Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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181. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if a free travel companion pass will be provided for a person under 16 years of age where the parent, who is entitled to a free travel pass and a free travel companion pass but there is no other adult in the house; if a free travel companion pass may be used in any circumstances for persons under 16 years of age to travel with their parent; if she will consider making changes to facilitate this; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21484/15]

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 approx. 828,000 customers with direct eligibility with an annual allocation of €77 million. The scheme is available to all people aged over 66 living permanently in the State. To qualify for the scheme, applicants who are under age 66 must be in receipt of a qualifying payment. These 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.

A Companion Free Travel Pass entitles the Pass Holder to have any one person, aged 16 years or over, to accompany him/her free of charge when travelling. To qualify for a Free Travel Companion Pass a person must be medically assessed as unfit to travel alone as well as satisfying the other qualifying conditions. It would not be appropriate for a child under 16 to take on the role of travelling companion for someone unfit to travel alone. There are no circumstances where a child aged under 16 can be the accompanying person who is entitled to travel for free.