Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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618. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the funding provided for the free travel scheme from 2008 to date. [36996/19]

Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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619. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the way in which the free travel scheme fund has been distributed to specific transport companies from 2008 to date by company. [36998/19]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 618 and 619 together.

The free travel scheme permits free travel on most CIE public transport services, Luas and a range of services offered by some 80 private operators in various parts of the country for those eligible under the scheme. The scheme is available to all people aged over 66 living permanently in the State. Applicants who are under age 66 must be in receipt of a qualifying payment in order to be eligible for the scheme and permanently, legally reside in the State.

There are currently 955,792, customers in receipt of Free Travel as of the end of August 2019.

A full list of the moneys paid to the transport companies and the overall budget allocation for the free travel scheme covering the years from 2008 to 2018 is available at the following link:

">Free Travel Scheme

The 2019 free travel budget allocation is €95 million.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.