Dessie Ellis (Dublin North West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The free travel pass introduced in 1967 was an important step in providing services for older retired people. It was a great success and garnered much political support for both Charlie Haughey, the then Minister for Finance, and the Fianna Fáil Party. To their credit, it provided retired people who were often isolated and financially unable to access private transport, with a route to access their local area and further afield to visit doctors, attend to religious practices, socialise, purchase essentials and take part in other activities which comprised the lives of the people of the State at the time.

In the 1966 census, the population was just 2.9 million people. In 2011, we had 535,000 people in the State over the age of 65. We have a greater network of public transport operating now, with greater regularity. This costs more to keep running, due to decent wages and conditions for workers, high safety standards and the increasing cost of fuel. One sixth of the population in 1966 is today entitled to the free travel pass. This no longer just provides access to local shops, but access to a modern network which, despite its faults, opens up much of the country to the general public. This modern reality requires us not to look at the free travel pass as a problem. However, we must regularly ensure it is working in the best way possible for the greatest number of people and that the principle at its heart remains. This is particularly important at a time of austerity, when right wing elements are all too quick to call for socially important initiatives to go to the chopping block.

When we look at the free travel scheme, there can be no other conclusion drawn but that it is a positive measure which to this day provides a great lifeline for isolated and financially deprived older people. In a survey carried out by Age Action, some 57% of respondents said that without their travel pass, they would not be able to attend medical or health appointments, while 61% said loss of the pass would prevent them from being able to visit family and friends.

Despite the power of the so called "grey vote", retired older people are being hit by the Government and were hit by the previous Government. Most recently, we saw the removal of the bereavement grant and the telephone allowance, which caused large protests. If the Government intends to weaken the free travel scheme, perhaps it hopes such protests will be more difficult for older people in the future. Before the recent protests, we saw older people successfully campaign against the removal of their medical cards. They were addressed by the then Labour Party leader, an unrepentant opponent of austerity, the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Eamon Gilmore. He told the crowd that assembled to fight for its rights and that the actions of the Fianna Fáil Government in attacking the rights and entitlements of older people was shameful. It is not lost on me that this motion has been brought forward by the party that caused that large protest.

Older people have also suffered disproportionately from austerity overall. They have been hurt by the cuts to fuel allowance, home benefit packages and increases in utility costs and refuse collection. They have been further isolated by the damage done to communities. The social centres and community projects which have lost funding over the past six years were important connections for older people to their area and their peers. For many, these centres gave them a purpose when their life of work and family were over. When families around the country are struggling to make ends meet, it is beyond question that older people are also struggling to survive. They are struggling to keep their homes warm, to feed themselves and to afford prescription charges for medicine which keeps them in relative comfort. The free travel pass provides comfort by making it possible for them to connect with others. As the Age Action survey shows, this is a matter of allowing older people to maintain a life, see friends and family and keep alive. For older people worst hit by austerity, the free travel pass is key to the only warmth and comfort they can get in the day. We have all heard of older people forced to wander through shops during the day for warmth. They also sit on buses, trains and trams.

I recognise the Government has denied it plans to make any cuts or changes and do not believe reviews should not take place. I welcome the opportunity for it to state plainly and clearly tonight that older people can rest easy, that their free travel entitlements are secure and that the essential services the pass provides are here to stay. It is important to maintain these facilities for older people.

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