Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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136. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the status of the proceedings of the interdepartmental working group between his Department and the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport to examine and report on the current and future operation of the free travel scheme, including the removal of the cap; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15828/16]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The free travel scheme provides free travel for those with eligibility on the main public and private transport services which includes road, rail and ferry services provided by companies such as Bus Átha Cliath, Bus Éireann, Iarnród Éireann, Luas and services provided by over 80 private transport operators. There are currently approximately 853,000 customers with direct eligibility with an annual allocation of €80 million.

In 2012, during a period of economic uncertainty, my Department along with the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, set up an interdepartmental working group to review the free travel scheme. The purpose of the review was to examine and report on the current operation and future development of the free travel scheme. Owing to the range of policy changes implemented since its establishment, the scheme is now universally available to all persons permanently living in the State aged 66 and over as well as carers in receipt of carers allowance and certain others such as persons in receipt of disability allowance and invalidity pension.

The group’s report was drafted by October 2014, and it considered a number of potential changes to the free travel scheme, notably options which would reduce its cost by limiting its scope or by the introduction of charges. However, Government policy is strongly supportive of the scheme, and by late 2014 the economy had started to recover and the need to make cost saving changes in respect of this scheme abated. The subsequent publication of the report might have been seen to signal the intention to actively pursue some of the options identified, and would have caused anxiety among vulnerable users of the service. The report drafted was not, therefore, submitted for Government approval and publication.

I am aware that the free travel pass is a valuable support for older people and people with disabilities, and I am committed to its full retention.

With respect to the cap on funding imposed by a previous Government under the National Recovery Plan, 2011-2014, the cap on funding was not extended beyond 2014 and in Budget 2016 an additional €3 million in funding was allocated to the free travel scheme.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.