Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Independent)
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1086. To ask the Minister for Health the assistance in place to assist persons to attend outpatient appointments when they are unable to use public transport; the assistance in place to assist persons to attend outpatient appointments when there is no public transport in their area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46066/13]

James Reilly (Dublin North, Fine Gael)
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People attending outpatient and hospital appointments are, in general, expected to make their own travel arrangements. There are, however, exceptions for certain clinical conditions, or where, in the clinician's view, the patient would be unable to make the journey without clinical assistance or where the patient must be transported on a stretcher. Local health offices are responsible for the arrangement and provision of non-ambulance transport. Patients or their clinicians should contact their local health office directly in relation to transport requests.

The Department of Social Protection administers the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which may help meet essential, once-off, exceptional expenditure that a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. These payments are known as exceptional needs payments. Enquiries relating to this scheme should be addressed to the Department of Social Protection. In relation to the specific queries raised by the Deputy, as these are service matters they have been referred to the HSE for direct reply.