Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

To return to my original question, is there an opportunity for a review so this could be teased out further because there is a very real need for that? The Minister should not worry about setting a precedent. That has already been done with the long-term illness scheme and the yellow book. People who have epilepsy are already have their condition acknowledged irrespective of income purely on the basis of the condition and getting a benefit there. Thus, a precedent has already been set. There are already a mix of ways where people in employment have social welfare payments, whether they are lone parents, receiving the working family payment or even on pensions. There is already a mix and match in there. Some people who have epilepsy are on the disability payment and have access to it. As such, there is a chequerboard of situations. We are looking at a small number of people who remain excluded because they are in employment and they do not have a social welfare payment. Is there an opportunity for a review? Has the Minister looked at the number of people involved? A large number of people are already on the travel pass and we are only looking at a very small additional cost.

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