Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)

I acknowledge the work Deputy Cowley does in this area and I have had many meetings with emigrant groups in the United Kingdom in the past year. Deputy Stagg has also raised this matter in the House and elsewhere. I want to extend free travel to those living in the United Kingdom in receipt of Irish pensions. Some 45,000 people in the UK receive pensions from my Department. I am strongly advised, in the starkest terms, by the Government's legal services and the Attorney General that it is not possible to extend free travel to those living in the United Kingdom without extending it to all EU citizens. I would have to extend the scheme to people in France, Spain and other states.

I have prioritised North-South travel and am making progress on that following a number of meetings with the authorities in Northern Ireland. Currently, our pensioners can travel in Northern Ireland for free and I wish to deal with this issue within a couple of months. The issue of those living in the United Kingdom is more problematic but I have not given up on this. I have requested further legal advice and raised further legal questions to see if I can make progress. This is not a financial issue but purely a legal issue. I would welcome any thoughts Deputy Cowley has on this matter.

See this speech in context