Michael Kennedy (Dublin North, Fianna Fail)
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Question 155: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if he will allow persons to participate in the all-Ireland free travel scheme from the age of 65; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13463/08]

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, also 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.

The all Ireland free travel 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 aged 66 or over can travel free on services operating within Northern Ireland and senior smartpass holders from Northern Ireland can travel free on participating services here. Effectively, institutions in this State and in Northern Ireland recognise free travel arrangements for older people in each jurisdiction as equivalent arrangements.

All free travel pass holders can continue to benefit from cross-border free travel which enables passholders to travel free on point to point journeys from here to destinations in Northern Ireland as well as on the associated return journey. Any further extension of the all Ireland free travel scheme could only be considered in a budgetary context.