Written Answers Nos. 497-516
497. Deputy Eoin Hayes asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total cost of engagement with a company (details supplied) in each of the years 2020 to 2025, across his Department, by project, year and value; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51788/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe information requested is being compiled and will be forwarded to the Deputy in accordance with Standing Orders.
498. Deputy Eoin Hayes asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage the total cost of engagement with a company (details supplied) in each of the years 2020 to 2025, across his Department, by project, year and value; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51806/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe information requested is being compiled and will be forwarded to the Deputy in accordance with Standing Orders.
|
Project Name: |
Year: |
Value €: (inc VAT) |
|
Contract for technical support for the Financial Management System |
2020 |
€29,856.75 |
|
eLicences |
2020 |
€158.92 |
|
FMS V2 - 2 year Support Contract for period |
2020 |
€9,324.26 |
|
Contract for technical support for the Financial Management System |
2021 |
€30,279.75 |
|
eLicences |
2021 |
€164.56 |
|
eLicences |
2022 |
€167.28 |
|
Compass |
2023 |
€59,169.94 |
|
Financial Management System Upgrade Project |
2023 |
€337,547.99 |
|
Financial Management System Upgrade Project |
2024 |
€578,389.97 |
|
Contract for technical support for the Financial Management System |
2024 |
€50,737.50 |
|
Project Dion |
2024 |
€6,515.24 |
|
Project Dion |
2025 |
€73,659.85 |
|
Contract for technical support for the Financial Management System |
2025 |
€46,125.00 |
|
AI Targeted Operating Model Design |
2025 |
€27,962
|
501. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Social Protection if there are instances in which a person who availed of the back to work enterprise allowance for an upcycle business, but whose business was forced to close for 18 to 24 months due to Covid can avail of the scheme again before the five year waiting period; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51733/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Back to Work Enterprise Allowance (BTWEA) is designed to provide a monetary incentive for people who are in receipt of certain qualifying social welfare payments to develop a business while allowing them to retain a reducing proportion of their qualifying social welfare payment over two years; 100% in year 1 and 75% in year 2. The objective is to support eligible DSP customers to commence self-employment through setting up a new enterprise.
Where BTWEA was approved and in payment for one business and the business ceases, the customer cannot resume or continue their BTWEA payment for a different business until five years has elapsed.
Customers are allowed to resume the BTWEA once, where the BTWEA ceased due to mitigating circumstances. A resumption must always be in respect of the enterprise originally approved for BTWEA.
Mitigating circumstances can include but are not limited to a long-term illness or injury requiring prolonged absence from self-employment or the serious illness of an immediate family member requiring the customer undertaking a caring responsibility.
Other mitigating circumstances may arise can be considered by the officer having regards to all the relevant circumstances of the case.
502. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Social Protection the main policy achievements of his Department since 22 January 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50809/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department has delivered significant achievements since 22nd January 2025.
The Social Protection Budget for 2026 is €28.9 billion, which includes an above inflation increase of €10 per week in the maximum weekly personal rates of payment. It also includes measures targeted to assist families and to tackle child poverty, including the largest Child Support Payment increase in the history of the state. Additional supports were provided such as the largest ever increase in the income disregard for Carer’s Allowance, i.e., an increase of €375 to €1,000 for single people, and an increase of €750 to €2,000 for a couple. This means that a carer in a two-adult household with an income of over €100,000 will retain their full Carer’s Allowance payment. This measure came into effect last week. Other measures included in the Budget saw increases in the weekly rate of Fuel Allowance, Working Family Payment and Domiciliary Care Allowance, among others.
The Automatic Enrolment retirement savings system MyFutureFund was introduced in January 2026 and is now fully operational. The National Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings Authority has assumed responsibility for all related matters. Some 835,000 people have been automatically enrolled and over 9,000 have opted in, across over 112,750 employers. Over 99% of employers have registered with payment details.
Another significant development was the roll-out of the Free Hot School Meals Programme which was extended to all primary schools from September 2025 supporting 3,200 schools benefitting more than 550,000 children. Across all meal types there some 3,700 schools and 682,000 children eligible for the School Meals Programme. The Department has seconded a CORU-registered dietician for the School Meals Programme who is under the clinical supervision of the Department of Health. One of their main tasks is an in-depth review of school meal supplier menus and their compliance with the nutritional standards. I expect to receive the full review in early Quarter 3. New procurement documentation was developed with the Department of Education and Youth to assist schools in aspects of the Programme.
