Seán Fleming (Laois, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We are getting a full understanding. In the particular case, it appears as if four months elapsed from the time the free travel was cancelled to the time CIÉ was notified. Irish Rail, in its letter back to the committee, said that sometimes the misuse of a public services card means someone travels for months or years without paying for a journey after his or her free travel entitlements are withdrawn. That tells me the Department does not have a systematic method of telling CIÉ. CIÉ has written to the committee to tell us that this happened for months in the particular case about which we are talking and we are not identifying the person involved. CIÉ states that this sort of thing can go on for years without it being informed by the Department.