Wednesday, 13 Jul 2022

Written Answers Nos. 335-355

Social Welfare Payments

Questions (335)

Bríd Smith

Question:

335. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason that it would appear that deciding officers and Intreo offices are not familiar with the changes in fuel allowance legislation given that this is resulting in refusal of entitlement for families who are actually eligible following the changes, plunging them further into fuel poverty; the reason that some fuel allowance applicants are having to chase up and question their eligibility; the reason that waiting times to establish eligibility are particularly long when the impact is so devastating for families who are experiencing real poverty especially with the spiralling cost of living; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38223/22]

Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

The Fuel Allowance is a payment of €33 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €924 each year) from late September to April, at an estimated cost of €366 million in 2022. The purpose of this payment is to assist these households with their energy costs.

The qualifying criteria for the Fuel Allowance scheme are outlined in detailed guidelines that are available to all staff in my Department. These detailed guidelines are reviewed and updated in line with any announced changes to the scheme. Prior to any changes to the Fuel Allowance qualifying criteria, a circular is also issued to all Department staff outlining the changes and highlighting their implementation date.

Every effort is made to ensure that the staff of my Department are aware of the changes to the Fuel Allowance qualifying criteria. However, if the Deputy is aware of any claims incorrectly disallowed, I would ask that she urges those affected to contact my Department so that the matter can be investigated.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

State Pensions

Questions (336)

Paul Kehoe

Question:

336. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Social Protection the current status of the pension (non-contributory) application for a person (details supplied); when will a decision will be made; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38227/22]

Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

According to the records of my Department, the person concerned reached pension age on 27 June 2021 and their application for State pension (contributory) was received on 18 June 2021. There is no record of receipt of an application for State pension (non-contributory).

Under current eligibility conditions for State Pension (contributory), an individual must have 520 full-rate paid contributions in order to qualify for standard State pension (contributory). 520 full-rate contributions equates to 10 years of full-rate insurable employment. Factors such as an individual’s social insurance record, their attachment to the workforce, and their countries of employment affect the rate of pension entitlement.

The contribution history of the person concerned is currently being examined to establish details of the claimant's self-employment. On completion of this, a deciding officer will examine the claimant's entitlement and they will be informed of the decision in writing.

A reduced rate Qualified adult increase is currently in payment in respect of the person concerned. This payment was based on the means of the qualified adult at the time of application. A review of this entitlement can be requested if their means have changed.

When the claimant's contributory pension entitlement is established, the person concerned will be paid the payment which is financially more beneficial to them, their own contributory pension or the qualified adult increase.

It is also open to the person concerned to apply for the State pension (non-contributory). This is a means-tested, residency-based payment for people of pension age. The maximum personal rate is approximately 95% of the maximum rate of contributory pension.

I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.

Departmental Staff

Questions (337)

Michael Ring

Question:

337. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Social Protection the salary of four roles within her Department (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38303/22]

Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

The Assistant Secretaries General and Secretary General are paid in line with Civil Service salary scales. These scales are most recently outlined in Department of Public Expenditure and Reform Circular 15/2022 available here: gov.ie - Circular 15-2022 - FEMPI Pay Restoration 1 July 2022 (www.gov.ie).

The salary for the Minister for Social Protection is as set out in the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform document 'Pay of Oireachtas Members and Office Holders', available here: gov.ie - Pay of Oireachtas Members and Office Holders (www.gov.ie). Please note that, while the Department pays the Ministerial salary, the Minister's TD salary is paid by the Oireachtas.

The salaries of the two Ministers of State assigned responsibilities in the Department of Social Protection are paid by the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment respectively.

Community Employment Schemes

Questions (338)

Jackie Cahill

Question:

338. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Social Protection if a community employment supervisor who retires before retirement age will receive the gratuity payment upon retirement; if not, if they have to wait until retirement age to receive this payment in view of the retirement deal that was agreed with the unions; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38367/22]

Written answers

Minister of State at the Department of Social Protection (Deputy Joe O'Brien)

As the Deputy may be aware, Community Employment (CE) supervisors and CE assistant supervisors have been seeking for several years through their union representatives, SIPTU and Forsa, the allocation of Exchequer funding to implement a 2008 Labour Court recommendation relating to the provision of a pension scheme for CE supervisors and CE assistant supervisors who are employed by CE scheme sponsoring organisations.    

