Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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347. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if a person (details supplied) is entitled to a free travel pass due to their low income and the ongoing expense of attending frequent necessary medical appointments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25321/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Free Travel Scheme is available to people aged 66 and over who are permanently residing in the State. Applicants under age 66 must be in receipt of a qualifying payment in order to qualify for Free Travel.

The qualifying payments for those under age 66 for Free Travel purposes include Invalidity Pension, Blind Pension, (or a person who is blind or severely visually impaired and satisfies the medical conditions for a blind pension, or is registered with the NCBI), Disability Allowance, Incapacity Supplement with Disablement Pension for at least 12 months, Carer’s Allowance, or an equivalent social security payment from a country covered by EU Regulations or one with which Ireland has a Bilateral Social Security Agreement.

Based on the records held by my Department and the information provided by the Deputy, the person concerned is not in receipt of a qualifying payment and therefore does not qualify for Free Travel at this time.

Under the supplementary allowance scheme, the Department of Social Protection may make a single exceptional needs payment (ENP) to help meet essential, once-off expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet from his/her weekly income.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.