Bernard Durkan
Question:401. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection if eligibility for the one parent family payment can be reassessed in the case of a person (details supplied). [41272/24]
View answerTuesday, 15 October 2024
Questions (401)
Written answers
My Department is responsible for the administration and payment of a range of supports to assist an eligible person who is parenting alone including the One-Parent Family Payment and Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment, described below:
• One-Parent Family Payment is a payment for parents under 66 years who are parenting without the support of a partner and whose youngest child is under 7 years of age.
• Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment is a is a special arrangement under the Jobseeker’s Allowance scheme which a person may qualify for if they do not live with a spouse, civil partner or cohabitant and their youngest child is between 7 and 14 years old.
As the person’s youngest child is 17 years of age, they are not eligible for either of these payments.
According to the records of my Department, the person’s Carer’s Allowance application was disallowed in June 2022 as their means were in excess of the statutory limit for the scheme at that time. The main items included in the means test for the Carer’s Allowance are cash income (such as wages), savings, investments, shares, and any property they have, excluding their own home as well as maintenance paid to the applicant but not including child maintenance.
It may be of interest to note that the Carer’s Allowance means test has been eased since 2022. Provision was made in Budget 2025 to further increase the income disregard in July 2025 to €625 for a single person and €1,250 for a couple. More detailed information on the Carer’s Allowance scheme and the qualifying conditions for it is available on www.gov.ie. If the person concerned is providing full-time care for a person or persons who require full-time care and attention and they feel that they may now meet the qualifying conditions for the scheme, they can download an application from www.gov.ie or get one at their local Intreo Centre. They should return the completed application and supporting information to Carer's Allowance Section, Government Buildings, Ballinalee Road, Longford, Co. Longford.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.