Patrick O'Donovan (Limerick, Fine Gael)
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94. To ask the Minister for Social Protection in cases where disabled persons qualify for a travel pass but do not have access to public transport where they live, the outcome for the funding allocated to their travel pass under the free travel scheme; the options that are open to those persons in regard to recouping that cost to be used towards private travel arrangements; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19718/15]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Allocation of funding for free travel is not based on the numbers on each qualifying scheme but on expected passenger numbers who avail of their free travel pass. It is not possible for an individual person who has qualified for the scheme to receive a cash payment instead.

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.