Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 308: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if a complete review of the free travel pass scheme will be undertaken, in conjunction with the Minister for Health and Children; his views on introducing a voucher system which will enable persons living in rural isolated areas to avail of transport such as taxis to transport them to hospital outpatient appointments and admissions and so on; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16410/06]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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The free travel scheme is available to all people living in the State aged 66 years or over. All carers in receipt of carer's allowance and carers of people in receipt of constant attendance or prescribed relative's allowance, regardless of their age, receive a free travel pass. It is also available to people under age 66 who are in receipt of certain disability-type welfare payments, such as disability allowance, invalidity pension and blind person's pension.

The scheme provides free travel on the main public and private transport services for those eligible under the scheme. These include road, rail and ferry services provided by companies such as Bus Átha Cliath, Bus Éireann and Iarnród Éireann, as well as Luas and services provided by over 80 private transport operators. The vast majority of private contractors providing services under the scheme operate in rural areas, including those in the Rural Transport Initiative. The underlying feature of the scheme is the use of spare capacity on these transport services. I am always willing to consider applications from licensed private transport operators who may wish to participate in the free travel scheme.

Various alternatives to the existing system, including the use of vouchers, have been examined. A study, A Review of the Free Schemes, published in 2000 under the Department's programme of expenditure reviews concluded that a voucher type system, which would be open to a wide range of transport providers including taxis and hackneys, would be extremely difficult to administer, open to abuse and unlikely to be sufficient to afford an acceptable amount of travel. This position remains unchanged.

The issue of access to public transport in rural areas is being addressed at present through the Rural Transport Initiative, which is being managed by Pobal, formerly Area Development Management (ADM), on behalf of my colleague, and the Minister for Transport. My Department contributed €500,000 to the Initiative in 2004, €750,000 in 2005 and is contributing €850,000 for the Initiative in 2006, to ensure that free travel pass-holders continue to have access to community based transport services.

I will continue to review the operation of the free travel scheme with a view to identifying the scope for further improvements as resources permit.