Written answers
Tuesday, 30 April 2024
Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection
Social Welfare Benefits
Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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464. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of heating supplement payments that were paid under the supplementary welfare allowance for each month from January 2021 to April 2022 inclusive, in tabular form; the number of persons who were in receipt of the fuel allowance; the number who were not in receipt of fuel allowance; the value of each monthly heating payment under the category; and if the payment was made directly to the person or to the energy company. [19275/24]
Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Following clarification from the Deputy's office, more recent data for the years 2023 and 2024 is required.
This information is not readily available. My Department is in the process of collating the data in question and will revert with a reply directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity)
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465. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if those who are on disability allowance and therefore in receipt of a qualifying payment for the free travel scheme who have a child and are therefore temporarily moved to maternity allowance if they should then lose access to the free travel scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19304/24]
Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Free Travel scheme provides free travel on the main public and private transport services for those eligible under the scheme. There are over one million customers with direct eligibility. The estimated expenditure on free travel in 2024 is €104 million.
It is important to note that, in general, access to a free travel pass for those aged under 66 is linked to a person being in receipt of certain primary Social Protection payments such as Disability Allowance, Invalidity Pension, Carers Allowance, Blind Pension and Partial Capacity Benefit. Therefore, the free travel pass is a secondary benefit directly linked to the person being in receipt of Disability Allowance.
If a person moves from a payment such as Disability Allowance to another payment that does not include a free travel pass as a secondary benefit, then the persons entitlement to a free travel pass ends.
As part of Budget 2024, I was particularly pleased to extend access to Free Travel to people who are medically certified as unfit to drive, including those with epilepsy.
From 29th of July 2024, the measure will extend access to the Free Travel scheme to:
- People who have never been medically fit to drive due to a disability; and
- Drivers who have a license and have been deemed medically unfit to drive for a period of one year or longer.
Any decision to further expand the Free Travel scheme to allow a person to retain their free travel pass in the circumstances outlined by the Deputy would result in additional funding requirements for the scheme and would have to be considered in the context of overall budgetary negotiations.
Finally, the Department of Social Protection provides Additional Needs Payments as part of the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme for people who have an essential need, which they cannot meet from their own resources. These payments are available through our Community Welfare Officers and include help towards recurring travel costs that cannot be met from the person's own resources and are deemed to be necessary.
A travel supplement may also be paid where a person has a recurring travel expense (for example, where a person has ongoing travel costs for hospital visits).
Every decision is based on consideration of the circumstances of the case, taking account of the nature and extent of the need and of the resources of the person concerned. I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
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