Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 22 March 2022
82. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Social Protection if consideration will be given to including assistance for broadband connection as part of the household benefits package; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14847/22]
View answerThe Household Benefits package (HHB) comprises the electricity or gas allowance, and the free television licence. The package is generally available to people living in the State aged 66 years or over who are in receipt of a social welfare type payment or who satisfy a means test. The package is also available to some people under the age of 66, who are in receipt of certain welfare type payments. My Department will spend approximately €273 million this year on HHB.
All proposals, including any proposal to introduce a new broadband allowance as part of the HHB package could only be considered while taking account of overall Government policy and budgetary considerations.
Given the many competing demands for the limited funding available to my Department, recent Budget spending increases have been targeted to ensure that it goes to those people who need help the most. Therefore, as well as increasing Social Welfare payments weekly rates, the Government has increased the rate of targeted “household” based schemes such as the Living Alone Allowance and the Fuel Allowance. These supports are targeted towards households that are at a higher risk of poverty, as evidenced by recent ESRI research.
HHB is only one of my Department’s schemes. My Department also pays the Telephone Support Allowance (TSA) to over 137,000 customers weekly. TSA is an allowance of €2.50 per week which supports recipients by assisting them with the cost of communications and/or home security solutions. The primary objective of the TSA is to support the most vulnerable people at risk of isolation, including the elderly and those with disabilities, to have access to critical communications infrastructure. In order to receive the allowance, a customer of the Department must be in receipt of a qualifying payment and also in receipt of both the Living Alone Allowance and the Fuel Allowance – this means that the scheme is very specifically targeted at those people who need it the most.
Furthermore, my Department operates both Exceptional and Urgent Needs Payments as part of the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme for people who have an urgent need, which they cannot meet from their own resources. These payments are available through our Community Welfare Officers.
I trust this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
