Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 13 July 2023
502. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Social Protection if she has any plans to extend eligibility for the living alone allowance to widowers under the State pension age or other persons. [35141/23]
View answerThe Living Alone Increase (LAI) is a weekly payment of €22 in addition to the primary social welfare payment to:
• people aged 66 years or over who are in receipt of certain social welfare payments, including State pensions and Widow's Widower's and Surviving Civil Partners's (Contributory) Pensions, and who are living alone.
• people who are less than 66 years of age, living alone and in receipt of Disability Allowance, Invalidity Pension, Incapacity Supplement or Blind Pension, and who are living alone.
The payment types that allow a person under age 66 to receive the LAI are payments to people who have a long-term illness or disability.
Any decision to extend the LAI to those in receipt of the Widow's, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner’s pension aged under 66 would have to be considered in an overall policy and budgetary context.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
