Séamus Kirk (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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295. To ask the Minister for Social Protection her plans to amend or remove the free travel scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32973/13]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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There are currently in excess of 770,000 people in receipt of free travel from my Department and when spousal and companion passes are taken into account, there are over 1.1 million customers with some free travel eligibility. Expenditure on this scheme was frozen at 2010 levels by the previous Government. Expenditure for the free travel scheme in 2013 is set at €77 million.

Given the increasing number of recipients and the funding pressures, the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport and I established a working group with representatives from the two Departments, as well as the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and the National Transport Authority to review the free travel scheme. The purpose of this review is to examine and report on the current operation and future development of the free travel scheme including how the scheme is funded. The work of this group is expected to conclude before the autumn, and the findings of the report will then be considered.