Minister: Government looking at 'future development' of free travel for pensioners

Children's Minister Frances Fitzgerald has today insisted that the Government has made no decision yet on next year's Budget.

Minister Fitzgerald's comments come as the IMF is due to publish a report tomorrow which is expected to push for universal social welfare reform as well as the speedy introduction of the property tax.

It is believed that the report will also deem payments such as child benefit as financially unsustainable, and is expected to highlight the need for the issue of health service reforms to be addressed.

The issue of various allowances for pensioners will also be looked at and Minister Fitzgerald confirmed that that free travel for pensioners is being reviewed by Government.

"There is a review going on in its operation and future development," she said.

"The last Government put a cap on it, in 2010, and that cap was at the €77m [mark].

"There's over 1.1m customers use the service at the moment. I mean it's a huge part of the social fabric I think in the way that we approach community and older people, and it’s a review to look at its current operation and future development."