Pat Deering (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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158. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if sufferers of epilepsy, a long term illness condition, will be included in the free travel scheme [42926/14]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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There are currently approximately 800,000 people in receipt of free travel at an annual cost of €77 million per annum.

The free travel scheme is available to all people aged over 66 living permanently in the State. Applicants who are under age 66, including those with epilepsy and other long-term medical conditions, must be in receipt of a qualifying payment in order to qualify for the scheme. The qualifying payments for those aged under 66 are invalidity pension, blind pension, disability allowance, carer’s allowance or an equivalent social security payment from a country covered by EC Regulations or one with which Ireland has a Bilateral Social Security Agreement.

The Department is not in a position to consider extending the scheme to those aged under 66 years who are not in receipt of a qualifying payment from the Department.