My Department launched the Pay Related Benefit for jobseekers on 31 March 2025. There were just over 34,500 jobseekers in receipt of the payment in June 2026. The scheme provides a maximum weekly payment of €450, which helps people during the period of uncertainty while they seek new employment.
The Social Welfare (Bereaved Partner's Pension and Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2025 was enacted on the 21st of July 2025. This legislation provides entitlement to unmarried cohabitants to the Bereaved Partner's Pension, which replaces the Widow’s, Widower’s or Surviving Civil Partner’s Contributory Pension.
A new Child Poverty Target was approved by Government and announced in September 2025.
The Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2026–2030 was published in May 2026 and launched at the Social Inclusion Forum.
A successor Pathways to Work strategy for the period 2026-2030 is currently being finalised. Drafting of the strategy is at an advanced stage, informed by the extensive consultation process.
A public consultation on a potential new Working Age and targeted Child Payments was launched in April. The closing date for submissions was 12 June. Over 270 submissions were received and these are currently being reviewed.
Over 1,100 submissions were received on a public consultation on a Cost of Disability payment. These are currently being considered with a view to developing a proposal for Budget 2027.
503. Deputy Ann Graves asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason a former Dublin Airport Authority employee (details supplied) has to wait two years for dental and optical benefit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50836/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Treatment Benefit scheme provides dental, optical, aural services and hair replacement products to insured workers, the self-employed, retired people and their dependent spouse/partner who have the required number of social insurance (PRSI) contributions.
In order to qualify a person needs to have at least 260 PRSI contributions paid at either Class A, E, H, P or S, since first starting work, and also have 39 contributions paid or credited in the relevant contribution year on which the claim is based.
My officials have reviewed the social insurance record of the person concerned and can confirm that they are not eligible for the Treatment Benefit scheme at present. Although they do satisfy the first condition of having a minimum of 260 reckonable contributions paid since first starting work, they do not have the required 39 contributions paid or credited in the relevant contribution year, which is 2024 for claims made in 2026. The person concerned would similarly not have qualified for treatment in 2025 as they did not have the required contributions paid or credited in 2023 which was the relevant contribution year for claims made in 2025.
The person concerned recommenced paying a Class-S contribution in February 2026 and if this continues, they will qualify for Treatment Benefit in 2028, as the relevant contribution year will be 2026.
504. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Social Protection whether his Department has given consideration to lowering the age of eligibility for free travel passes for SEN students entering post primary schools to avail of public transport, in the event of travel without a primary carer (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50839/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe objective of the Free Travel scheme is to ensure older people and people with disabilities remain active within their community by providing access to existing public and private transport routes.
While consideration is always given to any requests to improve or extend eligibility to the Free Travel scheme, extending the eligibility of the Free Travel scheme to include children with special educational needs could only be considered in the context of overall budgetary negotiations.
While my Department does not provide a Free Travel pass to children with special educational needs, my Department does provide additional support in the form of the domiciliary care allowance in respect of children under 16 with severe disabilities. The domiciliary care allowance is a monthly payment of €380 to the carer of a child with a disability. The allowance may be used for the additional costs involved in caring for the child and this may include additional transport costs.
Finally, under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme, my Department may make Additional Needs Payments to help meet essential expenses that a person cannot pay from their weekly income or other personal and household resources. These payments are administered by Community Welfare Officers in the Community Welfare Service considering the requirements of the legislation and all the relevant circumstances of the case.
Any person who considers that they may have an entitlement to an Additional Needs Payment is encouraged to contact their local community welfare service. There is a National Community Welfare Contact Centre in place - 0818-607080 - which will direct callers to the appropriate office. In addition, applications can be made online via www.mywelfare.ie.
505. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of people engaged with the cost of disability consultation via the telephone service where an individual with sight loss or other disabilities that limits their ability to utilise the alternative methods of providing feedback were able to engage with the process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50920/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Programme for Government includes a range of commitments to support disabled people including a commitment to introducing a permanent Annual Cost of Disability Support Payment.
