Written Answers Nos. 526-545
526. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Social Protection what exactly signifies a second property as capable of being sold, let or put to profitable use as per her Department’s means assessment operational guidelines; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51567/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraProperty covered by the capital assessment rules includes second houses and/or any other buildings or land owned but not personally used or enjoyed as the principal residence or farming business.
The house in which a person resides – their principal residence or home - together with furniture and personal effects, is not assessed.
Property must be capable of being sold, let or put to profitable use before a capital value assessment is applied.
Occasionally, there may be legal or other reasons why a property may not be capable of being sold, let or put to profitable use. In such instances, Deciding Officers from my Department will review any reasonable evidence from the customer to verify this. If this evidence is not supplied, or is insufficient, then the property is treated as being capable of being sold, let, or put to profitable use, and a capital value assessment is applied.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
527. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Social Protection the full list of payments that will qualify for the cost-of-living measures in Budget 2023, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51591/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn response to the ongoing cost of living pressures, I have secured a package of almost €2.2 billion for Social Protection measures as part of Budget 2023. This represents the largest Budget package for the Department of Social Protection in the history of the State and will help to support our pensioners, carers, people with disabilities, lone parents and families during this difficult period.
Please see recipient details below for a range of 8 lump-sum payments :
|
Measure |
Recipient Detail |
|
€400 Fuel Allowance lump sum |
Fuel Allowance recipients |
|
€200 Living Alone Allowance lump sum |
Living Alone Allowance recipients |
|
Double Child Benefit |
Child Benefit Recipients |
|
€500 Working Family Payment |
Working Family payment recipients |
|
€500 Disability Support Grant |
Recipients of Disability Allowance, Blind Pension, Invalidity Pension |
|
€500 Carers Support Grant |
Recipients of Carer's Support Grant |
|
Autumn Cost of Living Payment |
Recipients who are eligible for the Christmas Bonus. The removal of the 12-month duration requirement also allows short-term job seekers and Supplementary Welfare Allowance customers to avail of this support. |
|
Christmas Bonus |
State Pensions, Widow's/Widowers'/ Surviving Civil Partner's Pensions, Invalidity Pension, Blind Pension, Disability Allowance, Carer's Allowance, Carer's Benefit. Partial Capacity Benefit, Disablement Benefit, Domiciliary Care Allowance and Guardians Payments. One-Parent Family Payment, Long-term Jobseekers Allowance, Deserted Wife's Benefit and Allowance and Farm Assist. Back to Work Enterprise Allowance, Community Employment, Rural Social Scheme, TUS, PTJI, Gateway and Job Initiative. Long-term Supplementary Welfare Allowance, Daily Expenses Allowance, and Magdalene Commission Scheme recipients. |
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
528. Deputy Peter Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will advise on an application by a person (details supplied) regarding a pension. [51674/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraState pension (non-contributory) is a means-tested payment for people aged 66 and over, habitually residing in the State, who do not qualify for a state pension contributory, or who only qualify for a reduced rate contributory pension based on their social insurance record. Items which count as means include cash income, including foreign pensions, the value of any property (excluding a person’s own home) and the value of any savings and investments which a person or their spouse, civil partner or cohabitant may have.
The person concerned has submitted a number of applications for state pension (non-contributory) since March 2018. At all application stages, the person has failed to fully provide the requested information and documentation to enable a Deciding Officer to complete a means assessment.
The most recent re-application for state pension (non-contributory) was received on 21 July 2021. On 10 August 2021, the person’s case was referred to a Social Welfare Inspector to investigate their means and provide a report to the Deciding Officer. The Inspector wrote to the person concerned on 28 September 2021, requesting financial statements and documentation in relation to assets and property held in countries including South Africa. On 19 November 2021, the Inspector reported to the Deciding Officer that, although the person concerned had contacted the Inspector on 11 October 2021 requesting more time to supply the requested information, there had been no further contact or required documentation supplied by the person.