Agreement was reached in December 2021 between the Department of Social Protection and unions representing CE supervisors and assistant supervisors that resolves this long-standing issue through the payment of a once off ex-gratia payment rather than a pension to eligible CE supervisors and assistant supervisors.  On the 23rd December 2021, both unions involved confirmed acceptance of this settlement which will benefit approximately 2,500 people employed by CE schemes going back to 2008. It is estimated to have a total cost of over €24 million. 

Generally, under the terms of this settlement, on reaching retirement age, eligible CE supervisors and assistant supervisors will receive a once off ex-gratia payment in respect of time employed by CE schemes since 2008.  People who retired since 2008 and who have reached retirement age are now able to apply for this payment.

This payment only becomes available to eligible CE supervisors and assistant supervisors when they reach retirement age with the exception of those who retire on ill health grounds, who can access the payment earlier based on confirmation that their early retirement is as a result of ill health.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy. 

Social Welfare Payments

Questions (339, 357)

Seán Sherlock

Question:

339. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of additional people that would qualify for fuel allowance if the weekly means threshold of €120 in the means test was increased by a further €20, €50 and €100, respectively; the additional cost for each increase; the number of additional people that qualified for fuel allowance following the €20 weekly means threshold increase in budget 2022; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38368/22]

Seán Sherlock

Question:

357. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost of increasing the weekly means threshold for fuel allowance from €120 to €200; the way that many more would be eligible; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38391/22]

Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

I propose to take Questions Nos. 339 and 357 together.

Fuel Allowance is a payment of €33 per week for 28 weeks at an estimated cost of €366 million in 2022. It is a targeted payment to people dependent on specified long-term social welfare payments. The purpose of this payment is to assist those households most in need with their energy costs.

Taking account of the fact that the Fuel Allowance is a household-based payment and that qualification is not just based on the means test but on a number of other complex qualifying criteria such as household composition, it is not possible for my Department to provide an accurate projection of the potential cost of the measures outlined by the Deputy. My Department also does not maintain records across all schemes of the amount by which unsuccessful fuel applicants are over the income threshold. It is also worth noting that many people above the existing income threshold do not make an application.

The number of additional people that qualified for fuel allowance following the €20 weekly means threshold increase in Budget 2022 is not available yet as the Department collates data on an annual basis. When the change in means threshold for the scheme was introduced, it was estimated that up to 4,500 additional households could qualify for the payment. It should be noted that due to changes in circumstances, the number of qualifying recipients at any one time fluctuates on an ongoing basis.

The provision of any additional supports such as further increasing the allowable means for Fuel Allowance purposes would have cost implications and could only be considered while taking account of the overall budgetary context and the availability of financial resources.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Social Welfare Payments

Questions (340)

Seán Sherlock

Question:

340. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of additional people that would qualify for fuel allowance if illness benefit was an eligible payment; the cost for the 2022-2023 fuel season; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38369/22]

Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

The Fuel Allowance is a payment of €33 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €924 each year) from late September to April, at an estimated cost of €366 million in 2022. The purpose of this payment is to assist qualifying households with their energy costs.

Taking account of the fact that the Fuel Allowance is a household based payment and that qualification is not just based on the means test but on a number of other complex qualifying criteria such as household composition, it is not possible for my Department to provide an accurate projection of the potential cost of the measure outlined by the Deputy nor the additional number of persons who would qualify for the fuel allowance payment.

Qualifying payments for Fuel Allowance are those payments that are considered long term payments and an applicant must also satisfy a means test. People on long term payments are unlikely to have additional resources of their own and are more vulnerable to poverty, including energy poverty. It is for this reason that the Department allocates additional payments, supports and resources to help this cohort of claimants.In the majority of cases, Illness Benefit is a short-term payment for those who are certified by their GP as needing to take time out from their employment due to illness and, accordingly, is not a qualifying payment for Fuel Allowance.

People who are permanently incapable of work may be eligible for the non-means-tested Invalidity Pension, subject to satisfying the relevant social insurance and medical criteria. Those who are substantially restricted in undertaking suitable employment arising from a medical condition may be eligible for the means-tested Disability Allowance, subject to meeting the relevant medical criteria. Recipients of both of these payments, subject to satisfying all qualifying conditions, may be eligible for Fuel Allowance.

