Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 7 November 2023
715. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Social Protection if she would consider changing the means test for benefit payments so that other household incomes are disregarded, particularly in the case of unmarried cohabiting couples. [47532/23]
View answerRecipients of certain social welfare payments can claim an increase in their payment in respect of a Qualified Adult, subject to a means assessment. A Qualified Adult is the spouse, civil partner or cohabitant of the recipient who is being wholly or mainly maintained by that claimant.
The means test in respect of the increase for a Qualified Adult applies to both contribution based social insurance payments (where only the means of the Qualified Adult is assessed), and contingency based social assistance payments (where the means of both the main claimant and the qualified adult are assessed).
The means assessed include income from employment or self-employment, non-social welfare pensions, and the capital value of savings, investments and property other than the family home. It should be noted that the value of the family home, regardless of who is the legal owner, is never taken into account in this assessment.
For social assistance schemes, the total household income is always assessed as part of the means test.
For social insurance schemes, where savings, property or other assets are held jointly, the spouse or partner's means is taken to be half of the total amount.
The current means testing arrangements are based on the actual means of the spouse or partner at any given time.Any proposals to change the means assessment formula for assessment of social protection schemes would have to be considered in an overall budgetary and policy context.
I have introduced a number of changes to means testing, including providing for higher income disregards. These disregards ensure that, where people are in receipt of a social assistance payment and are working, their income from work to the level of the income disregard, is not assessed in the means test.
In 2022, I expanded the list of agri-environmental schemes that qualify for a disregard, and as part of Budget 2023 I increased this disregard.
In 2022, I also introduced a Rent a Room disregard, for all Social Protection schemes, to enable recipients to support those arriving from Ukraine, and others, in a tight housing market. Earlier this year, I extended that provision for a further two years.
From January this year I introduced significant changes to eligibility rules for Fuel Allowance, including a new means threshold for people aged 70 years and over - €500 for a single person and €1,000 for a couple. These changes resulted in an additional 35,000 households joining the scheme so far.
Last year, I significantly increased the income and capital disregards for Carer's Allowance. This enables more carers with modest incomes to become eligible for the scheme and allows carers and their families to earn more from employment while retaining their carer’s payment.
As part of Budget 2024 I have further increased the disregard to €450 for a single person, and €900 for carers with a spouse/partner from June.
Regulations which provide for disregards in relation to UCD's Cothrom na Féinne scholarship programme are in development and I hope to sign them in the coming days, benefitting third level students from lower income households.
I have committed to a carrying out broad review of means testing this year, which is ongoing, and it will be completed by the end of the year.
I trust this clarifies matters for the Deputy.
