Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 18 September 2013
570. Deputy Eoghan Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection if she considering introducing a welfare cap on persons or households, in a similar manner to that which has recently been introduced by the British Government. [37117/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe maximum amount of social welfare paid to any family depends on the composition of that family and the type of welfare support appropriate to that family. In this regard, it is self-evident that a family with more child dependents, for example, or with caring requirements, will receive more than a family with none and so on.
In some cases, families receive larger volumes of supplementary payments and therefore have a higher level of welfare income. This is usually because one or more family members require caring or have a disability, in which case the Department of Social Protection provides extra supports to assist the families in question.
It should be noted that, as regards people of working age receiving welfare payments, the vast majority of those on the Live Register receive only a single personal weekly payment of €188 or less and no additional benefits of any kind. Those individuals therefore have a very strong incentive to work.
In a small percentage of cases where a disincentive to work does exist, I am overseeing extensive reforms to remove such disincentives and assist people back to work and towards financial independence. For example, the Department is working with the Department of the Environment to introduce Housing Assistance Payment (HAP), to replace Rent Supplement. HAP will subsidise rent for people on welfare and in low-income employment so that they will not lose housing assistance when they move from welfare to work.
The introduction of any maximum ceiling on the amount of social welfare to be paid to an individual or family would be a matter for Government to consider in a Budgetary context.
