Seanad debates
Monday, 14 June 2021
Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters
Social Welfare Benefits
10:30 am
Erin McGreehan (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Cathaoirleach for allowing this matter. I also thank the Minister of State, Deputy Joe O'Brien, for taking it on behalf of the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Humphreys.
My ask today seems very reasonable to me. Those with epilepsy should have an entitlement to the free travel scheme. Up to 40,000 people in Ireland live with epilepsy with approximately 1,200 of them in Louth. I fully support Epilepsy Ireland's call to have the free travel scheme automatically extended to those who lose their driver licence due to a breakthrough seizure or where they automatically lose their licence for at least one year until they become one-year seizure free. There is also a need to see the free travel scheme established in such a way whereby people can apply to receive the benefit directly. The scheme is currently exclusively linked to other payments such as disability allowance and invalidity pension. This would allow people who will never be able to drive and who do not qualify for the disability allowance or invalidity pension to apply directly for the scheme.
I must be clear that we are not proposing that all 40,000 people with epilepsy be automatically given access to free travel. Epilepsy Ireland loosely estimates that these proposals would benefit between 5,000 and 6,000 people with epilepsy as 70% of those living with the condition will go on to be seizure free. For the remaining 30%, some will qualify for the State schemes such as disability allowance or invalidity pension. The direct cost of bringing this number of people into the free travel scheme would be approximately €500,000.
There is no doubt that there will be an argument from the Department of potential flood gates of claims and the high costs involved. However, we have a real obligation, in particular when we have accepted and signed up to the UN convention on persons with disabilities.Under that convention we have an obligation to enable people with disabilities to live independently and to participate fully in all parts of life. There is an onus on us to reduce barriers. If a person who has a driving licence, and is partaking normally like all the rest of us in society in education and work, has a seizure, he or she is put off the road for 12 months. I have heard awful stories about people who are now unemployed or who had to give up education because they could not afford public transport or they did not have access to public transport. I hope we get a positive reply from the Minister of State this morning.
Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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I thank Senator McGreehan for raising this issue. First and foremost, it is important to say that my answer is coming from the perspective of the Department of Social Protection, which administers the free travel scheme. The free travel scheme provides free travel on public transport services for those eligible under the scheme. There are two broad categories of people who can qualify for the free travel scheme. The first group is those aged 66 and over who are resident in Ireland. This wide category covers a significant number of the people to whom the Senator refers. Second, those who qualify for certain social welfare payments may be eligible. This second category of people includes those who are entitled to the blind pension, disability allowance, invalidity pension and carer's allowance, or an equivalent social security payment from a country covered by EC regulations or one with which Ireland has a bilateral social security agreement.
Overall, there are approximately 999,000 people with direct eligibility, with an annual allocation of €95 million provided to fund the scheme. The majority of supports provided by the Department are provided via an income support approach. While medical evidence is required to determine eligibility for certain social welfare schemes, medical evidence alone does not generally determine eligibility directly for the free travel scheme. Generally, eligibility for a particular social welfare payment must also be confirmed.
If the free travel scheme were to be extended on the basis of medical evidence alone, regardless of whether a person is in receipt of a qualifying social welfare payment, a medical assessment process would be required for all such applications in order to adjudicate eligibility, thereby significantly changing the nature of the scheme. Any decision to extend the free travel scheme in such a manner would require additional funding and significant administrative changes and, accordingly, any proposed change could only be considered in the context of overall budgetary negotiations. However, a very important point to note is that there is a mechanism whereby people who cannot reasonably meet their transport costs from their own resources can apply for financial assistance. The supplementary welfare allowance, SWA, scheme administered by my Department is designed to enable persons to seek assistance in the form of an exceptional needs payment where they cannot meet a necessary cost from their own resources. Under the SWA, my Department may award an emergency needs payment for travel costs where the circumstances of a particular case so warrant.
Every decision is based on consideration of the individual circumstances, taking account of the nature and extent of the need and of the resources of the person concerned. Figures available to me for 2019 show that there were 17,214 emergency needs payments made in respect of travel needs, with payments totalling €1.2 million. It is important that people are made aware of the SWA and the availability of the emergency needs payment for costs, including travel costs, that cannot be reasonably met from their own resources.
Erin McGreehan (Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister of State. In part, I pre-empted his response. We have an obligation to open up the world for every single citizen. Under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, we have an obligation to reduce and eliminate obstacles and barriers to accessibility. I hope the Minister of State will go back to the Department and say that we must look again at the scheme. We can see how much has changed on a range of issues since the arrival of Covid. We should not do something just because it has been done in the same way for so long. Let us look at the situation and see how we can provide free travel or more opportunity for people and make their lives easier. We all agree that there are hidden costs attached to disability. This is another hidden cost. I thank the Minister of State for the information on the SWA scheme. I am sure that has helped and will help, but it will not help everybody.
Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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I understand the frustrations and difficulties of anyone who suffers increased travel costs because of a disability. I understand the situation personally because my father faced this issue in that any time he had an epileptic episode he was off the road for 12 months. Any extensions to the eligibility criteria to the free travel scheme can only be considered while taking account of the objectives of the scheme as well as funding. Any decision that could result in significant extra funding requirements and additional administrative measures for a scheme could only be considered in the wider context of overall budgetary negotiations. I remind Senator McGreehan about the SWA option as well. I will bring the issue to the attention of the Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Humphreys, when I speak to her later this morning.