Any decision to allow those in receipt of a short-term payment such as Illness Benefit to receive the Fuel Allowance payment would represent a fundamental change to the nature of the scheme and, as such, it would have to be considered in an overall policy and budgetary context.Finally, my Department provides Additional 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 hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Social Welfare Payments

Questions (341)

Seán Sherlock

Question:

341. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated number of additional persons that would qualify for the household benefits package if the €100 weekly means threshold of the means test was increased by €20, €50 or €100; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38370/22]

Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

The 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.

The allowable means for HHB purposes is €120 above the relevant State Pension Contributory rate. Applicants aged 70 or over do not have to satisfy a means test nor be in receipt of a qualifying payment.

It is not possible for my Department to provide an accurate projection of the potential cost of the measures outlined by the Deputy. My Department does not maintain records of the amount by which unsuccessful HHB applicants are over the income threshold. It is also worth noting that many people above the existing income threshold do not make an application.

Any decision to enhance the HHB package would have budgetary consequences and would have to be considered in the context of overall budget negotiations.

In Budget 2020, it was announced that for HHB applicants aged under 70 who are on a qualifying payment, another adult ( except for the spouse, civil partner or cohabitant of applicant) living in the household will no longer be a disqualifying condition for the purposes of the HHB Package. Therefore, the status and income of the members of a household (except for the spouse, civil partner or cohabitant of applicant) does not prevent a HHB applicant from receiving the package.

My Department provides additional needs payments, where appropriate, to people who face difficulties in meeting fuel bills. These payments are not ring-fenced nor budget limited as they would be if they were drawn from an earmarked fund, but rather are demand led.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Social Welfare Payments

Questions (342)

Seán Sherlock

Question:

342. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated annual cost of increasing the electricity or gas allowance of €35 per month by either €5, €10 or €15; the number of persons who are currently in receipt of each allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38371/22]

Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

The Household Benefits Package (HHB) comprises the electricity or gas allowance, and the free television licence. My Department will spend approximately €273 million this year on HHB. 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.

At the end of May this year, some 483,444 households were in receipt of the electricity/gas element of the HHB package. 431,588 were in receipt of the electricity element and 51,856 were in receipt of the gas element.

If the increases outlined in the question were introduced in 2023, the estimated average number of recipients would be 495,000 and the additional yearly cost of the measures would be as follows: -

Proposed Monthly Rate Increase	New Monthly Rate	Number of Recipients	Additional Yearly Cost
€5	€40	495,000	€29.7m
€10	€45	495,000	€59.4m
€15	€50	495,000	€89.1m

Any decision to enhance or increase the electricity and gas aspect of the package would have to be considered in a budgetary context

Finally, the Department of Social Protection provides Additional 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 hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Social Welfare Payments

Questions (343)

Seán Sherlock

Question:

343. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide a breakdown of exceptional needs payments under the supplementary welfare allowance that were paid in each month from October 2021 to March 2022, inclusive; the total and individual value of each; the number of heating supplements that were paid in that time; the number of heating supplements that were awarded in 2020, 2021 and to date in 2022, respectively; if she will provide the guidance on the awarding of heating supplements that is provided to community welfare officers; if updated guidance has issued to social welfare officials in 2022 for this payment; if not, whether she intends to provide updated guidance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38372/22]

Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

Under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, my Department can make additional needs payments to help meet expenses that a person cannot pay from their weekly income. It provides supports and services to help support people on low incomes and facing financial hardship.

The additional needs payment is an overarching term for exceptional and urgent needs payments, and certain supplements paid under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance Scheme. This scheme is administered by the Community Welfare Service of the Department of Social Protection.

The Government has provided funding of €45.75 million for the provision of exceptional and urgent needs that are provided for as Additional Needs Payment in 2022. A further provision of €5.3 million has been provided for SWA Supplements in 2022 (excluding rent supplement). The scheme is demand led and funding is not capped. The payment is available to anyone who needs it and qualifies, whether the person is currently receiving a social welfare payment or working on a low income.

An exceptional needs Payment (ENP) is a single payment to help meet essential, once-off expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. An urgent needs payment (UNP) may be made to persons who may not normally qualify for supplementary welfare allowance but who have an urgent need which they cannot meet from their own resources or where an alternative is not available at that time.

Payments are made at the discretion of the officers administering the scheme, taking into account the requirements of the legislation, and all the relevant circumstances of the case in order to ensure that the payments target those most in need of assistance.

