Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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13. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the supports in place in terms of free travel access for people currently living in emergency accommodation. [37681/24]

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Emergency accommodation is an issue that has been brought up with me by a number of groups. There are pilot programmes running in some areas of the country through which people who are living in emergency accommodation are able to get free travel. Very often, they are provided accommodation that is very far from areas where there might be schools, etc. It is a significant constraint on their ability to access schools, services and so on.

Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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I thank the Deputy for his question. The free travel scheme provides free travel on the main public and private transport services for those eligible under the scheme. There are more than one million customers with direct eligibility. In budget 2024 we expanded the free travel scheme to support people who are medically certified as unable to drive. The estimated expenditure on free travel in 2024 is €104 million.

The objective of the free travel scheme is to ensure older people and people with disabilities remain active within their community by providing access to existing public and private transport routes. It is important to note, however, that, in general, access to a free travel pass for those aged under 66 is a secondary benefit linked to a person being in receipt of certain primary social protection payments or due to certain medical conditions. My Department does provide additional needs payments as part of the supplementary welfare allowance scheme for people who have an urgent 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.

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 matter for the Deputy.

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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This has been brought to my attention by Good Shepherd Cork, a charity based in Cork and one the Minister of State will be familiar with, that runs shelters such as Edel House, Shanaway House, and others. The issue primarily arises with children as it impacts on their ability to access school and other services. The emergency accommodation could be located far away and might not be proximate to the school. School transport is organised on the basis of routes. They are planned according to the number of children and the nearest school and second nearest school. School transport might no longer be viable or might not work for a child with a new address. The conclusion of the Good Shepherd service is that the only logical way of ensuring that these children are supported with their transport costs is the provision of a free travel pass. I know the Dublin Region Homeless Executive, DRHE, has provided Leap cards in its area but the Good Shepherd service and others have not been successful in getting that expanded to other areas. Will the Department consider whether free travel could be extended to children and families in those circumstances, as it might be a viable way to ensure that they do not miss out on school?

Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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I am aware of the case that has been made by the Good Shepherd service, which contacted me directly about this as well. I can see why someone who is trying to solve a particular problem would jump to the free travel pass from the Department of Social Protection. We looked into it. The school transport scheme is the obvious option and the question is how to bridge the gap between people in those situations and the school transport scheme.

My understanding is that there was some engagement with Tusla which, on occasion, has knowledge of and connection with people in emergency accommodation, and that it provided a sum of money to facilitate the purchase of Leap cards for people connected with that charity. That was obviously a temporary measure. There is perhaps scope in the Department of Education to develop a kind of protocol for people who, at a minimum, are in touch with Tusla but perhaps are in touch with homeless services. I always seek to bridge the gap where it is smallest, and I think that is where the smallest gap is.

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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I am not convinced by that. Will the Minister of State and his departmental officials meet with Good Shepherd Cork to explore the matter? The service supports families whose children have missed between 50 and 70 school days in an academic year. We have had debates on homelessness and talked about children doing their homework on a hotel bed or in a family hub. These are very challenging circumstances in which to raise a child.

An added complication is that many of these accommodations do not have space for cars and many people do not have cars to bring a child to school. It is a significant challenge and we must ensure that these children do not lose out on their education.

I am not sure that school transport is necessarily the best solution. I will make up an illustrative example from a part of the world the Minister of State is familiar with. If a child in Grenagh or Rathduff, for example, were offered emergency accommodation after eviction it would probably be on the Western Road. The school route would probably go through Grenagh, Rathduff and into Carrignavar or Blarney. How is that bus going to reroute to the Western Road and bring people out there? That is hardly going to work, given that existing school transport routes take a different direction.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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I thank the Deputy.

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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People are going to be dispersed and they may be isolated. Surely something more flexible is needed.

Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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I take the Deputy's point. We should look at every measure we can to alleviate the difficulties people in homeless accommodation experience. The review of school transport envisages that we would have an integrated system where school transport is connected to the public transport system so that, one way or another, every route in the public system would be available to whoever wants or needs it. That is worth exploring further.

The policy aim of free travel in our Department is quite different from the aim of school transport. In 1967 it was introduced to relieve the difficult circumstances of old people who live alone. More recently, in 1998, the then Minister for Social and Family Affairs described the purpose as to encourage older people to remain active in the community as well. I say that because there is a policy in another Department that is much closer to what we want to achieve for those people in homeless accommodation. Something could be done with local authorities as well. The Deputy mentioned the DRHE is doing it in Dublin. Let us see if the local authorities are on for doing it in other areas as well.

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Will the Minister of State or the officials meet with Good Shepherd Cork?

Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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I cannot give that commitment here.

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire (Cork South Central, Sinn Fein)
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The Minister of State might take back the request for a meeting to the Department.