to case so I asked my officials to examine this issue in respect of people who are in receipt of Illness Benefit for longer periods of time and I am pleased to confirm that, for the first time, people who have been on Illness Benefit for 12 months or longer will qualify for this year's Christmas Bonus.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Bus Services

Ceisteanna (398, 399, 400)

Catherine Murphy

Ceist:

398. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of inspections of road passenger bus services involved in the free travel scheme that were conducted by departmental officials by route from 1 January 2015 to 2021 and to date in 2022, in tabular form. [61822/22]

Catherine Murphy

Ceist:

399. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of complaints received by her Department regarding the operation of the free travel scheme by bus route from 1 January 2015 to 2021 and to date in 2022, in tabular form. [61823/22]

Catherine Murphy

Ceist:

400. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of investigations conducted by her departmental officials into the operation of the free travel scheme on specific bus routes; and the outcome of such investigations. [61824/22]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Social Protection

I propose to take Questions Nos. 398, 399 and 400 together.

The free travel scheme was introduced in 1967 to promote social inclusion and prevent the isolation of elderly and disabled people by taking advantage of free space on public transport services.

The scheme permits free travel on most CIE public transport services, Local Link, Luas and a range of services offered by some 77 private operators in various parts of the country for those eligible. The free travel scheme is available to all persons aged over 66, and those under age 66 on qualified payments, who are living legally and permanently in the State.

At the end of November 2022, there were 1,052,792 customers eligible for Free Travel. When spousal and companion pass holders are taken into consideration, the number eligible for free travel increases to over 1.73 million.

Below is a table of survey inspections of bus service participants of the Free Travel scheme, conducted by officials from my Department, by route, from 1 January 2015 to March 2020,. These routes were surveyed to determine the appropriate level of payment for the carriage of Free Travel recipients. During that period, 116 routes were surveyed, as provided in the table below, resulting in fixed monthly payments attributable to each route, following completion of the survey process. Route survey inspections were suspended from March 2020 in response to the prevailing health advice and travel restrictions due to the Covid 19 pandemic. This activity will resume shortly, as Free Travel passengers availing of their entitlement return to more normal levels.

Since 1 January 2015, following compliance inspections, two routes are no longer included in the Free Travel scheme and during the same period, only one formal complaint was received with the issue now resolved.

Year	Bus routes
2015	Wexford to Kilmore Quay
	Wexford to Rosslare Harbour
	Wexford Town Service
	Wexford to Dublin Airport
	Wexford to Castlebridge
	Milltown to Galway
	Dunmore to Galway
	Ballinrobe to Galway
	Maynooth to Dublin Airport
	Eden Quay –Dublin City Centre – Swords Manor
	Gorey Railway Station to Gorey Railway Station.
	Annagry and Dungloe
	Portumna-Dublin (Sun-Sat)
	Tullamore-Galway (Fri-Mon)
	Swanlinbar and Cavan and Enniskillen.
	Cockhill and Bridgend to Derry.
	Annagry to Belfast.
	Glen and Letterkenny
	Portlaoise-Abbeyleix-Urlingford-Cashel (Mon-Sun)
	Kilkenny-Castlecomer-Athy-Kilcullen-Naas-Dublin City
	Cavan-Crossdoney-Arva-Drumlish-Longford
2016	Clonmel to Dublin Airport
	Kilkenny city services
	Rossport and Belmullet via Glenamoy and Inver
	Donegal-Sligo-Mayo-Galway
	Bray Southern Cross Road and Sandyford Luas Terminal.
	Tourmakeady and Castlebar
	Kilcullen - Newbridge
	Clane to Naas
	Clonaslee to UCD Campus
	Clonmel and Dublin Airport.
	Galway City services
	Dingle and Killarney
	Taghmon and Wexford Town.
2017	Cobh to Cork City Service
	Wexford to Carlow.
	Ballybay - Dublin
	Tralee Town Services including the Tesco to Blennerville route and Tesco to Manor route.
	Leeney’s Cross to Charleville
	Maynooth and Dublin Airport
	St. Patrick’s Dundalk – Avenue Road Dundalk
	Kilduff and Limerick City via Old Pallasgreen
	Kilduff and Limerick via Cappamore
	Dublin and Dundalk, Grange Rath and Dublin, IFSC
	Moville – Derry - Dublin
	Annagry – Letterkenny - Dublin
	New Ross to Kilkenny
	Graiguenamanagh and Kilkenny
	Kilmuckridge and Wexford
	Ballyvaldon and Wexford
	Crolly and Letterkenny
	Portlaoise to Errill
	Mountmellick to Portlaoise to Kilkenny
	Mountmellick to Tullamore
	Dunmore East to Waterford
	Passage East to Waterford
	Portlaw to Waterford
	Tournafulla-Abbeyfeale
2018	Ardgroom to Cork City
	Waterford to Dublin Airport
	Limerick to Dublin Airport
	Cobh to Cork City Service
	Drumkeeran to Sligo
	Eden Quay –Dublin City Centre – Swords Manor
	Cork to Dublin airport via Dublin City
	Dundalk to Blackrock
	Dundalk to Muirhevnamore.
	Galway to Cork Airport
	Galway to Dublin Airport Express
	Galway to Dublin Airport Eireagle
	Cleggan to Galway
	Limerick to Dublin Airport Eireagle
	Galway and Dublin Airport via Dublin City Commuter service
	Clonmel to Dublin Airport
	Clones to Dublin
	Mountmellick to Tullamore
	Tullamore to Mullingar
	Mountmellick to Tullamore via Clonaslee
	Drumshanbo-Sligo
	Wexford to Waterford
	Gorey to Dublin City & Airport via Arklow Town and Wicklow Town.
	Cavan to Longford.
2019	Cobh town service
	Urlingford-Roscrea-Kilkenny
	Thurles-Clonmel
	Castlecomer PO - The Parade, Kilkenny
	Castlecomer-Kilkenny
	Ballina-Galway
	Ballybay – Dublin – Ballybay
	Tallaght to Dublin Airport
	Maynooth and Dublin Airport
	Portlaoise to Dublin Airport
	Dublin to Kilkenny/Waterford/ Cork Licence
	Dundrum to Dublin Airport Licence
	Portarlington to Kildare
	Dublin to Limerick-Ennis/Killarney/Tralee
	Limerick-Limerick
	Dublin to Belfast
	Athenry and Galway City
	Galway to Dublin Airport
	Gorey and Gorey
	Blackrock-Newry
	Carndonagh to Letterkenny service
	Naas to Dublin Airport
	Clane-Naas
	Kilcullen-Newbridge
	Waterford City Service
	Glen and Letterkenny
	Cockhill Buncrana to Derry
	The Letterkenny Town Service
	Glendalough and Dublin
	Wexford to Castlebridge
2020	Carndonagh to Letterkenny service
	Galway to Dublin Airport service
	Athenry to Galway service
	Swanlinbar and Cavan and Enniskillen.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Question No. 399 answered with Question No. 398.

Question No. 400 answered with Question No. 398.