Social Welfare Schemes

Thursday, 27 November 2025

Ceisteanna (414)

Pearse Doherty

Ceist:

414. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will review the treatment of compensation payments awarded under historical Northern Ireland criminal injuries schemes, such as the Criminal Injuries (Compensation) (Northern Ireland) Order 1977, where such awards relate specifically to injuries sustained as a result of troubles related violence; and if he will consider extending the income/capital disregard, currently applied to payments under the Troubles permanent disablement payment scheme in S.I. No. 291/2022 and S.I. No. 292/2022 to include such legacy awards in the interests of fairness and parity of treatment for victims; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67209/25]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Social Protection

Means tests and income thresholds are kept under regular review and a number of significant changes have been made in recent years, including as part of the Budget 2026 announcements. In particular, a number of changes to means testing which provide for higher income disregards have been introduced. These disregards ensure that, where people are in receipt of a means-tested payment from my Department, a certain level of income is not assessed in the means test.

Changes to the means tests have been implemented through amendments to the Social Welfare (Consolidated Claims, Payments and Control) Regulations 2007 and the Social Welfare (Consolidated Supplementary Welfare Allowance) Regulations 2007.

These changes include disregards to income from the Troubles Permanent Disablement Payment Scheme under, as the Deputy notes, S.I. No. 291 of 2022 and S.I. 292 of 2022, and any payments made by the Northern Ireland Victim and Survivor Service (VSS) in accordance with the Victims and Survivors (Northern Ireland) Order 2006, under S.I. No. 654 of 2018 and S.I. No. 652 of 2018.

Any extension of disregards to other compensation schemes would need to be considered in an overall budgetary and policy context.