Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 1043: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the position in relation to a person in receipt of the carer's allowance; if the qualifying rules to allow people to work on FÁS will be re-examined; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29871/06]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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Supporting and recognising carers in our society has been a priority of the Government since 1997. Over that period, weekly payment rates to carers have been greatly increased, qualifying conditions for carer's allowance have been significantly eased, coverage of the scheme has been extended and new schemes such as carer's benefit and the respite care grant have been introduced and extended.

One of the fundamental qualification conditions for carer's allowance is that the applicant must be providing full-time care and attention to a person who needs such care. Since the introduction of the carer's allowance scheme this full-time care and attention requirement has been eased in order to facilitate carers in engaging in employment, education or training.

Until June this year people could engage in employment outside the home for up to 10 hours per week and still qualify for payment. Since then, I have increased the number of hours a person can engage in employment, self-employment, training or education outside the home and still satisfy the qualifying conditions for payment, from 10 to 15 hours per week. This improvement applies to carer's allowance, carer's benefit and the respite care grant.

I am always prepared to consider changes to existing arrangements where these are for the benefit of recipients and financially sustainable within the resources available to me and that recognise and support the valued and valuable contribution of all carers in a tangible way.

Tony Gregory (Dublin Central, Independent)
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Question 1044: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the reason free travel is not available to persons on local authority pensions similar to persons on invalidity pension; if this matter will be reviewed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29926/06]

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, to all carers in receipt of carer's allowance and to carers of people in receipt of constant attendance or prescribed relative's allowance. 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 proposal to extend the scheme to people aged under 66 years who may not be in receipt of a qualifying payment is one of a number of proposals that have been made to extend the free travel scheme.

Further extensions to the free travel scheme could only be considered in a Budgetary context and taking account of the financial and other needs of those not covered by the existing arrangements.