In addition, under the National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025-2030, which was developed with significant input from Disability groups and advocates, it was agreed to establish a Strategic Focus Network Summit on the Cost of Disability. While it is led by my Department, it includes other Government departments in this cross-government endeavour, as well as disabled people and their advocates.
A public consultation process on how a cost of disability payment can best be delivered was launched on Friday, 20 February 20th and ran for just over six weeks until Tuesday 7 April.
A full range of accessible formats was available to support public participation in the process. These include an Irish Sign Language video, an Easy-to-Read document, a screen-reader friendly Word version, and Braille. Submissions were accepted in writing by email or by post. Submissions could also be made by phone and video submissions including ISL video. The consultation was open to everyone, promoted using a number of communication channels including accessible social media, radio, and printed media ads.
There was an exceptional response with over 1,000 submissions received. 87 submissions were from groups and organisations, with 12 from Disabled Persons’ Organisations and Disabled Persons’ Representative Organisations. Accessible ways to partake were widely used, with almost 60 submissions made over the phone, while 20 were received by post. Seven video submissions were also received. I want to thank all the contributors for taking the time to make a submission and for sharing their valuable insights with us.
The submissions helped inform the agenda for the Strategic Focus Network Summit on the Cost of Disability, which I hosted in the Aviva Stadium on the 13th of May. It was attended by 150 people in person, with approximately the same number joining online.
The Summit and the submissions made through the consultation process will help inform the approach to be taken in delivering on the Programme for Government commitment.
A Report of the Summit will be published and presented to the Delivery and Monitoring Committee which is Chaired by An Taoiseach. It will set out the key lessons learned and inform the next round of Action Plans under the Strategy. It will also feed into the Budget 2027 process. No decisions have been made on the design or format of a payment. We are continuing to engage with stakeholders through their Pre-Budget submissions and at the Pre-Budget Forum which I hosted on 1 July.
506. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection whether he will review the eligibility criteria for the additional needs payment scheme to allow assistance to be provided in exceptional circumstances where a clinically prescribed item, such as a specialised car seat recommended by an occupational therapist, is not funded by the HSE or any other statutory scheme, leaving families without access to essential equipment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50942/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme, my Department may make an Additional Needs Payment to assist people with essential expenditure, which an eligible person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income, and household or personal resources. Social Welfare Allowance payments are administered by Community Welfare Officers in the Community Welfare Service considering the requirements of the legislation and all the relevant circumstances of the case.
Additional Needs Payments are not generally intended to cover circumstances where responsibility rests with another Government Department or Agency. It is for this reason that items recommended by an occupational therapist such as a specialised car seat do not fall under the remit of Supplementary Welfare Allowance or this Department for assistance. This does not prevent a person for applying for assistance with other essential household or personal expenses that do fall under the remit of Supplementary Welfare Allowance.
Any person who considers that they may have an entitlement to an Additional Needs Payment is encouraged to contact their local community welfare service. There is a National Community Welfare Contact Centre in place - 0818-607080 - which will direct callers to the appropriate office. In addition, applications can be made online via www.mywelfare.ie.
507. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of Irish citizens that are receiving the State pension (contributory) but are permanently based outside of the State as of 26 June 2026, in tabular form. [50944/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs of the end of May 2025, there were 38,555 recipients of the State Pension (Contributory) who were Irish nationals and have a registered address outside of Ireland.
508. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Social Protection whether his Department records the reasons for which exceptional needs payments and other community welfare service grants are awarded; whether these records identify grants provided to individuals or families who have had to leave their home due to domestic violence; if so, the number and total value of such grants provided in each of the past five years, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51029/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraTackling domestic, sexual and gender-based violence is a priority for the Government. Establishing a zero-tolerance approach to domestic, sexual, and gender-based violence is essential for safeguarding individuals and promoting a safer society. The Programme for Government includes a number of commitments in this regard. While many of the Programme for Government commitments fall within the remit of other Departments, this is an issue that requires a whole of Government approach. For that reason, the Programme for Government included a commitment to “examine how the social protection system can better support people fleeing domestic violence.”
My department has provisions in place to support the immediate accommodation needs of persons fleeing domestic violence, through the Rent Supplement Scheme. In such circumstances the Rent Supplement means test does not apply for an initial three-month period. Access to this support is instead via a fast-track approval process to assist with immediate accommodation needs.