As the requested information was not provided, it was not possible to assess the person’s weekly means. The Deciding Officer was therefore unable to establish whether an entitlement to state pension (non-contributory) existed and the application was disallowed. On 25 November 2021, the person concerned was notified in writing of the reasons for this decision and of their right to request a review of the decision or appeal the decision to the independent Social Welfare Appeals Office.
There is no record of the person concerned contacting the Deciding Officer or Inspector since that date, nor have they appealed the decision.
It remains open to the person concerned to contact the state pension (non-contributory) section, at Department of Social Protection, College Road, Sligo if they wish to make themselves available for further interview and provide the required information in order to assess their eligibility for pension.
I trust this clarifies the matter.
529. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide a list of the names of each special advisor employed by her Department since 2015, the relevant Minister they worked under and the date that their employment with the Department/Minister ceased where applicable [51787/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraOn the commencement of every Dáil, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform issues guidelines setting out the arrangements for the staffing of Ministerial Offices. The appointment of Special Advisors is subject to Section 11 of the Public Service Management (PSMA) Act 1997.
The appointment of individual Special Advisors is a matter for each Government Minister subject to the terms set out in the aforementioned guidelines, although the appointments are also subject to formal Government approval.
A breakdown of all Special Advisors employed by my Department, since 2015 is supplied in the table below.
|
Special Adviser |
Minister |
Cessation Date |
|
Ed Brophy |
Minister Joan Burton TD/ Tanaiste |
20/05/2016 |
|
Terry Quinn |
Minister Joan Burton TD/ Tanaiste |
20/05/2016 |
|
Claire Power |
Minister Joan Burton TD/ Tanaiste |
20/05/2016 |
|
Karen O Connell |
Minister Joan Burton TD/ Tanaiste |
23/04/2016 |
|
Brian Murphy |
Minister Leo Varadkar TD |
14/06/2017 |
|
Nick Miller |
Minister Leo Varadkar TD |
14/06/2017 |
|
Denise Duffy |
Minister Regina Doherty TD |
27/06/2020 |
|
Gerry Mullins |
Minister Regina Doherty TD |
12/07/2018 |
|
Alex Connolly |
Minister Regina Doherty TD |
27/06/2020 |
|
Pauric McPhillips |
Minister Heather Humphreys TD |
Not applicable |
530. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection if she agrees with jobseekers’ benefit recipients being taken off electronic funds transfer and being compelled to collect cash at a post office as a result of having been customers with a bank (details supplied). [51852/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraBefore the introduction of temporary public health measures in March 2020, the default payment method for Jobseekers was cash collection at a post office. The requirement to physically present at a post office to collect a welfare payment is an important financial control. This is particularly important for Jobseekers as the qualifying criteria for that scheme include being resident in the State and being available for work.
When health restrictions were introduced in 2020, all Jobseekers were given the option of being paid into a bank account. This was an exceptional temporary measure to help reduce the spread of the virus and to ensure that people could comply with social distancing guidelines.
In line with the general easing of Covid-19 restrictions earlier this year, I had asked my Department to revert to the pre-pandemic payment rules for Jobseekers’ payments.
This change was applied to new claims initially. Over the coming months, my Department will work to extend the post office requirement to other Jobseeker claims.
Following your representation my officials reviewed the circumstances under which the payment method was changed for the person concerned. It has been determined that the person should have been allowed to continue to receive her Jobseeker’s Benefit payment by Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) at this time. Officials have contacted the person concerned to advise her accordingly. When the person provides my Department with her new bank details they will be promptly updated and her Jobseeker's Benefit payment will be paid into her nominated bank account. Thank you for bringing this matter to my attention.I trust this clarifies the matter.
532. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the extent to which the correct level of disability allowance has been determined and is payable in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51923/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraWhen a person is in receipt of disability allowance (DA) and their child is in full-time education, an increase for qualified child (IQC) will be paid up to 22 years of age or up to the end of the academic year in which he or she reaches 22.
