Dáil Éireann Debate, Monday - 9 September 2024
1010. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will commit to a full review of the capital disregard for all social welfare payments given the rate of inflation since these thresholds were last reviewed. [35587/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraMeans test rules in my Department are kept under regular review and I have introduced a number of significant changes in recent years including:
• Providing for higher income disregards. These disregards ensure that, where people are in receipt of a social assistance payment and are working, their income from work up to the level of the income disregard, is not assessed in the means test.
• Expanding the list of agri-environmental schemes that qualify for a disregard, and as part of Budget 2023 I increased this disregard.
• Introduced a Rent a Room disregard, for all Social Protection schemes, to enable recipients to support those arriving from Ukraine, and others, in a tight housing market. Earlier this year, I extended that provision for a further two years.
• From January 2023, I introduced significant changes to eligibility rules for Fuel Allowance, including a new means threshold for people aged 70 years and over - €500 for a single person and €1,000 for a couple. These changes resulted in an additional 35,000 households joining the scheme so far.
• I also significantly increased the income and capital disregards for Carer's Allowance. This enables more carers with modest incomes to become eligible for the scheme and allows carers and their families to earn more from employment while retaining their carer’s payment.
As part of Budget 2024, I further increased the Carer's Allowance disregard to €450 for a single person, and €900 for carers with a spouse/partner from June.
In the case of the means assessment for a personal rate of the State Pension (Non-contributory), the first €20,000 (€40,000 for a couple) of capital an applicant holds is fully disregarded; the next €10,000 is assessed at €1 per thousand, the next €10,000 is assessed at €2 per thousand, with the remainder assessed at €4 per thousand.
My Department is currently undertaking a broad review of means testing. This review is ongoing and the outcome of the review will be used to inform decisions regarding any further changes to means testing, although all prospective changes to means testing arrangements will have to be considered in both an overall policy and budgetary context.
