Denis Naughten (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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Question 353: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs her plans 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. [24739/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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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 the Department of 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. 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.