Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 7 July 2026
504. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Social Protection whether his Department has given consideration to lowering the age of eligibility for free travel passes for SEN students entering post primary schools to avail of public transport, in the event of travel without a primary carer (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50839/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe 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.
While consideration is always given to any requests to improve or extend eligibility to the Free Travel scheme, extending the eligibility of the Free Travel scheme to include children with special educational needs could only be considered in the context of overall budgetary negotiations.
While my Department does not provide a Free Travel pass to children with special educational needs, my Department does provide additional support in the form of the domiciliary care allowance in respect of children under 16 with severe disabilities. The domiciliary care allowance is a monthly payment of €380 to the carer of a child with a disability. The allowance may be used for the additional costs involved in caring for the child and this may include additional transport costs.
Finally, under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme, my Department may make Additional Needs Payments to help meet essential expenses that a person cannot pay from their weekly income or other personal and household resources. These payments are administered by Community Welfare Officers in the Community Welfare Service considering the requirements of the legislation and all the relevant circumstances of the case.
Any person who considers that they may have an entitlement to an Additional Needs Payment is encouraged to contact their local community welfare service. There is a National Community Welfare Contact Centre in place - 0818-607080 - which will direct callers to the appropriate office. In addition, applications can be made online via www.mywelfare.ie.
