Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 395: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the reason a person (details supplied) in Dublin 10 is not entitled to the back to school allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3780/07]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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The Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance (BSCFA) Scheme is administered on behalf of my Department by the Community Welfare division of the Health Service Executive.

A person may qualify for payment of a back to school clothing and footwear allowance if he or she is in receipt of a social welfare or health service executive payment, is participating in an approved employment scheme or attending a recognised education or training course, and has household income at or below certain specified levels. The weekly income limit appropriate to a single person with one child when the application was made in 2006 was €314.90.

The Health Service Executive has advised that it has disallowed an application by the person concerned in August 2006 as her household income was above the prescribed limit for entitlement to the allowance.

The person concerned was advised by the HSE Executive of the decision and she was also informed of her right to appeal. No appeal has been received by the Executive.

Jerry Cowley (Mayo, Independent)
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Question 396: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if he will review an anomaly which exists within the travel pass system (details supplied); his views on whether this is a flaw in the system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3986/07]

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. 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.

Spouses of travel pass holders may travel on the same journey with their partner at no cost to them. In addition, the free travel companion pass entitles the pass holder to have any one person, aged 16 years or over, to accompany him/her free of charge when travelling. Such companion passes are available to persons who qualify for free travel and who, on account of their disability, are unable to travel alone.

The main objective of the free travel scheme is to encourage older people and people with disabilities to remain independent and active in the community, thereby reducing the need for institutional care. The purpose of allowing pass holders to be accompanied while travelling is to facilitate further this mobility. The extension of the scheme to allow the pass holder's companion to travel alone would not be in keeping with this objective.