Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 5 March 2020
1148. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection her plans to change the qualification criteria for the telephone allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3072/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Telephone Support Allowance (TSA) is a weekly payment of €2.50. Approximately 131,000 customers are in receipt of the TSA payment. The estimated full year cost of the scheme is over €17 million.
To receive the allowance a customer of my Department must be in receipt of a qualifying payment and also in receipt of the Living Alone Allowance and the Fuel Allowance.
The primary objective of the TSA is to allow the most vulnerable people at risk of isolation, including the elderly and those with disabilities, access to personal alarms or phones for security. Therefore the criteria for the allowance were framed in order to direct the limited resources available to my Department in as targeted a manner as possible.
The schemes operated by my Department are constantly reviewed. Any decision to change their qualifying criteria would have to be considered in the context of overall budgetary negotiations.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
