Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I take the Deputy's point. We should look at every measure we can to alleviate the difficulties people in homeless accommodation experience. The review of school transport envisages that we would have an integrated system where school transport is connected to the public transport system so that, one way or another, every route in the public system would be available to whoever wants or needs it. That is worth exploring further.

The policy aim of free travel in our Department is quite different from the aim of school transport. In 1967 it was introduced to relieve the difficult circumstances of old people who live alone. More recently, in 1998, the then Minister for Social and Family Affairs described the purpose as to encourage older people to remain active in the community as well. I say that because there is a policy in another Department that is much closer to what we want to achieve for those people in homeless accommodation. Something could be done with local authorities as well. The Deputy mentioned the DRHE is doing it in Dublin. Let us see if the local authorities are on for doing it in other areas as well.

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