Dáil debates
Tuesday, 20 February 2024
Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions
Social Welfare Schemes
9:50 pm
Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
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61. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will extend the free travel scheme to children for whom child benefit is paid, and in the case of young children and their travel companions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7898/24]
Brian Leddin (Limerick City, Green Party)
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96. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection in light of her announcement that the free travel scheme is to be extended this July to people who have never been able to drive due to a disability, her views on the idea to expand the free travel scheme to the shared bike and e-bike schemes in towns and cities across the country to the same cohort; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7861/24]
Marc Ó Cathasaigh (Waterford, Green Party)
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These questions are grouped. It is Question No. 96 that I am putting which has quite a different emphasis from Question No. 61 in the name of Deputy Paul Murphy.
In my question, I am asking whether, in the expansion to the free travel scheme which is to come to pass in July next, it would be possible to include bike-share schemes, either regular bikes or e-bike schemes, within that. I will understand if the Minister's answer goes in a different direction and perhaps we will tease out the individual issues afterwards.
Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I am taking Questions Nos. 61 and 96 together.
The free travel scheme provides free travel on the main public and private transport services for those eligible under the scheme. There are more than 1 million people with direct eligibility. The estimated expenditure on the free travel in 2024 is €104 million.
The objective of the free travel scheme is to ensure older people and people with disabilities remain active within their community. Extending the eligibility of the free travel scheme to include children would change this objective, and radically change the nature of the scheme.
In budget 2024, I expanded the free travel scheme to provide a free travel pass to people who are medically certified as not fit to drive. People qualifying under this expansion will have no requirement to be in receipt of a social welfare payment, but they must meet the other qualifying criteria. The implementation date for the measure is July 2024.
As part of the budget, my colleague, the Minister for Education, announced a significant €92 million increase in funding for school transport services. This is to provide for the additional demands for pupils with special education needs on school transport services and increased bus contractor running costs.
This funding also allows for the continuation of the reduced school transport fees for the 2024-2025 school year. This will continue to reduce the cost of sending children to school and increase the number of pupils that will avail of the school transport service.
In addition, I am aware that many operators have reduced fares for children and in some cases children under five years of age can currently travel free of charge.
Any further expansion of the free travel scheme, proposed by the Deputies and in excess of the measures announced in budget 2024, would require additional funding for the free travel scheme and would have to be considered in the context of overall budgetary negotiations.
Marc Ó Cathasaigh (Waterford, Green Party)
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Deputy Paul Murphy's question had quite a different thrust from my own. Mine was focusing on, as I said, bike-share scheme and e-bike schemes. I agree with the Minister's position on the other question.
That change in terms of eligibility, which will come into force in July, is really welcome and was responding to some of the recommendations from the joint Oireachtas committee. People within Epilepsy Ireland, in particular, are very grateful for that change.
I will explain why I think this could be important and a very low-cost intervention. For example, if you get off the 360 bus at Kilbarry in Waterford and you want to get across to SETU, it is quite a walk, but there is a bike scheme right there. If you are precluded from driving, let us say, through epilepsy or whatever, that is a way that you could get from Tramore to your university place quite easily. Similarly, if you get off the train in Heuston, the Dublin Bikes are right there. It is a bike-share scheme that would give you options to get to exactly where you need to go for a very low cost.
This would cost buttons and might benefit a relatively small number of people, but for that small number of people, it will be deeply felt.
Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Deputy Gould has a brief supplementary.
Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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I would ask the Minister to seriously look at expanding the scheme in relation to free buses. People in Glenville, Watergrasshill and Ballyvolane in Cork are affected by its limited capacity. The Minister is looking at extending the scheme but I would certainly say that it needs to be expanded.
Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I have extended the scheme to those who are medically unfit and they will get the free travel pass. That was important.
I acknowledge the work of Epilepsy Ireland. I spoke to them on a number of occasions and they pointed out to me that people with epilepsy could not drive for over a year. They did a lot of work on that. I met with them, only last week, on World Epilepsy Day. We hope to invite applications for the new scheme in May. They were advocating for people with epilepsy but I was delighted I was able to expand it further.
In terms of the bikes scheme, I do not know the cost of hiring a bike.
Marc Ó Cathasaigh (Waterford, Green Party)
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It is €3.
Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy is correct, €3.
Marc Ó Cathasaigh (Waterford, Green Party)
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It is a subscription per day after that in most cases.
Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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It is not a considerable cost there. I do not know how it would work out.
I am always looking at things when it comes up to budgets and I will look at that. I can discuss it further with the Deputy. I am certainly happy to consider how we can improve the situation for people who cannot drive.