Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 25 January 2024
272. Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Social Protection if any consideration has been given to increasing the income threshold for means testing qualified adult payment applications; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3429/24]
View answerMeans 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.
• The introduction of a Rent a Room disregard for all Social Protection schemes in 2022. This enables recipients to support those arriving from Ukraine, and others, in a tight housing market. Last year, I extended that provision for a further two years.
• In 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 over 35,000 additional households joining the scheme so far.
• 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 which will include consideration of means test provisions including thresholds for for entitlement to a qualified adult payment for Social Insurance schemes.
This review is ongoing and I hope to complete it by the end of Quarter 1 this year.
