Written answers
Tuesday, 27 July 2021
Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection
Social Welfare Schemes
Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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1123. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of passenger journeys for which her Department compensated the licensed transport operators under the free travel scheme in respect of each year from 2015 to 2020 and during the period January to June 2021 in respect of licensed routes (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39819/21]
Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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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 countrywide for those eligible under the scheme. The scheme is available to all people aged over 66 and those under age 66 on qualified payments, who are living legally and permanently in the State. At the end of June, there were 1,002,682 customers eligible for Free Travel.
The transport provider concerned was a participant in the Free Travel scheme during the periods 2015 to 2020 and from January to June 2021, for the routes specified by the Deputy and has been paid accordingly for the carriage of Free Travel passengers.
It is not possible to provide the number of passenger journeys requested by the Deputy for the periods concerned as my Department does not hold this information.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
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