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Ireland revokes free travel passes for more than 500 Ukrainian refugees, including disabled; Refugees in distress

Ireland revokes free travel passes for more than 500 Ukrainian refugees, including disabled; Refugees in distress

This follows a decision to significantly reduce welfare payments for Ukrainians living in government-provided, serviced accommodation such as hotels, and earlier this year Ukrainians living in Irish-provided accommodation were ineligible from receiving social protection payments other than child benefit and additional needs payments. The government said that the action is in line with the payment eligibility of other refugees.

The Free Travel Pass scheme allows holders to travel for free on public transport and some private bus and ferry services. If the right to a free travel pass is based on a qualifying social protection payment, the right to a free travel pass ceases when a person is no longer entitled to a qualifying payment. 

A succession of changes announced in May are now in effect. Under those changes, Ukrainians receiving disability payments, pensions and jobseeker's allowance saw their weekly payments drop to €38.80. 

Some Ukrainians have now been advised that their free travel passes linked to other payments will also be removed. The Department of Social Protection has confirmed that as a result of the changes, 320 Ukrainians who received Disability Allowance and 200 who previously received Carers' Allowance will no longer be eligible for the free travel scheme.

The Ukraine Civil Society Forum said removing the passes would hit the most vulnerable. A disability is a disability and a human being is a human being. We will not take a travel card from a disabled Irish person because we know how essential it is. Now how are they going to make their medical appointments? Travel into town to do their laundry?” asked Emma Lane UCSF's national coordinator.

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