While it is not possible to show the payment value for each individual ENP and UNP paid for the months in question, tables 1 and 2 show the breakdown by category of the number and total expenditure of ENPs and UNPs paid in each of the months for October 2021 to end of March 2022.

This represents a snapshot of claim activity taken at 4th July 2022 and is subject to change.

A Heating Supplement may be paid to assist people in certain circumstances that have exceptional heating costs over and above the normal due to ill health, infirmity or a medical condition that has been certified by a Registered General Practitioner and are unable to meet those costs out of household income.

Heating supplements are payable at the discretion of the officers administering the scheme. All the relevant circumstances of the case are taken into account in order to ensure that the payments target those most in need of assistance.

Guidance is provided to assist staff and does not limit the discretionary powers available to officers administering the scheme to assist an individual or household in any particular hardship situation which may arise.

I wish to assure the Deputy that the guidance issued to the Community Welfare Service officers on the Heating Supplement scheme is kept under review to ensure that it continues to support those most in need of assistance. If the Deputy has concerns in respect of a particular case he should bring the details to the attention of the Department.

Approximately 1,100 people benefited from this supplement in 2020 and approximately 1,000 in 2021. There are currently 946 claimants in receipt of a heating supplement. Table 3 shows the total number of heating supplement recipients at the end of each month for October 2021 to March 2022.

More generally, my Department also provides discretionary Exceptional Needs Payments (ENPs) where appropriate to people who face difficulties in meeting fuel bills. In 2021, over 2,300 exceptional needs payments totaling almost €750,000 were made to assist with household bills and heating costs. To the end of June 2022, some 1,450 exceptional needs payments totaling almost €530,000 were made to assist with household bills and heating costs.

Any person who considers they may have an entitlement to a payment under the SWA Scheme is encouraged to contact their local Intreo Centre. There is a National Community Welfare Contact Centre in place - 0818-607080 - which will direct callers to the appropriate office.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Tabular Statement

Table 1 - The number by category of ENPs and UNPs paid in October/ November/December 2021, and January/February/March 2022.

Category	October 2021	November 2021	December 2021	January 2022	February 2022	March 2022
Bills	124	147	106	125	148	197
Child Related	161	193	129	129	170	172
Clothing	865	975	809	531	630	1,280
Funeral	202	222	137	193	252	238
General	1,213	1,298	1,351	941	1,088	1,512
Housing	2,009	2,117	1,844	1,557	1,834	1,781
Illness	102	115	75	94	104	103
Urgent Needs Payment	24	36	38	26	25	45
Total	4,700	5,103	4,489	3,596	4,251	5,328

Note: These figures are taken from the Department's ENP/UNP database and represent a snapshot of ENPs/UNPs as they are approved by an officer rather than when they are paid. The figures do not capture payments that are cancelled, payments that go out of date or overpayments recouped.

Table 2 - The total expenditure by category of ENPs and UNPs paid in October/ November/December 2021, and January/February/March 2022.

Category	October 2021	November 2021	December 2021	January 2022	February 2022	March 2022
Bills	€77,283	€112,727	€64,757	€79,198	€79,721	€99,643
Child Related	€26,622	€31,373	€21,230	€18,870	€26,220	€26,369
Clothing	€104,760	€117,494	€103,877	€62,247	€74,844	€164,728
Funeral	€432,183	€444,204	€312,845	€421,974	€576,924	€571,588
General	€272,448	€290,335	€327,786	€205,818	€224,699	€340,060
Housing	€2,319,620	€2,600,017	€2,387,573	€2,019,290	€2,317,537	€2,386,875
Illness	€13,560	€19,440	€13,883	€14,431	€16,325	€16,759
Urgent Needs Payment	€11,053	€21,913	€36,016	€9,066	€26,693	€38,115
Total	€3,257,529	€3,637,503	€3,267,967	€2,830,894	€3,342,963	€3,644,137

Note : These figures are taken from the Department's ENP/UNP database and represent a snapshot of ENPs/UNPs as they are approved by an officer rather than when they are paid. The figures do not capture payments that are cancelled, payments that go out of date or overpayments recouped.

Table 3 - Total number of heating supplement recipients at the end of each month for October 2021 to March 2022

Month (end of)	Total Number of Recipients
October 2021	982
November 2021	976
December 2021	977
January 2022	969
February 2022	959
March 2022	961

Note : These figures are taken from the Department's Heating Supplement database and represent a snapshot of Heating Supplements as they are approved by an officer rather than when they are paid. The figures do not capture payments that are cancelled, payments that go out of date or overpayments recouped.

