Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael)
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I would like to get the week off to a good start by extending good wishes to the Leader of the Opposition, Senator Darragh O'Brien, on the occasion of his 40th birthday today.

Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail)
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He does not look a day over 39.

Maurice Cummins (Fine Gael)
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The Order of Business is No. 1, Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014 - Committee Stage, to be taken at 1.45 p.m., to adjourn no later than 3.45 p.m. and to be resumed for two hours on the conclusion of No. 3; No. 2, Competition and Consumer Protection Bill 2014 - Second Stage, to be taken at 3.45 p.m. and to conclude no later than 5.45 p.m., with the contributions of group spokespersons not to exceed eight minutes and those of all other Senators not to exceed five minutes and the Minister to be called upon to reply to the debate not later than 5.35 p.m.; and No. 3, Health Service Executive (Financial Matters) Bill 2013 - Committee and Remaining Stages, to be taken at 6 p.m.

Darragh O'Brien (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Leader for his good wishes. I was trying to keep my birthday under the radar, but that is not possible in this era of social media. I am sure my folks got the date wrong on my birth certificate.

I would like to formally call for the immediate suspension of the review of the travel pass. As Members will be aware, in recent years the Department of Social Protection has abolished the telephone allowance, slashed the household benefits package, cut the fuel allowance season by six weeks, abolished the bereavement grant and taken 30% off the respite care grant. All of those measures have affected the most needy people in this country. The review of the travel pass is causing a great deal of concern. All Senators will have received correspondence from people in their own areas and from Age Action Ireland and other groups that are greatly concerned about the purpose of this review. I am calling on the Government to suspend the review until it is clarified properly. It is causing a great deal of concern.

The Government has a track record of holding reviews, such as the review of probity with regard to medical cards, that cause great concern and distress across the country. This review has the potential to do likewise. The sensible thing to do in the last couple of weeks of this session would be to halt the review, publish it and make it public. If the aim of the review is to reduce fraud and the misuse of travel passes, that is fine. I do not think anyone would have a difficulty with that. Many people, particularly those who are coming into the realms of being eligible for these travel passes, are concerned that the Government is planning to change the goalposts for new entrants to this scheme. I do not think anyone of us would want that. It would be sensible to suspend the review. If the Government and the Department of Social Protection are looking at this matter purely on the basis of fraud and misuse, we can discuss those aspects of the matter. The new travel passes that are being issued are much more effective when it comes to reducing the level of fraud.

According to a study that was carried out by Age Action Ireland, approximately 70% of those over the age of 65 use their travel passes once a week and 30% of them use their travel passes every day. I find it difficult to trust the Government's contention that there is nothing to be seen here as this is merely a review, particularly in light of the track record of the Minister, Deputy Burton, in the Department of Social Protection. I have recently heard members of the Labour Party calling for the reinstatement of the respite care grant and other things. We all wanted those things to be retained. The Senators on the other side of the House voted for all the changes I have mentioned - the abolition of the bereavement grant and the telephone allowance and the reduction of six weeks in the fuel allowance season - when they were proposed by the Minister, Deputy Burton. Why should this country's senior citizens who are in receipt of travel passes trust the Tánaiste, regardless of whether she is still Minister for Social Protection after today or tomorrow? Why should they believe that this is merely a simple review? The most sensible thing to do is suspend the review immediately and talk about fraud and misuse, if that is really the issue. If the Government does that, it will get support from groups like Age Action Ireland. People in this House and the other House are in favour of anti-fraud measures in this regard.