Over 4,000 postcards from Irish emigrants in Britain, supporting a Labour Party campaign to extend the Free Travel Scheme to Irish pensioners living abroad, will be delivered to the Department of the Taoiseach today.
One of the key recommendations in a 2002 report from the Government's taskforce on policy regarding emigrants, was that measures to facilitate the return of emigrants to Ireland be introduced. In a statement, the Labour Party has commented that "unfortunately, little has been done to act on this".
It continued that "the Irish community in Britain has, in particular, urged that the free travel service, available to pensioners in this country, be made available to Irish pensioners in Britain when they travel to this country. This would assist elderly people, many of whom are surviving on meagre incomes, to visit loved ones in this country."
Over the St Patrick's day period this year, the Labour Party distributed postcards to Irish communities in Britain, seeking support for their campaign. These have been returned over recent weeks to the Labour Party headquarters in Dublin.
The postcards will be presented at the Department of the Taoiseach this morning by Labour Party leader Pat Rabbitte, chairman of the Labour parliamentary party Willie Penrose, party whip Emmet Stagg, and deputy Kathleen Lynch.