The person concerned was requested to submit confirmation of participation in full-time education in respect of one particular child on 13 September 2022. To date, this has not been received in the Department. On receipt of this information a decision will be made in respect of entitlement to the IQC.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
533. Deputy Chris Andrews asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will examine a case whereby a person (details supplied) has had their disability allowance application rejected. [51933/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI can confirm that the Department received an application for disability allowance (DA) from the person concerned on 23 February 2022
Their application, based upon all the evidence submitted, was refused on medical grounds as it was not found that they were substantially restricted in taking up employment and on the grounds that they were not found to be habitually resident in the state.
The person concerned was notified in writing of this decision on 22 April 2022 and was also notified of their right to request a review of this decision or to appeal it to the independent Social Welfare Appeals Office (SWAO).
A request for a review was received on 2 May 2022 and a review of this decision was carried out. The original decision was upheld, and the person concerned was notified in writing on 13 July 2022. He was also advised of his right to appeal this decision to the independent social welfare appeals office
On 13 June 2022 an appeal was lodged with the with the independent (SWAO). The SWAO will notify the person concerned directly regarding the outcome of their appeal.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the deputy.
534. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 491 of 11 October 2022, if those in receipt of illness benefit will not be receiving the autumn bonus; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51949/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn response to the ongoing cost of living pressures, my Department will spend approximately €1.2 billion in social welfare measures during the coming months to help individuals and families through this difficult period.
One of these measures is the Autumn Cost of Living Double Payment which will be paid to those schemes which are eligible to receive the Christmas Bonus, with one amendment - the removal of the 12-month duration requirement for certain schemes - allowing short-term jobseekers and Supplementary Welfare Allowance customers to qualify for the October support.
Illness Benefit is not a qualifying payment for the Christmas Bonus. It is a scheme which, by its nature, is a short-term social welfare scheme. It has a high degree of churn with people coming onto the scheme and moving off every week, often with very short duration claims. For example, between July and September 2022, almost 115,000 Illness Benefit claims were awarded, and of these, only 21,000 remain in payment. This indicates a churn of 82% over just a three-month period. The average duration on Illness Benefit is 6 days.
In addition, many Illness Benefit payments are paid directly to the employer. Therefore, a double payment such as the cost of living support would, in many cases, be an employer subsidy as opposed to an additional support to the customer. This is not the intent behind the October cost of living support, and nor would it be a targeted use of resources.
If an individual or family are struggling with additional costs, Additional Needs Payments can provide help and support to people facing financial hardship. Under the scheme, the Department may make an Additional Needs Payment to people on a low income, whether they are working or receiving an income support, to meet essential expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. A major national awareness campaign has promoted and raised awareness of the Additional Needs Payment.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
535. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Social Protection the arrangements that are in place to ensure continued payment of illness benefit where a GP has vacated a practice (details supplied) and no locum has been put in place with a registered general practitioner number who can provide the required medical certificates; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51950/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department is committed to providing a quality service to all customers. Where a GP vacates a practice and the locum who replaces them has not previously been issued a DSP panel number by my Department, the practice concerned notifies my Department and the locum is asked to complete an application as soon as possible. Pending approval and assignment of a panel number, paper certification may still be used by the locum to supply necessary medical certification.
The practice in question has made contact with my Department and an application for a DSP panel number is in progress. Paper certificates have been issued to the GP practice concerned to facilitate certification until the application for a panel number has been approved.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
536. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide details of each payment that is eligible and not eligible for double payment under proposals in Budget 2023, in tabular form. [51964/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn response to the ongoing cost of living pressures, I have secured a package of almost €2.2 billion for Social Protection measures as part of Budget 2023. This represents the largest Budget package for the Department of Social Protection in the history of the State and will help to support our pensioners, carers, people with disabilities, lone parents and families during this difficult period.
