Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)
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Question 145: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the continued justification for not back dating payments for waiting days in respect of claimants whose claims extend beyond the first number of days for disability or injury benefit and unemployment payments; the discussions he or his Department has had with social partners about reforming the waiting day rule; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5228/08]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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Waiting days have been a feature of the jobseeker's payments and illness benefit schemes since their inception. They are a feature of social security schemes in many countries. The application of a three-day waiting period avoids the disproportionately high administrative costs involved in processing large numbers of claims of a short duration. The waiting day rule is not applied in every case. For example, a "period of interruption of employment" exists where a person is unemployed or sick for any three days (consecutive or not) within six days. If a person is subject to intermittent periods of unemployment it would clearly be unreasonable to impose the three waiting days for each such jobseeker's benefit claim.

Accordingly, legislation enables, by means of a "linking rule" the aggregation of periods of unemployment so that the wait only applies to the first days of the aggregate period of interruption of employment. Specifically, this linking rule provides that any two such periods of unemployment not separated by more than 26 weeks are treated as one such period. Consequently, where a person had a previous claim within the linking period, a payment may be made from the first day of the later claim. The same principle applies in the case of jobseeker's allowance but the linking period is longer — 52 weeks instead of 26 weeks. In addition, linking rules apply in a variety of ways across schemes, for example when a person claims illness benefit immediately, following a jobseeker's benefit claim. I emphasise that people who need financial support are not left without such support during waiting days. A person who has no other income may claim supplementary welfare allowance in respect of the days in question. I have no plans at present to reform the waiting days rule.

Emmet Stagg (Kildare North, Labour)
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Question 148: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs his plans to extend entitlement to free travel. [5229/08]

Martin Cullen (Waterford, 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. There have been significant improvements to the scheme in recent years. In September 2006, all peak-time restrictions were removed so that pass holders can now travel free on participating services at any time.

In spring 2007, the all-Ireland free travel scheme was introduced. This scheme is based on a reciprocal agreement between my Department and the Department for Regional Development in Northern Ireland, which operates the Northern Ireland concessionary fares scheme. Under the scheme, free travel pass holders age 66 or over can travel free on services operating within Northern Ireland and senior smart pass holders from Northern Ireland can travel free on participating services here. Any further extension of the scheme could only be considered in a budgetary context.