Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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52. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the financial supports available from her Department to assist those who are blind or visually impaired, and who require assistance with their transport costs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19074/15]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The current free travel scheme provides free travel on the main public and private transport services for those eligible under the scheme. These include road, rail and ferry services provided by companies such as Bus Átha Cliath, Bus Éireann and Iarnród Éireann, as well as Luas and services provided by over 90 private transport operators. There are currently in excess of 810,000 customers with direct eligibility with an annual allocation of €77 million.

Recipients of blind pension are automatically eligible for free travel, and a companion free travel pass and may also be eligible, subject to satisfying the relevant conditions, for the fuel allowance, electricity/gas allowance, free television licence and the living alone allowance. Recipients of the blind pension may also be awarded the blind welfare allowance paid by the HSE.

Under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme (SWA) the Department of Social Protection may award a travel supplement in any case where the circumstances of the case so warrant. The supplement is intended to assist with ongoing or recurring travel costs that cannot be met from the client’s own resources and are deemed to be necessary. Every decision is based on consideration of the circumstances of the case, taking account of the nature and extent of the need and of the resources of the person concerned.

Where the travel costs are non-recurring, the SWA scheme provides for exceptional needs payments to be made to assist with essential, once-off expenditure in exceptional circumstances. There is no automatic entitlement to such payments. Again, every decision is based on consideration of the circumstances of the case, taking account of the nature and extent of the need and of the resources of the person concerned. The ENP scheme is not intended to cover circumstances where responsibility for the payment or the expenditure rests with another Government Department or Agency.