Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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115. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if an interdepartmental working group was established to carry out a review of the operation of the current free travel scheme; if this group has completed its work; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42919/13]

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. This increases to in excess of one million if companies are included. Expenditure on this scheme was frozen at €77 million, the provision in 2010, by the previous Government.

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 this year.