Social Welfare Benefits

Questions (344)

Seán Sherlock

Question:

344. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost of expanding eligibility for cohabiting couples to all social welfare benefits on the same basis for married couples; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38376/22]

Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

Claimants with cohabiting partners are recognised within the social welfare system as having additional needs in cases where their cohabiting partner is financially dependent upon them. The payment of an Increase for a Qualified Adult (IQA) in addition to the personal rate of payment reflects these additional household needs.

The IQA is payable in respect of a person who is wholly or mainly maintained by the customer, subject to a means test, regardless of whether the couple are married or not. Where one member of a cohabiting couple claims a means-tested social assistance payment, their partner's income is taken into account in the means test.

In regard to schemes, neither the Widow(er)’s or Surviving Civil Partner’s Contributory nor the Non-Contributory Pension are payable to surviving cohabiting partners who have not entered into marriage or a civil partnership with the person they were cohabiting with. Entering into a marriage or civil partnership is a legal act, which confers both rights and obligations on both parties that do not exist in law between cohabiting couples.

The legal context governing relationships such as marriage is regulated by the Minister for Justice. Aside from the wider legal issues regarding the status of marriage and civil partnerships, which is a much broader policy area than its implications for the income support schemes of my Department, extending the current provisions to people who have not undertaken equivalent legal obligations would carry significant costs. Estimating the extent of the costs is not currently possible. It would also raise significant issues about eligibility criteria if these were to be based upon cohabitation

Therefore, any decision to extend the qualifying criteria for the widow(er)’s or surviving civil partner's pension, be it contributory or non-contributory, would have to be considered in the context of overall budgetary negotiations, as well as any legal issues that may arise.

It should be noted that a Widow/er or Surviving Civil Partner with dependent children may qualify for One-Parent Family Payment.

Social Welfare Payments

Questions (345)

Seán Sherlock

Question:

345. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost of increasing all weekly social welfare payments by €10 or €20 per week respectively; if he will provide a breakdown by payment in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38377/22]

Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

The estimated costs of increasing all weekly social welfare payments by €10 or €20 per week are shown in the table below;

-		€m	€m
Payment		€10 Increase	€20 Increase
Social Insurance Schemes
State Pension (Contributory)		253.7	507.3
Widow/er's or Surviving Civil Partner's (Con) Pension	Under 66yrs	14.9	29.8
	Over 66Yrs	46.7	93.4
Deserted Wife's Benefit	Under 66yrs	1.2	2.3
	Over 66Yrs	1.3	2.6
Invalidity Pension		32.4	64.8
Partial Capacity Benefit		1.1	2.3
Guardian's Payment (Contributory)		0.6	1.2
Death Benefit Pension		0.4	0.8
Disablement Pension		2.5	5.0
Illness Benefit		26.0	52.1
Injury Benefit		0.4	0.8
Incapacity Supplement		0.4	0.9
Jobseeker's Benefit		22.2	44.3
Jobseeker's Benefit (Self-Employed)		0.8	1.6
Carer's Benefit		1.9	3.7
Health and Safety Benefit		0.0	0.1
Maternity & Adoptive Benefit		10.6	21.1
Paternity & Parent's Benefit		3.0	6.0
Social Assistance Schemes
State Pension (Non Con)		50.4	100.8
Blind Person's Pension		0.6	1.2
Widow/ers or Surviving Civil Partner's (Non-Con) Pension		0.6	1.2
Deserted Wife's Allowance		0.0	0.1
One-Parent Family Payment		20.6	41.2
Carer's Allowance	Under 66yrs	26.8	53.6
	66yrs or Over	1.0	2.0
Half Rate Carer's Allowance	Under 66yrs	6.8	13.5
	66yrs or Over	3.8	7.6
Guardian's Payment (Non-Contributory)		0.3	0.6
Jobseeker's Allowance Max Rate		75.7	151.5
JA age 18 to 24		7.1	14.2
Disability Allowance		87.2	174.5
Farm Assist		3.1	6.2
Employment Support Schemes (BTWA & BTEA)		7.7	15.5
Employment/Internship Schemes (CE, Tús, RSS etc.)		19.9	39.8
Work Placement Experience Programme		1.8	3.6
Supplementary Welfare Allowance		7.6	15.3
TOTAL		741.0	1,482.1

These costings are based on the estimated average number of recipients in 2022, and is subject to change in light of emerging trends and subsequent revision of the estimated number of recipients.

