Niall Collins
Question:1078. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will advise on the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20814/22]
View answerTuesday, 26 April 2022
Questions (1078)
Written answers
The person concerned is currently in receipt of the Widower(er)'s & Surviving Civil Partner's Contributory Pension at the maximum rate for those aged under 66 years. This pension will remain payable while the person remains widowed and is payable regardless of other income.
The social welfare system is primarily a contingency-based system, with entitlement based on a number of defined contingencies such as sickness, unemployment, old age or widowhood.
There is a general principle of one person, one 'core' payment, which applies across the whole of the social welfare system. Given the contingency-based nature of this system, it can happen that a person may experience more than one contingency at the same time. For example, a person may be in receipt of a Widower(er)'s & Surviving Civil Partner's Contributory Pension and become unemployed. As a consequence, if a person experiences more than one of these contingencies at the same time, he or she can receive only one payment. This principle is common to social security systems across the world.
To change the underlying principle of entitlement and allow people claim multiple payments would involve significant additional expenditure which could prove unsustainable in the long-term, and would have to be considered in the overall policy and budgetary contexts.
I hope this clarifies the position.