Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 7 October 2025
363. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost of expanding living alone allowance to all individuals over the age of 66; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53263/25]
View answerThe Living Alone Allowance is an additional payment of €22 per week made to people aged 66 years or over who are in receipt of certain social welfare payments, including state pensions, and who are living alone. It is also available to people who are under 66 years of age who are living alone and are in receipt of disability allowance, invalidity pension, incapacity supplement and blind pension.
The estimated annual cost of expanding the Living Alone Increase to all individuals over 66 years of age is €684.6 million. This cost estimate is based on the CSO's April 2025 population statistics for people aged 66 and above, net of the cost of existing recipients of the payment.
It should be noted, however, that such a change - payment to all individuals based on age regardless of household status or receipt of an existing social protection payment - would represent a fundamental alternation of the existing nature of the scheme, in addition to the cost of the change, which would have to be considered in an overall budgetary context.