In addition to a range of bonus lump sum payments to be made to a number of groups, including people on long term disability schemes, recipients of the Fuel Allowance, working family payment recipients, those living alone, and carers, a series of double payments will be delivered before the end of the year:
|
Measure |
Recipient Detail |
|
Double Payment of Child Benefit |
Child Benefit Recipients |
|
Autumn Cost of Living Double Payment |
Recipients who are eligible for the Christmas Bonus. The removal of the 12-month duration requirement allowing short-term jobseekers and Supplementary Welfare Allowance customers to avail of this support. |
|
Christmas Bonus |
State Pensions, Widow's/Widowers'/ Surviving Civil Partner's Pensions, Invalidity Pension, Blind Pension, Disability Allowance, Carer's Allowance, Carer's Benefit, Partial Capacity Benefit, Disablement Benefit, Domiciliary Care Allowance and Guardians Payments. One-Parent Family Payment, Long-term Jobseekers Allowance, Deserted Wife's Benefit and Allowance and Farm Assist. Back to Work Enterprise Allowance, Community Employment, Rural Social Scheme, TUS, PTJI, Gateway and Job Initiative. Long-term Supplementary Welfare Allowance, Daily Expenses Allowance, and Magdalene Commission Scheme recipients. |
No other schemes will be eligible for the above double-payments.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
537. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of child benefit claims paid to persons where both the child and social welfare claimant reside outside of the State; the euro value of such payments for 2021 and to date in 2022, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51965/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraChild Benefit is a monthly payment to the parents or guardians of children under 16 years of age. Child Benefit can also be claimed for children aged 16 and 17, if they are in full-time education or full-time training or have a disability and cannot support themselves.
In 2021, Child Benefit was paid to 630,000 customers in respect of 1.2 million children.
The number of Child Benefit claims paid to persons where both the child and the child benefit claimant reside outside of the State (posted workers, embassy workers) are as detailed in the tables below.
|
Customer and child residing abroad |
Customer |
Children |
Euro Value(Monthly) |
|
As at September 2022 |
236 |
435 |
€60,900.00 |
|
Customer and child residing abroad |
Customer |
Children |
Euro Value(Monthly) |
|
As at December 2021 |
191 |
376 |
€52,640.00 |
I trust this helps clarify the position for the Deputy.
538. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection if records have now been updated to reflect payments of PRSI in the case of a person (details supplied) in 2021 and to date in 2022 respectively, who recently applied for the State pension (contributory) given recent correspondence; if their application can be reviewed on the basis of same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52003/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAccording to the records of my Department, the person concerned reached pension age on 24 August 2022 and their application for State pension (contributory) was received on 08 August 2022.
The person concerned was initially disallowed State Pension (contributory) as they did not have the requisite 520 paid contributions. They were notified of this decision in writing on 22 August 2022.
Since April 2019, all new State Pension (Contributory) applications are assessed under all possible rate calculation methods, including the Yearly Average and the interim Total Contributions Approach, with the most beneficial rate paid to the pensioner.
Following a review of their record, contributions paid in respect of 2021 have now been included. The person concerned was awarded the State Pension (contributory) at the weekly rate of €165.10 from 24 August 2022. They were also awarded a living alone increase of €22.00 per week. This rate of pension is based on the average number of PRSI contributions (paid or credited) from the year they first paid PRSI to the end of the tax year before they reached pension age, giving a yearly average of 15 contributions. Any contributions paid in 2022 cannot be included in the yearly average calculation. Their entitlement to a Total Contributions Approach which would take contributions paid in respect of 2022 was examined; however, it is financially more beneficial for them to receive the pension awarded based on the yearly average.
I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
539. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Social Protection if a person (details supplied) will be eligible for all or part of the disability support grant. [52006/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Cost of Living Disability Support Grant of €500 will be made to those currently on a Disability Payment (Disability Allowance, Invalidity Pension & Blind Pension)
The person concerned is not in receipt of disability allowance (DA) as they are in receipt of state pension non contributory
As the person concerned is not in receipt of a qualifying payment, they will not be eligible for this grant
I trust this clarifies the position.
540. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will extend eligibility of the disability support grant to include those in receipt of partial capacity benefit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52013/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs part of Budget 2023, the Social Protection budget has been designed to assist people with cost of living increases through a mix of lump sum payments, increases to weekly payment rates and an expansion of the fuel allowance scheme.
The measures introduced include the provision of a one-off €500 Cost-of-Living payment, which will be paid in November 2022 to recipients of the Disability Allowance, Blind Pension, Invalidity Pension and the Carer's Support Grant. Recipients who are in receipt of one (or more) of these payments will qualify for the €500 payment.
Persons in receipt of Partial Capacity Benefit are not eligible for this once-off lump sum payment. However, Partial Capacity recipients will receive a double payment under the Cost-of-Living support measure, which I announced in the recent Budget, and will be paid from the week commencing 17th October 2022. They will also get the Christmas Bonus double payment which will be paid from the week commencing 5th December 2022.
From January 2023, the maximum rates of Partial Capacity Benefit will increase by €12. There will be proportionate increases for people getting a reduced rate and for qualified adults.
The weekly full rate for a qualified child will increase to:
- €42 for children under 12 years of age
- €50 for children aged 12 years and over
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
541. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Social Protection the length of time in advance of 1 January 2023 that applications for fuel allowance under the increased income threshold can be submitted; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52014/22]
Amharc ar fhreagra543. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Social Protection the arrangements, if any, that she is making to assist with the expeditious processing of additional fuel allowance applications as a result of the extended income threshold; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52016/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 541 and 543 together.
As part of the overall social welfare Budget 2023 package of €2.2 Billion, I am pleased to have secured a major expansion of the Fuel Allowance scheme, which will benefit up to 81,000 households.
From January 2023, the allowable means threshold for those aged under 70 will increase by €80 from €120 to €200 per week above the appropriate rate of State Pension (Contributory). Disablement Benefit will be disregarded when assessing means for Fuel Allowance and will no longer result in a household being disqualified because a person in the household is in receipt of that payment. In addition, half-rate Carer’s Allowance payments will also be disregarded for the Fuel Allowance means assessment.
From January 2023, there will be a new means threshold for people aged 70 and over, of €500 for a single person and €1,000 for a couple. In addition, these applicants no longer have to be in receipt of a qualifying payment to access Fuel Allowance, provided they satisfy the means test and the household composition rules.
Many of these households will also benefit from the additional cost of living payments which will be paid between now and the end of the year. The enhanced electricity credit of €600, with a value of €1.3 billion, is a further Government measure that will benefit all Irish households. The first €200 is to be applied to electricity bills before Christmas.
Officials at my Department are working on the operational requirements for the implementation of these budget measures. The current priority is to make the necessary IT system changes to deliver the additional payments between now and the end of the year to include: the double-week in social welfare payments in October and December; the Fuel Allowance payment of €400 for qualified recipients in the week commencing 14 November; the living alone payment of €200; and the €500 payment for people with disabilities, for those in receipt of Working Family Payment, and for carers in November 2022.
Details in relation to the application process for those aged 70 and over, including how and when to apply, will be advertised by my Department towards the end of this year.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the deputy.
542. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Social Protection the cut-off date for applications to have fuel allowance paid as a lump sum for the winter season 2022/2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52015/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraFuel allowance is a means-tested payment to assist qualifying households towards the cost of their heating needs. It is not intended to meet those costs in full.
The payment is made over the winter season at the weekly rate of €33.00 or, if preferred, by way of two lump sum payments. For the 2022/23 season, the first lump sum (€462.00) was paid during the week beginning 26th of September 2022, with the second payment (€462.00) due the first week in January.
Existing recipients may opt to be paid by way of lump sum by completing the change the payment frequency of Fuel Allowance (FA CPF1) application form, to be included in the January 2023 lump sum payment. For applications awarded after the January lump sum payment date, any arrears due will be paid by way of a lump sum with weekly payments made for the remainder of this fuel season.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
544. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason a school (details supplied) has not been approved for the hot meal scheme following a successful trial run; if this decision will be urgently reviewed particularly in view of the cost-of-living crisis; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [52030/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe school meals programme provides funding towards the provision of food to some 1,700 schools and organisations benefitting 260,000 children. The objective of the programme is to provide regular, nutritious food to children who are unable, due to lack of good quality food, to take full advantage of the education provided to them. The programme is an important component of policies to encourage school attendance and extra educational achievement.
