Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 19 May 2026
684. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Social Protection if a person on disability allowance and in receipt of a free travel pass, on taking up employment will have no restrictions on retaining this travel pass as they have a long-term disability; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37378/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe objective of the Free Travel scheme is to ensure older people and people with disabilities remain active within their community. Therefore, 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 or due to certain medical conditions.
As part of the “Make Work Pay” initiative, persons who move directly from certain long term Social Protection schemes, such as Disability Allowance, to employment are entitled to retain their Free Travel entitlement for a further period of 5 years, where they previously had an entitlement.
Furthermore, as part of Budget 2024, Free Travel eligibility was expanded to people who have never been medically fit to drive due to a disability or are medically certified as unfit to drive for a period of at least 12 months. There is no requirement that a person must be in receipt of a Social Welfare payment or any means limits in order to qualify for a Free Travel Pass on these medical grounds, provided the other qualifying criteria are met.
While my Departments schemes are reviewed on an ongoing basis, any decision to expand the eligibility criteria for the free travel to allow persons who lose eligibility for disability allowance to retain their Free Travel pass indefinitely can only be considered while taking account of the overall budgetary context and the availability of financial resources.
