Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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Question 297: To ask the Minister for Social Protection in view of the fact that the State calculates the average cost per person of providing free transport to the elderly and to the disabled with an assistant, the locations to which the savings accrued from the failure to provide this service in many rural areas, including Donegal, are redistributed. [15578/11]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The free travel scheme permits free travel on most CIE public transport services in all counties, Luas and a range of services offered by over 90 private operators in various parts of the country. There are 15 private operators based in county Donegal participating in the scheme. Free travel is also available on cross border journeys between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. In addition, customers aged 66 years and over can travel for free on journeys within Northern Ireland.

The free travel scheme was provided at an annual cost to the exchequer of some €74 million in 2010. Expenditure on this scheme has been frozen at 2010 levels in line with the National Recovery Plan 2011 – 2014. Payments under the scheme are made on the basis of fares foregone and are not calculated using average transport costs per customer.

In addition to the free travel scheme, the Department pays an annual contribution of €1.5 million to the Rural Transport Programme. The aim of this programme is to encourage innovative community based initiatives to provide transport services in rural areas with a view to addressing the issue of social exclusion caused by lack of access to transport. Route analysis and provision of transport services is a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Transport.