Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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Question 194: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the reasons free travel pass holders are discriminated against regarding the purchase of rail tickets; the efforts he or his Department has made to remove these restrictions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31843/06]

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.

Policy relating to the purchase of rail tickets and the restriction of free travel pass holders to day return tickets only, when travelling by train, is a matter for CIE. Where a return journey is not made on the same day, CIE policy dictates that a single journey ticket is required for each journey. While any change in this policy is a matter for CIE, I intend to keep the matter under review in the context of further improvements to the free travel scheme.