Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 7 November 2023
759. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Social Protection if she intends increasing the upper threshold of €310 per week for entitlement to a qualified adult payment for social insurance-based schemes in the forthcoming social welfare Bill; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48305/23]
View answer762. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of pensioners in receipt of a non-contributory State pension; the number of these that are receiving a reduced rate; the estimated cost to her Department of exempting the first €200 of self-employed income from the means test similar to regime that applies to employed income; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48308/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 759 and 762 together.
Means test rules in my Department are kept under regular review and I have introduced a number of significant changes in recent years 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.
• Expanding the list of agri-environmental schemes that qualify for a disregard, and as part of Budget 2023 I increased this disregard.
• 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 2023, 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 further increased the Carer's Allowance disregard to €450 for a single person, and €900 for carers with a spouse/partner from June.
I have committed to a carrying out a broad review of means testing this year, which will include consideration of means test provisions including how income from self-employment for the State Pension (Non-contributory) and thresholds for for entitlement to a qualified adult payment for Social Insurance schemes.
This review is ongoing and I hope to complete it in Quarter 4 this year.
The number of pensioners in receipt of the State Pension (Non-contributory) is 99,452. The breakdown of these is 72,328 at the max rate and 27,124 at a reduced rate.
I trust that clarifies matters for the Deputy.
