Timmy Dooley (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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150. To ask the Minister for Social Protection when the draft report of the interdepartmental working group to examine and report on the current operation and future development of the free travel scheme will be available; the measures she is considering to deal with the financial pressures imposed on operators due to the funding cap and increasing number of passengers under the scheme. [8991/15]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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There are currently approximately 800,000 people in Ireland in receipt of free travel at an annual cost of €77 million per annum.

The free travel 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 qualify for the scheme. The qualifying payments for those aged under 66 are invalidity pension, blind pension, disability allowance, carer’s allowance or an equivalent social security payment from a country covered by EC Regulations or one with which Ireland has a Bilateral Social Security Agreement.

I am pleased to note that in its recent “Statement of Government Priorities, 2014-2016” the Government committed itself to the full retention of the free travel scheme.

The interdepartmental working group to examine and report on the current operation and future development of the free travel scheme, which the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport and I established, has completed its work. I look forward to receiving its report, which is under consideration within the Department, shortly.