Alan Kelly
Ceist:504. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost if the telephone support allowance increased to €4 per week. [6290/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 18 February 2025
Ceisteanna (504)
Freagraí scríofa
The Telephone Support Allowance is a weekly payment of €2.50 for people on certain social welfare payments who are also getting both the Living Alone Increase and the Fuel Allowance. The primary objective of the Telephone Support Allowance 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. Approximately 160,000 customers are in receipt of the Telephone Support Allowance payment. The full year cost of the scheme in 2025 is estimated at €21.8 million.
If the measure outlined by the Deputy was introduced in 2026, it is estimated that there would be an average of 166,000 recipients of the Telephone Support Allowance. The estimated total cost of the measures outlined by the Deputy is therefore €12.95 million.
|
Yearly Additional Rate of Telephone Support Allowance |
Estimated Number of Beneficiaries |
Estimated additional yearly Cost of Measure |
|
€78 |
166,000 |
€12.95 million |
All proposals, including any proposals to increase the rate payable for the Telephone Support Allowance could only be considered while taking account of overall Government policy and in a budgetary context.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.