Travel passes for institutionalised disabled people
The Minister said eligible blind people, invalidity pensioners, disabled persons’ maintenance allowance recipients and people aged 66 or over qualify for free travel regardless of institutional care. Some permanently institutionalised people may not qualify for the allowance or otherwise be entitled to a pass.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will ensure that physically handicapped people who are in institutional care are allocated travel passes.
Comment on this
Free travel is available to physically handicapped people resident in the State who are blind or in receipt of an invalidity pension or a disabled person's maintenance allowance and is, of course, available to everybody aged 66 or over. Persons in these categories qualify for free travel whether or not they are in institutional care.
Certain physically handicapped persons in permanent institutional care may not, however, qualify for disabled person's maintenance allowance and may not be otherwise entitled to free travel. It is not clear how free travel facilities would benefit persons in this position, but if the Deputy has a particular type of case in mind, I would be prepared to consider it.