To ask the Minister for Infrastructure whether he will retain free bus and rail travel for those aged over 60 in Northern Ireland.

The 12-week public consultation on changes to the NI Concessionary Fares Scheme closed on 24th August 2023, with the Department receiving over 20,000 responses. These responses have been invaluable in understanding the benefits of the Scheme not only for individuals, but for our society and economy as a whole, and I thank everyone who took the time to respond or get involved.

In the coming weeks I will be considering the responses the Department has received to the consultation and while I will do all I can to protect the concessions which matter most to people, any decisions on whether to keep free travel for those aged 60-64 must be based on the funding made available to my Department.