Budget 2022 provided €68.1 million for the programme with an additional €9m provided to allow access to all new DEIS schools from September 2022.
As part of Budget 2019, funding was provided for a pilot scheme from September 2019, providing hot school meals in primary schools at a cost of €1m for 2019 and €2.5m in 2020. The pilot involved 37 schools benefitting 6,744 children for the 2019/2020 academic year and was aimed primarily at schools with no onsite cooking facilities
In Budget 2021, I announced that an additional €5.5m to extend the provision of hot school meals to an additional 35,000 primary school children, currently receiving the cold lunch option. Invitations for expressions of interest were issued to 705 primary schools (612 DEIS and 93 non-DEIS) in November 2020. A total of 281 (256 DEIS and 25 non-DEIS) expressions of interest were received in respect of 52,148 children.
The 35,000 places were allocated to each local authority area based on the number of children applied by local authority as a percentage of the total number. A minimum of one school for each Local Authority area was selected. Thereafter, a process of random selection was used for each area.
Budget 2022 provided for the hot school meals to be extended from January 2022 to the 81 DEIS schools that submitted an expression of interest but were not selected in the extension to 35,000 children as referred to earlier. Every DEIS school that submitted an expression of interest to be included in the hot school meals extension announced in Budget 2021 are now receiving funding for hot school meals.
In March 2022, the Minister for Education announced an extension of the Delivering Equality of Opportunity in School to an additional 322 schools from September 2022. In July, I announced that the provision of the hot school meal option will be extended to all new DEIS primary schools and the cold lunch option to all new DEIS secondary schools benefitting some 60,000 children at an additional cost of €9m in 2022.
Invitations were issued to the 284 new DEIS primary schools to apply for the hot meal option and the 38 new DEIS secondary schools to apply for the cold lunch option following my announcement.
The school referred to by the Deputy did not submit an expression of interest for the extension of hot school meals in 2021 nor are they one of the new DEIS schools announced that received an invitation to apply for the hot school meals option from September 2022.
Officials from my Department have responded to communications from the school directly regarding this matter and have outlined this selection process. The school has also been assured that they remain eligible to receive funding for the breakfast and the cold lunch.
I am committed to continuing to expand the school meals programme and building further on the significant extension of the programme in recent years. In this regard, I commissioned the evaluation of the school meals programme to review all elements of the programme. The final report is due to be completed in November 2022 and will be published thereafter.
I trust this clarifies the matter.
545. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Social Protection if the new income guidelines for fuel allowance coming into effect on 23 January 2023 will apply to a couple (details supplied) where one person is over 70 years and is in receipt of a State pension (contributory) but their spouse, while in receipt of a qualifying payment of carer’s allowance, is under 70 years. [52048/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Fuel Allowance is a payment of €33 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €924 each year) from late September to April, at an estimated cost of €366 million in 2022. The purpose of this payment is to assist these households with their energy costs. The allowance represents a contribution towards the energy costs of a household. Only one allowance is paid per household.
In Budget 2023, I was pleased to announce the largest ever expansion of the Fuel Allowance Scheme. As part of this, from January 2023, a new means test will be introduced for over 70s. Under the new means test, a single person over 70 will be able to have income of €500 per week and a couple will be able to have income of €1,000 per week and still qualify for Fuel Allowance
The new means test limit of €1,000 will be applicable to a couple once one of them is aged 70 or over.
While Carer's Allowance is not a qualifying payment for Fuel Allowance, those aged over 70 will no longer be required to be in receipt of a qualifying Social Welfare payment but will still have to satisfy all other relevant qualifying criteria.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
