Richard Boyd Barrett
Question:350. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full-year cost of increasing disability, blind pensions and invalidity pension to €350 per week. [28868/24]
View answerThursday, 4 July 2024
Questions (350)
Written answers
My Department provides a number of income supports for those unable to work due to illness or disability. These include insurance-based schemes, based on Pay Related Social Insurance (PRSI) contributions, and means tested social assistance schemes.
The main long term disability payment supports are Disability Allowance, Invalidity Pension and Blind Pension. Disability Allowance and Blind Pension are means tested payments while Invalidity Pension is a social insurance payment.
The combined number of recipients of these payments was over 221,600 as of April 2024.
Based on the current recipients of disability payments from my Department, the estimated annual costs associated with increasing the personal rate of Disability Allowance, Blind Pension and Invalidity Pension to €350 per week would be approximately €1.34 billion in a full year.
I have introduced many improvements across these schemes in my time as Minister for Social Protection. The personal rates increased by €24 per week over the last 2 budgets with proportionate increases for qualified adults.
In addition, the earnings disregard for recipients of Disability Allowance and Blind pension has increased by almost 38% over the last four budgets from €120 to €140 to €165 currently. This enables a person to earn more without having a negative impact on their means tested payment. A person can currently earn up to €165 per week and keep their payment in full and can earn up to €505.10 and keep a small portion of their payment and keep their secondary benefits, if applicable.
I will continue to keep the range of supports provided by this Department under review. However, any changes to the current supports provided would have to be considered in an overall budgetary and policy context.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.