Withdrawal of bus passes would have consequences

Eighty-four-year-old pensioner and widow, Anne Spearman (Letters, Nov 14) makes an impassioned plea to Finance Minister Michael Noonan “to look elsewhere to make his cuts” rather than do away with pensioners’ bus passes.

Even if his proposal were restricted to withdrawing them from better-off pensioners, it all depends on what is meant by being “better-off” and would involve means-testing, which is generally accepted as being inefficient and costly, so the only way to save money would be to penalise the less well-off as well.

The result would be that these unfortunate people who have spent their lives contributing to the country will become increasingly home-bound and isolated — their health will deteriorate and they will become an even more costly burden on the state’s social and health services.