Any increase in the rates of payment would need to be considered in an overall budgetary and policy context.

Social Welfare Payments

Questions (346)

Seán Sherlock

Question:

346. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost of increasing all weekly social welfare payments by 10%; if he will provide a breakdown by payment in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38378/22]

Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

The estimated full year additional cost of increasing each weekly social welfare payment by 10% is shown in the table below.

Payment	Age	Personal Rate	Qualified Adult	Total
Social Insurance Schemes		€m	€m	€m
State Pension (Contributory)		569.6	74.2	643.8
Widow/er's or Surviving Civil Partner's (Con) Pension	Less than 66	31.8		31.8
	66+	118.6		118.6
Deserted Wife's Benefit	Less than 66	2.5		2.5
	66+	3.3		3.3
Invalidity Pension		65.0	4.3	69.4
Partial Capacity Benefit		2.1	0.3	2.4
Guardian's Payment (Contributory)		1.2		1.2
Death Benefit Pension		1.0		1.0
Disablement Pension		6.0		6.0
Illness Benefit		52.5	1.7	54.2
Injury Benefit		0.8	0.0	0.8
Incapacity Supplement		0.8	0.1	0.9
Jobseeker's Benefit		45.1	1.0	46.1
Jobseeker's Benefit (Self-Employed)		1.6	0.0	1.6
Carer's Benefit		4.2	0.0	4.2
Health and Safety Benefit		0.1	0.0	0.1
Maternity & Adoptive Benefit		26.4	0.0	26.4
Paternity & Parent's Benefit		7.5	0.0	7.5
Social Assistance Schemes
State Pension (Non Con)		119.5	2.5	121.9
Blind Person's Pension		1.1	0.1	1.2
Widow/ers or Surviving Civil Partner's (Non Con)		1.3		1.3
Deserted Wife's Allowance		0.1		0.1
One-Parent Family Payment		42.8		42.8
Carer's Allowance	Less than 66	60.0	0.0	60.0
	66+	2.6	0.0	2.6
Half Rate Carer's Allowance	Less than 66	15.1		15.1
	66+	10.0		10.0
Guardian's Payment (Non-Contributory)		0.6		0.6
Jobseeker's Allowance Max Rate		138.5	19.0	157.5
JA age 18 to 24		8.2	0.1	8.4
Disability Allowance		170.0	11.5	181.5
Farm Assist		5.1	1.3	6.4
Employment Support Schemes (BTWA & BTEA)		13.8	2.3	16.1
Employment/Internship Schemes (CE, Tús, RSS etc.)		40.3	5.1	45.4
Work Placement Experience Programme		5.3	0.2	5.4
Supplementary Welfare Allowance		14.4	1.3	15.8
TOTAL		1,588.6	125.0	1,713.6

*Rounding may effect totals

The costs shown above are based on the estimated number of recipients in 2022. These costings are subject to change in the context of emerging trends and associated revision of the estimated numbers of recipients.

Social Welfare Benefits

Questions (347)

Seán Sherlock

Question:

347. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost of expanding child benefit to 18-year-olds in full-time education; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38380/22]

Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

The estimated cost of extending Child Benefit to 18-year olds in secondary school is €61.5m.

This costing is based on the estimated school enrolment numbers and is subject to change in light of emerging trends and subsequent revisions.

Any extension of Child Benefit would need to be considered in an overall budgetary and policy context.

Social Welfare Benefits

Questions (348)

Seán Sherlock

Question:

348. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost of increasing child benefit by €10 per month; the projected cost of providing a double payment of the existing rate in September 2022; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38381/22]

Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

The estimated cost of providing a one-off double monthly payment of Child Benefit in September 2022 is €170.4m.

The estimated cost of increasing Child Benefit payment by €10 per month is €146.3m in a full year (2023).

These costings are subject to change in light of emerging trends and subsequent revision of the estimated number of recipients.

Social Welfare Payments

Questions (349)

Seán Sherlock

Question:

349. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost of providing a double payment of each weekly social welfare payment in the first week of September 2022; if he will provide a breakdown of the costs by each weekly payment in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38382/22]

Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

The following table provides the estimated cost of providing a double payment for each weekly paid scheme in the first week of September 2022 on the same basis as the Christmas bonus is calculated. The total cost of such a payment is estimated at €313 million. This is in addition to the normal weekly payment for people getting these payments.

