Written answers

Tuesday, 4 November 2014

Department of Social Protection

Free Travel Scheme Administration

Photo of Charlie McConalogueCharlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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101. To ask the Minister for Social Protection when she will provide funding to a company (details supplied) in County Donegal under the free travel scheme in order that the senior citizens in the Inishowen area can avail of free travel in the same way that their contemporaries can countrywide, in view of the fact that this route is not a new route and is the similar route operated by Lough Swilly company before it ceased operation and should be funded; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [41658/14]

Photo of Joan BurtonJoan 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, at an annual cost of €77 million.

Funding for the free travel scheme was capped by the previous Government in the National Recovery Plan 2011-2014. To implement this cap on funding during a time in which passenger numbers have been increasing each year the Department has had to impose a freeze on the amounts paid to companies and a complete restriction on the admittance of new companies or routes to the scheme. This has included new companies taking over previously extant routes.

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 Priorities, 2014-2016” that we are committed to the full retention of the Free Travel Scheme. I appreciate the importance of the scheme to customers, particularly pensioners, and am aware of the implications for travel pass holders in those areas where services have been withdrawn. I have therefore asked officials in the Department to examine ways in which companies could be admitted to the free travel scheme, initially where they are taking over routes for which free travel funding was previously available, including in Donegal, and thereafter on other routes with licensed passenger services.

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