Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 15 February 2022
485. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Social Protection if her attention been drawn to an anomaly with the living alone allowance that means some single persons are not entitled to this allowance and that this is discrimination based on their civil status given that they are not in receipt of a social welfare allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7469/22]
View answerPrimary weekly social welfare payments are intended to enable recipients to meet their basic day-to-day income needs. In addition, my Department also provides a range of other payments, both cash and non-cash, on a weekly, monthly, or less frequent basis. These payments are considered secondary in nature.
The Living Alone Increase (LAI) is one of those secondary payments. It is not a scheme or a stand-alone payment in itself, but rather it is a supplement to a social welfare payment of €22 per week made to people aged 66 years or over, who are in receipt of certain social welfare payments and who are living alone. For those aged 66 or over, these payments include State Pension (Contributory), State Pension (Non-contributory), Widow’s, Widower’s or Surviving Civil Partner’s (Contributory) Pension, Widow's/Widower's Pension under the Occupational Injuries Benefit Scheme, Incapacity Supplement under the Occupational Injuries Benefit Scheme and Deserted Wife's Benefit.
Accordingly, there are no circumstances where the Living Alone Increase can be paid to people who are not in receipt of a qualifying payment from my Department. Any decision to allow those who are not in receipt of a qualifying payment to receive the Living Alone Increase - and thereby establish it as a scheme - would have budgetary and administrative consequences and would have to be considered in the context of Budget negotiations.
Under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme, Exceptional Needs payments may be made to help meet an essential, once-off cost which customers are unable to meet from their own resources. Decisions on such payments are made on a case-by-case basis.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