Scheme	Cost (€m)
State Pension (Non-Contributory)	23.5
State Pension (Contributory)	124.0
Widows', Widowers' / Surviving Civil Partners' Pension (Contributory)	33.3
Widows', Widowers' / Surviving Civil Partners' Pension (Death Benefit)	0.2
Jobseeker's Allowance	24.2
One Parent Family Payment	11.3
Widows' Widowers' / Surviving Civil Partners Pension (Non-Contributory)	0.2
Basic Supplementary Welfare Allowance Payments	2.8
Farm Assist Scheme	1.1
Daily Expenses Allowance	0.3
Jobseeker's Benefit	2.4
Jobseeker's Benefit (Self Employed)	0.1
Deserted Wife's Benefit	1.2
Community Employment	6.7
Rural Social Scheme	0.6
TúS	1.5
Job Initiative	0.2
Back To Work Enterprise Allowance	0.6
Back To Education Allowance	1.1
Part Time Job Incentive	0.1
Disability Allowance	37.2
Blind Pension	0.2
Carer's Allowance	18.6
Domiciliary Care Allowance	4.8
Invalidity Pension	13.5
Partial Capacity Benefit	0.5
Disablement Benefit	1.3
Carer's Benefit	0.9
Guardian's Payment (Non-Contributory)	0.2
Guardian's Payment (Contributory)	0.4
Total estimated cost	313

I trust this clarifies matters for the Deputy.

Social Welfare Payments

Questions (350)

Seán Sherlock

Question:

350. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost of increasing the qualified child payment for children aged under 12 years by €5 or €7, and for those aged over 12 years by €10 or €12; the current number of eligible children in each category; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38383/22]

Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

The estimated cost of increasing the qualified child payment for under 12's by €5 is €52.2m, and by €7 is €73.1m. The estimated cost of increasing the qualified child payment for over 12's by €10 is €58.0m, and by €12 is €69.6m. The current estimated number of children in the under 12 age category is 234,250, and the current number of children in the 12 and over age category is 129,736.

These costings are based on the estimated number of recipients in 2022 and are subject to change in the context of emerging trends and associated revision of the estimated numbers of recipients.

Social Welfare Schemes

Questions (351)

Seán Sherlock

Question:

351. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Social Protection the current cost of the free travel scheme and the number of participants; the projected cost of introducing free travel to students, namely, those aged 18 to 24 years who hold a public service card; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38384/22]

Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

The Free Travel scheme provides free travel on the main public and private transport services for those eligible under the scheme. These include road, rail and ferry services provided by companies such as Bus Átha Cliath, Bus Éireann and Iarnród Éireann, as well as Luas and services provided by over 80 private transport operators. There are approximately 1,034,000 customers with direct eligibility. The estimated expenditure on free travel in 2022 is €95 million.

Estimating the cost of extending the free travel scheme to students aged 18 to 24 who hold a Public Services Card is very difficult, as the cost is determined by the usage of the extra passes provided and not by the increased number. The fact that many operators have reduced fares for students would also have to be considered.

The objective of the Free Travel scheme is to ensure that older people and people with disabilities remain active within their community and, while consideration is always given to any requests to improve or extend eligibility to the Free Travel scheme, uncoupling the link between receipt of particular social welfare payments and eligibility for the Free Travel scheme would so fundamentally alter the scheme that it would move it away from being a social welfare measure to being a general transport initiative.

Any such scheme would also require a fundamental expansion to the administrative set up and operation of the Free Travel scheme, as it would have to grant and withdraw potentially hundreds of thousands of passes each year, using information which would have to be provided by all the colleges in the State in the case of higher education students. Any proposals in this regard would have to be considered in the context of priorities for the Free Travel scheme and the budgetary implications of same.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Social Welfare Payments

Questions (352)

Seán Sherlock

Question:

352. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Social Protection the dates that back-to-school clothing and footwear allowances will be paid; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38385/22]

Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

The Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance scheme provides a once-off payment to eligible families to assist with the costs of clothing and footwear when children start or return to school each autumn. The scheme operates from June to the end of September each year.

The allowance is payable in respect of eligible children between the ages of 4 and 17 in respect of whom a qualified child allowance is being paid and eligible children between the ages of 18 and 22 who are in full-time second level education and in respect of whom a qualified child allowance is being paid.

