Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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Question 26: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if he intends to progress with the granting of free travel to all beneficiaries of an Irish pension; and when he proposes to do so. [17559/06]

Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 49: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the progress which has been made regarding the granting of free travel to all beneficiaries of an Irish pension. [17554/06]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Question Nos. 26 and 49 together.

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.

People resident in the State who are in receipt of a social security invalidity or disability payment from a country covered by EU Regulations, or from a country with which Ireland has a bilateral social security agreement, and who have been in receipt of this payment for at least 12 months, are also eligible for free travel.

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 free travel scheme applies to travel within the State and point to point cross border journeys between here and Northern Ireland. In line with the Government objective to put in place an all Ireland free travel scheme for pensioners resident in all parts of this island, I am committed to significantly improving the North/South element of the current arrangements and hope to be in a position to make an announcement about this soon.

There have been a number of requests and enquiries in relation to the extension of entitlement to free travel in Ireland to Irish-born people living outside Ireland, or to those in receipt of pensions from my Department, particularly in the UK when they return to Ireland for a visit. I am continuing to explore all aspects of a possible approach within, of course, legal parameters.

In relation to centenarian's bounty, the Government has approved in principle the extension of the scheme for the payment of the centenarians' bounty to any Irish citizen who was born in the Island of Ireland, regardless of where he or she may currently reside. Up to now the bounty, which currently amounts to EUR2,500, was payable only to centenarians living in the State. The bounty is a discretionary grant and not a service or scheme and accordingly it does not come within the scope of the EU Treaty. In this way, it differs from the proposed extension of the free travel scheme.