Building on this initiative, I announced a new Travel Supplement protocol for victims of domestic violence which came into effect on the 5th of May. This protocol ensures that those fleeing domestic violence have the necessary financial support to meet their immediate travel needs.
Mirroring the Rent Supplement scheme approach, the new Travel Supplement is available to those fleeing domestic violence without the need for a means test during the first three months. After the first three months have passed, a person may be provided with a further three-month extension; subject to the usual means assessment.
Since its introduction in August 2020, 494 customers have availed of support through the Rent Supplement protocol, with the number of claims awarded by year up to the end of June 2026 provided in Table 1 below. There are 30 claims now in payment under the Travel Supplement protocol.
This Department does not categorise Additional Needs Payments by identifying applicants that have has experienced domestic violence. On that basis, data on the numbers availing of, nor the expenditure under Additional Needs Payments, as a result of domestic violence, is not available. For information, in 2025 some 65,170 Additional Needs Payments were made by the Community Welfare Service with a provisional expenditure of €63.71million.
Table 1 – Total number of Rent Supplement claims awarded under the Domestic Violence protocol by year, from August 2020 to end of June 2026.
|
Year |
Claims Awarded |
|
2020 |
51 |
|
2021 |
127 |
|
2022 |
93 |
|
2023 |
66 |
|
2024 |
58 |
|
2025 |
61 |
|
2026 (to end June) |
38 |
|
Total |
494 |
509. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Social Protection whether he has considered extending eligibility for the working family payment to self-employed workers insured under PRSI Class S who satisfy the income thresholds applicable to the scheme; whether any proposals to amend the qualifying conditions are under consideration as part of future social protection policy or budgetary discussions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51037/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Working Family Payment is a weekly, tax-free payment available to low-paid employees with children. It provides extra financial support to families with children with rates of payment based on household income and family size. There are over 55,000 families with some 111,000 children currently in receipt of the Working Family Payment.
To qualify for the Working Family Payment, a person must be in paid employment working for a minimum of 38 hours per fortnight.
Hours spent in self-employed work cannot be used to meet the 38 hours per fortnight requirement, however it is possible for the household of a self-employed person to receive Working Family Payment where a spouse, or partner is an employee who meets the qualifying criteria.
The Working Family Payment has been designed for those in insurable employment and as of now there are no plans to extend the scheme to the self-employed.
It is important to note, that significant supports have been introduced for self-employed workers in recent years. Self-employed PRSI contributors now have access to over 90% of the value of all benefits available to employees, while the PRSI contribution rate for the self-employed is lower than the combined rate paid in respect of employees.
The supports available to the self-employed include Jobseeker’s benefit (self-employed) and Jobseeker’s Allowance, subject to a means test.
My Department also recently conducted a public consultation on a potential new Working Age Payment and Targeted Child Payment. These proposed reforms could effectively replace the existing Working Family Payment. The consultation closed on 12 June.
During the consultation process, the public were asked to provide feedback on a range of policy considerations, including what approach should be taken with regard to the treatment of self-employed income.
Currently, officials in my Department are reviewing and analysing all public submissions, and more detailed design work on these payments is underway. Any future self-employed eligibility considerations would need to be examined within the wider policy and budgetary context, and would also need to consider any associated increase to PRSI contributions.
510. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Social Protection whether his Department has undertaken, or plans to undertake, any review of the exclusion of self-employed workers insured under PRSI Class S, including directors of small family-run businesses, from eligibility for the working family payment; whether any assessment has been carried out of the impact of this exclusion on low-income self-employed families with dependent children; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51038/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Working Family Payment is a weekly, tax-free payment available to low-paid employees with children. It provides extra financial support to families with children with rates of payment based on household income and family size. There are over 55,000 families with some 111,000 children currently in receipt of the Working Family Payment.
To qualify for the Working Family Payment, a person must be in paid employment working for a minimum of 38 hours per fortnight.
Hours spent in self-employed work cannot be used to meet the 38 hours per fortnight requirement, however it is possible for the household of a self-employed person to receive Working Family Payment where a spouse, or partner is an employee who meets the qualifying criteria.
