Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 1296: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the plans she has to introduce a system in which persons entitled to free travel who cannot avail of public transport for hospital appointments could obtain a refund for the cost of taxis; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [30205/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

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.

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, as well as Luas and services provided by over 90 private transport operators.

I am aware of the difficulties that some free travel pass holders have in accessing public transport and my officials have discussed this issue with the Commission for Taxi Regulation. Various alternatives to the existing system, including the use of vouchers, have been examined. A study, A Review of the Free Schemes, published in 2000 by the Policy Institute, Trinity College Dublin, concluded that a voucher type system, which would be open to a wide range of transport providers including taxis and hackneys, would be extremely difficult to administer, open to abuse and unlikely to be sufficient to afford an acceptable amount of travel. This position remains unchanged.

The issue of access to public transport in rural areas is being addressed at present through the Rural Transport Programme, which is being managed by Pobal, on behalf of my colleague the Minister for Transport. My Department is contributing €1.5 million to the initiative this year to ensure that free travel pass holders continue to have access to community based transport services.