Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 171: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs his views on extending the household budget package, including the free travel scheme to polio survivors here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31750/06]

John Deasy (Waterford, Fine Gael)
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Question 186: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if the presentation made to the Joint Committee on Social and Family Affairs Committee by the Post Polio Support Group has been brought to his attention; the action he will take as a result; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31853/06]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 171 and 186 together.

I am aware of the presentation the Post Polio Support Group made to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social and Family Affairs on the 3rd of October and I have considered the issues raised.

The group is concerned that their members be able to engage in employment and lead independent lives. The group considers that the free travel scheme and the household benefits package should be available to people experiencing the late effects of polio who are not in receipt of a qualifying payment without their having to satisfy a means test.

The household benefits package, which comprises the electricity/gas allowance, telephone allowance and television licence schemes, is generally available to people living permanently in the State, aged 66 years or over, who are in receipt of a social welfare type payment or who satisfy a means test. The package is also available to carers and people with disabilities under the age of 66 who are in receipt of certain welfare type payments. People aged over 70 years of age can qualify regardless of their income or household composition. Widows and widowers aged from 60 to 65 whose late spouses had been in receipt of the household benefits package retain that entitlement to ensure that households do not suffer a loss of entitlements following the death of a spouse.

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.

My Department also provides a range of employment supports. In particular, the back to work allowance scheme incentivises and encourages long-term unemployed people, lone parents and certain persons with disabilities to return to work by allowing them to retain part of their social welfare payment for a period when they take up employment or self-employment. The back to education allowance programme is available to people who need to obtain educational qualifications before re-entering the labour market. There is also a special projects fund, administered by facilitators based in local social welfare offices, which enables facilitators to provide enhanced supports to people who need additional help to progress to further training and employment.

A range of proposals have been made to extend the coverage of the household benefits package and 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.

Dan Boyle (Cork South Central, Green Party)
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Question 172: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs his views on whether it is enough to have lifted peak-time travel restrictions for pensioners and other free travel customers in major urban centres, without introducing additional incentives for people living in rural areas where there are not sufficient public transport networks to avail of; and if he has considered introducing further measures that might remedy this situation. [31780/06]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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My Department's 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 other allowances. It is also available to certain people with disabilities and people who are in receipt of certain welfare type payments. All remaining time based restrictions have been removed from the scheme with effect from 25th September 2006.

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, LUAS, as well as services provided by over 90 private transport operators. The vast majority of the private operators providing services under the scheme operate in rural areas. The underlying feature of the scheme is the use of spare capacity on these transport services.

My Department is always willing to consider applications from licensed private transport operators who may wish to participate in the free travel scheme. However, while my Department pays transport providers to operate the free travel scheme, it is not the competent authority to decide on the award of an Annual Passenger Licence, nor is it in a position to provide transport services where none currently exist.

The issue of access to public transport in rural areas is being addressed at present through the Rural Transport Initiative (RTI), which is being managed by Pobal on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Transport.

My Department contributed EUR 500,000 in 2004, EUR 750,000 in 2005 and EUR 850,000 in 2006 to the Rural Transport Initiative (RTI). This contribution has been made to ensure that free travel pass holders continued to have full access to community based transport services. My department's contribution to the RTI is intended as a contribution to the overall cost of carrying free travel pass holders.