Comments on: Irish Rail confirm that same sex couples have sought Free Travel

By: Iarnród Éireann? Mary Coughlan? Mary Hanafin? All a pack of shits | gaelick

Iarnród Éireann? Mary Coughlan? Mary Hanafin? All a pack of shits | gaelick — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 19:12:05 +0000

[...] And it seems my question has been answered during the week by Maman Poulet [link and link]: [...]

By: Social Welfare Policy under Equality Review | Maman Poulet

Social Welfare Policy under Equality Review | Maman Poulet — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 00:37:03 +0000

[...] by Newstalk (link to print version of their report is no longer available) about the Free Travel Pass issue following the publication of that article in the Irish [...]

By: admin

admin — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 20:02:36 +0000

The travel pass for disabled people is different – it is awarded to people who cannot travel alone so that a ‘companion’ can accompany them – it’s not a spousal travel pass.

From SW40

Spouses and companions

If you have a free travel pass and you are married or cohabiting (that is, living with a man or woman as husband and wife), you are entitled to a Free Travel Pass which allows your partner to accompany you free of charge when travelling. (This does not apply to person’s under age 66 who are in receipt of Carer’s Allowance or who are nominated carers for people getting Constant Attendance Allowance or Prescribed Relatives Allowance from Department Social and Family Affairs). Of course, your spouse should get a travel pass in his/her own right if he/she qualifies.

In addition, some people who are unable to use the pass because they are unable to travel alone may get a Companion Free Travel Pass. This allows the holder to be accompanied by any person over 16 years of age, free of charge. Click here to find out more about qualifying for a Companion Free Travel Pass.

By: Ian

Ian — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 19:46:22 +0000

Many people on other sites have pointed out that disabled people often avail of free travel passes for their son or daughter

I wonder are Irish Rail specifically checking this?

By: Michael Everson

Michael Everson — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 17:46:02 +0000

I’m even angrier now. I’ve just written to our minister:

Dear Minister Hanafin,

The reports on Maman Poulet’s blog began when I saw the public notices in Heuston Station and took the photos which I sent to her and to some others.

It is difficult to express the shock I felt when I saw the notices. Under the law, unmarried people can claim a companion pass so long as their companion is of the opposite sex. I find it extraordinarily difficult to fathom how anyone in our country could imagine this to be in any way sensible. It has nothing to do with marriage. It has everything to do with active discrimination against gay and lesbians in Ireland. It is shameful.

Even if one were to accept the institutionalized homophobia we enjoy living under your own political party, the rule prevents an old heterosexual person from choosing a non-sexual, purely platonic travel companion for the arbitrary reason of being of the same sex. Is this how we wish to treat our seniors?

Try to remember, please, that the Nazis sent gay people to death in concentration camps just as they sent Jews and gypsies and people with Down syndrome. Try, minister, try to imagine what Irish members of this minority feel about the way their country treats them.

And then do something about it, please.

By: Simon Murphy

Simon Murphy — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 14:52:15 +0000

Irish Rail may simply be following the law. That doesn’t excuse them. During segregation in the US and Apartheid in SOuth Africa businesses who refused to serve black customers were also obeying the law. They were still acting in an immoral way. I got a reply from Mary Hanafin asking for my postal address so she can write me a letter to address my concerns. I provided her with my address and told her I was looking forward to hearing her proposals for abolishing the homophobic elements of the Social Welfare Amendment Act 2004. I think she needs to receive many, many emails of protest.

By: Celtic donkey

Celtic donkey — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 11:49:14 +0000

In fairness to Iarnrod Eireann, they are following the law here. Same-sex relationships are not recognised yet and, as a semi-state, they are not legally entitled to go out on a limb and recognise something there is no legal basis for. So legally, any attempt to do this would be fraud. Law and justice are not the same thing.

Then again, Damien has a point – the unions need to wake up and realise some of their very own members might some day (shock, horror!) be affected by this, and they will have done nothing about it.

Choose your battles and write to Mary Hanafin. She’s never been exactly pro-gay and putting her in charge of DSFA was always going to be a retrograde step. She has a very old “pro-family” Fianna Fail ethos, along with a lot of the current Cabinet.

By: Laura Farrell

Laura Farrell — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 12:32:59 +0000

Its quite objectionable to think that the accusation of fraud could be used against older gay couples. I would think in any case the number willing to reveal themselves to be a couple would be very tiny, so savings would be minute. Its spiteful and vindictive. Would be interesting to see where up the line of accountability the decision to produce this was taken. Would a FOI request do this, I wonder?

By: J Mathews

J Mathews — Wed, 03 Sep 2008 10:30:02 +0000

This a flagrant brach of numerous EU laws to my mind. I suggest a mass protest, make life difficult for each end every person employed by these hateful fascists.

By: Damien Mulley

Damien Mulley — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 23:23:27 +0000

Asked it on my own blog but worth repeating:

What of the Irish Rail employees that have to do this and don’t want to? How do they feel about it? Have they protested? Were they threatened with sanctions if they didn’t do this?

With their unions so pro-equality, I wonder did they make any issue of it?

They’ve certainly striked when people didn’t get equal pay.