This is not the first case of this type
Until late 2010 the rules from the Department of Social Protection were that the partner had to be of a different sex to the pass holder. There were some exceptions to this and this was communicated within all the companies in the free travel scheme. A memo was circulated within the CIE group reinforcing the rules as laid down by the DSP
In 2010 as a result of a number of changes in Irish law and challenges the rules changed such that the legal partner regardless of sex could travel as a partner under the scheme.
It is clear and indeed admitted by Irish Rail above that this was the case and that there was a failure to train its staff accordingly to do the opposite to what they were trained to do originally in these cases. This again highlights the poor training and lack of management within Irish Rail to ensure compliance with an issue that was very likely to result in serious consequences if not handled in line with the new legal position.
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