Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 11 July 2023
440. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of people on partial capacity benefit who have had their living alone allowance terminated in the past six months, broken down by month, in tabular form; and the savings accrued by her Department as a result of same. [33764/23]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department provides a wide range of income supports and employment supports to assist jobseekers and existing employees with disabilities.
As a standard part of its operations to ensure payment integrity, and in line with recommendations from the Comptroller and Auditor General, the Department undertakes reviews of claims on all schemes from time to time in order to ensure that people are on the correct rate of payment and that their ancillary allowances are also correct. These reviews would include an assessment of whether or not a person continued to satisfy the conditions for entitlement to an ancillary payment where they move between main schemes (for example, if they moved from a disability payment to a jobseeker payment).
Recently, the Department issued letters to a small number of Partial Capacity Benefit customers in relation to their entitlement. As is appropriate, these letters outlined the purpose of the review and the potential consequences that might arise once a review is completed.
In writing to customers, the Department incorrectly indicated a disqualification on Living Alone Allowance. In fact, when a person with a Living Alone Allowance moves from an illness or invalidity payment to PCB, their Living Alone payment is also adjusted to 50%, 75% or 100% in the same manner as the underlying payment. It was an error, therefore, to say that the payment would be completely disallowed.
The Department has already identified this error and has not made any changes to the payments made to the people concerned. Their Living Alone Allowance will be unaffected. The Department has written to the people concerned to apologise and to advise them to disregard the earlier letter.
In a very small number of new customers cases transferring to PCB, the Department has written to them about their allowance telling them their payment and backdated to their date of transition to PCB.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
