John O'Mahony (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State for taking this matter, which deals with a very important point. It is not her area but I ask her to ensure my concerns over the need for clarification will be passed on to the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Deputy Regina Doherty. I was approached by a free travel pass holder in the past couple of weeks who was pre-booking a seat on the Dublin to Castlebar train. In order to do so, the individual in question had to pay €21, the price of a one-way ticket. It was not free travel so I want to know if something has changed in the free travel scheme. The latest figures I can get, which are for 2017, show that €77 million was given to various companies by the Government for the scheme. This is serious discrimination because it is not free travel when one has to pay the full price of a ticket. People who have travel passes are either elderly or have a disability and they are the people who most need a seat when travelling. I ask for clarification. If there has been a change, it needs to be reviewed forthwith.