Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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172. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide an update on the review of the free travel pass scheme; the annual expenditure on the scheme since 2011; those in possession of free travel passes since 2011 broken down in tabular form under categories FT-P, FT+S and FT+C; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40234/14]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The free travel scheme provides free travel on the main public and private transport services for approximately 800,000 people, elderly, disabled and carers. Funding for the free travel scheme was capped by the previous Government in the National Recovery Plan 2011-2014. Given the increasing number of recipients and the funding pressures, the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport and I established an interdepartmental working group to examine and report on the current operation and future development of the free travel scheme. I expect to receive the final draft of the review shortly. The Government made clear in the “Statement of Government Piorities, 2014-2016” that it is committed to the full retention of the Free Travel Scheme.

The data requested is set out as follows: