Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 30 April 2026
79. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Social Protection the extent to which means testing criteria for social welfare payments are kept under review for discrepancies for social welfare payments, particularly for qualified adult payments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31079/26]
View answerMy Department is conducting a review of means testing within the social protection system. The aim is to examine various means-tested schemes and identify any issues related to their respective means tests. With over 140 schemes and services, many of which are means-tested, this is a complex and detailed task.
Article 7 of SI 142 of 2007, the Social Welfare (Consolidated Claims, Payments and Control) Regulations, as amended, sets out the income limit for the payment of an Increase for qualified adult (IQA) across a range of schemes.
For certain schemes, an IQA is payable at the maximum rate of payment where the income of the qualified adult is not more than €100 per week. Reduced rates are payable where their income is over €100 and not more than €310 per week. No increase for a qualified adult is payable where the income of the qualified adult is in excess of €310 per week.
Any change to the the income limit for the payment of an IQA would need to encompass the schemes affected and would have to be considered in an overall policy and budgetary context.