This year, the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance payment has been increased by €100 for the 2022 scheme year, building on the previously announced increase of €10. The rates of payment for the 2022 scheme year are €260 for children aged between 4 and 11 years and €385 for children aged 12 and over.

To date, 123,500 families in respect of 219,000 children have been awarded the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance and these families will receive their payment as outlined in their award notification this week, i.e. the week beginning 11 July. The additional €100 payment will issue to these families during the week commencing 18 July.

The Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance scheme opened to new applications on www.mywelfare.ie on 20 June. In the first 5 days of the scheme opening, over 10,500 applications were received. Officers are processing these applications as efficiently as possible and once the application is awarded, the payment will issue to the customer within the next 3 working days.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Social Welfare Payments

Questions (353)

Seán Sherlock

Question:

353. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost of increasing eligibility thresholds for supplementary welfare allowance by 10%, 20%, 30% respectively, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38386/22]

Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

Under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, my Department can make additional needs payments to help meet expenses that a person cannot pay from their weekly income. This is an overarching term used to refer to exceptional and urgent needs payments, and certain supplements to assist with ongoing or recurring costs that cannot be met from the client’s own resources and are deemed to be necessary.

The payment is available to anyone who needs it and qualifies, whether the person is currently receiving a social welfare payment or working on a low income.

The household income amounts published in relation to additional needs payments are not an eligibility threshold, but are intended as an information guide to assist persons who may find themselves in financial difficulty and require assistance with essential expenses.

Guidelines issued to staff administering the scheme assist them in the decision making process and ensure consistency of service. However, they do not affect the discretion available to officers in issuing an additional needs payment to assist an individual or household in any particular hardship situation which may arise.

Payments are made at the discretion of the officers administering the scheme, considering the requirements of the legislation, and all the relevant circumstances of the case to ensure that the payments target those most in need of assistance.

An additional needs payment amount, which can have a wide range value, will depend on a person’s weekly household income, their outgoings and the type of assistance needed.

On this basis, it is not possible to provide an estimated cost of increasing eligibility thresholds for additional needs payments by €10%, 20% and 30%.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Social Welfare Payments

Questions (354)

Seán Sherlock

Question:

354. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost of introducing a universal payment to all PAYE and self-employed workers who satisfy existing jobseeker’s benefit criteria of €200, €300, €400, €500 in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38387/22]

Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

Jobseeker's Benefit (JB) and Jobseeker's Benefit (Self-employed) (JBSE) are social insurance schemes whereby entitlement is dependent on a person's PRSI contribution record. There are a number of statutory conditions applied under the schemes including that a person has experienced a loss of employment and is genuinely seeking to increase their employment. Unless a person can satisfy all of these conditions, they would not satisfy the criteria for jobseeker's benefit supports.

Information is not readily available as to how many people making PRSI contributions would satisfy the jobseeker's PRSI conditionality requirement, which includes an assessment of their contributions in the governing contribution year, which for 2022 is 2020. However, estimated weekly and annual costings for every 100,000 recipients of a universal payment of €200, €300, €400 and €500 would be as follows:

Based on 100,000 recipients of a weekly Universal Income of:	Weekly Cost	Annual Cost over 52 weeks
€200	€20 Million	€1,040 Million
€300	€30 Million	€1,560 Million
€400	€40 Million	€2,080 Million
€500	€50 Million	€2,600 Million

I hope this information is of assistance to the Deputy.

State Pensions

Questions (355)

Seán Sherlock

Question:

355. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost of increasing the State pension (contributory) and (non-contributory) by €10, €20, €30, €40 and €50 in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38389/22]

Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

The below table shows the estimated cost of increasing the State Pension (Contributory) and State Pension (Non-Contributory) by €10, €20, €30, €40 and €50.

-	€10 Increase	€20 Increase	€30 Increase	€40 Increase	€50 Increase
Scheme	€m	€m	€m	€m	€m
State Pension (Contributory)	253.7	507.3	761.1	1014.8	1268.5
State Pension (Non-Contributory)	50.4	100.8	151.2	201.5	251.9
Total	304.1	608.1	912.3	1216.3	1520.4

These costings are based on the estimated number of recipients in 2022 and are subject to change in the context of emerging trends and associated revision of the estimated numbers of recipients.