Fiona O'Malley (Dún Laoghaire, Progressive Democrats)
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Question 374: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if subvention for free travel is provided to both Bus Éireann and private bus operators on the same route; if so, if equal payment per passenger is given to the private operator and Bus Éireann; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27325/06]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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My Department welcomes the provision of transport services provided by private operators, whether alongside CIE services or otherwise, for pensioners and other groups eligible under the free travel scheme. There is a number of routes where my Department pays for independent services in respect of the free travel scheme operated by more than one operator.

My Department has contract arrangements with some 90 private operators participating in the free travel scheme at an expected cost of €4.35m during 2006. Payments are made to the participating private operators of the scheme for an initial 12 to 18 months on the basis of discounted fares forgone following which time the rate of payment is fixed subject to review by survey.

My Department pays the CIE Group centrally in respect of the free travel scheme. The apportionment of payment between the three constituent companies, Bus Éireann, Iarnród Éireann and Dublin Bus, is a matter for the CIE Group to determine. Payment rates are based on historical surveys of usage indexed by subsequent approved fares increases and by expansions of categories of clients eligible under the free Travel scheme. It is expected that payments in the region of €48.5 million will be made to CIE during 2006.

Pat Breen (Clare, Fine Gael)
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Question 375: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the reason a person (details supplied) in County Clare was refused rent supplement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27351/06]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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The supplementary welfare allowance scheme, which includes rent supplement, is administered my behalf of the Department by the community welfare division of the Health Service Executive. Neither I nor my Department has any function in relation to decisions on individual claims.

Rent supplements payments are subject to a maximum amount of rent in respect of which a supplement is payable. The Executive has advised that the person concerned was awarded rent supplement in excess of the maximum limit applicable in her circumstances as an exceptional measure for a defined three month period from 20th March 2006.

This three month period was granted in order to allow her time to secure accommodation within the prescribed limits. The Executive has further advised that her rent supplement claim is currently suspended pending a full review of her circumstances. If the person in question has any further information which she feels is relevant to her claim she should contact the community welfare officer directly.

Jerry Cowley (Mayo, Independent)
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Question 376: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if he will extend free travel to older Irish emigrants, at the very least to Irish pensioners living in the UK, in view of the announcement in June 2006 of extending this to pensioners in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27446/06]

Jerry Cowley (Mayo, Independent)
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Question 385: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if he will extend free travel to older Irish emigrants, at the very least to Irish pensioners living in the UK in view of the announcement in June 2006 by his colleague of extending this to pensioners in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27447/06]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 376 and 385 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. The Programme for Government contains a commitment to a scheme of all-Ireland free travel for pensioners resident in all parts of the island of Ireland. The scheme will enable pensioners resident here to travel free of charge on all bus and rail services in Northern Ireland. Likewise, pensioners in Northern Ireland will travel free of charge on services in this State.

Discussions in relation to the introduction of the proposed all-Ireland free travel scheme have taken place between officials from my Department and their counterparts. Discussions have also been held at ministerial level, and the matter was raised by the Taoiseach with the Prime Minister. I am also meeting the Commissioner this week to further explore the issue.

There have been a number of requests and inquiries 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.

Officials from my Department met with European Commission officials in April in an effort to clarify the legal issues involved. In the past few weeks the Commission's response to the issues raised at that meeting has become available and is currently being examined by my officials.