Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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359. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if his attention has been drawn to the anomaly in the free travel scheme which excludes children who are being cared for by their carers from the scheme in circumstances where the carers of such children obtain a free travel pass on the basis of them caring for their children who have a disability; if he will investigate this anomaly as a matter of urgency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20547/16]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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There are currently approximately 853,000 people in Ireland in receipt of free travel at an annual cost of €80 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 learning disabilities, 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. Free travel is provided for people in receipt of carer’s allowance to facilitate their caring role and support their social inclusion.

Children with disabilities may qualify for the domiciliary care allowance. This is a monthly payment of €309.50 to the carer of a child with a disability. The allowance may be used for the additional costs involved in caring for the child and this may include additional transport costs. On most transport services children under sixteen years of age are charged fares at special concessionary child rates.

Any decision to extend the free travel scheme to persons who are not in receipt of a primary qualifying payment would have to be considered in the context of overall budgetary negotiations.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.