It is important to note, that significant supports have been introduced for self-employed workers in recent years. Self-employed PRSI contributors now have access to over 90% of the value of all benefits available to employees, while the PRSI contribution rate for the self-employed is lower than the combined rate paid in respect of employees.
The supports available to the self-employed include Jobseeker’s benefit (self-employed) and Jobseeker’s Allowance, subject to a means test.
My Department also recently conducted a public consultation on a potential new Working Age Payment and Targeted Child Payment. These proposed reforms could effectively replace the existing Working Family Payment. The consultation closed on 12 June.
During the consultation process, the public were asked to provide feedback on a range of policy considerations, including what approach should be taken with regard to the treatment of self-employed income.
As of close of business on 12 June, the Department had received 272 submissions. These consisted of 240 personal submissions and 32 submissions from non-government organisations and stakeholder groups.
Currently, officials in my Department are reviewing and analysing all public submissions, and more detailed design work on these payments is underway. Any future self-employed eligibility considerations would need to be examined within the wider policy and budgetary context, and would also need to consider any associated increase to PRSI contributions.
511. Deputy Eoin Hayes asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of applications received, the number of appeals submitted, the number of those appeals that were successful, the number of recipients, the number of beneficiaries for the latest quarterly data, in schemes (details supplied), in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51076/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraStatistics on claim processing are collated monthly in respect of schemes which typically have a large volume of claims. Statistics in respect of all schemes requested by the Deputy are collated annually and published as part of the Annual Statistics Report. The annual figures for 2025, showing the number of claims registered by scheme over the whole year, are set out in Table 1. Claims registered figures are not available for Carer's Support Grant. Most recipients of Carer's Support Grant qualify for it automatically if they are on Carer's Allowance, Carer's Benefit, or Domiciliary Care Allowance.
The number of appeals submitted, and appeals which were decided in favour of the appellant in Q1 2026 are shown below. Note that there can be a delay between an appeal being submitted and receiving a decision. Therefore, figures for appeals submitted and appeals decided in a given time period are not directly comparable. There can be multiple reasons for an appeal, apart from a claim being rejected, such as backdating of a claim or a means test. Therefore not all appeals shown here are for rejection of a claim.
An appeal can be decided in one of two ways. When the appeal is first received by the Appeals Office, it is sent to the relevant scheme area in the department for a review. If the scheme area decides to issue a revised decision with a positive outcome for the customer then the appeal is successful and the appeal is resolved. If the original decision is upheld by the scheme area, then the appeal is sent back to the Appeals Office for a decision by an Appeals Officer. The Appeals Office can then allow, partially allow, or disallow the appeal. "Appeals Decided in Favour of Appellant" refers to appeals which received a revised decision from the scheme area or which were allowed or partially allowed by an Appeals Officer.
Back-to-Work Enterprise Allowance, Fuel Allowance, and Household Benefits cannot be appealed via the Social Welfare Appeals Office, and so figures are not available for those schemes.
Recipients for Q1 2026 are shown below, as reported in the Department's Quarterly Statistical Report for Q1 2026. These figures represent the total number of people who were received at least one payment for a given scheme in that quarter. Recipient figures are not collated on a quarterly basis for all schemes due to lower volume for these schemes and the application of statistical disclosure control. The quarterly statistics and open data published by my Department is based on payments issued. These are on the basis of the recipient customer; beneficiaries such as children benefitting from an increase for a qualified child payment, are not separately identifiable from the payments data. Recipient and beneficiary figures, which are based on the claim, are collated on an annual basis, and are provided in Table 4.
512. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Social Protection if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the €18,000 postgraduate stipend disregard used in disability allowance assessments has not kept pace with current PhD funding levels given that many publicly funded PhD stipends are now €22,000 per annum or higher (details supplied); whether he will raise this issue with the Minister for Social Protection and seek a review of the current threshold; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51143/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraSupporting disabled people is a key priority for the Government. My Department provides a suite of income supports for those who are unable to work due to illness or disability.
Disability Allowance is a means tested social assistance scheme, which is also subject to a medical assessment and habitual residency requirement.
My Department seeks to support persons in receipt of Disability Allowance to pursue educational or training opportunities and as a result, a number of disregards are in place.
There are a number of scholarships including those awarded by certain charitable organisations, which are not assessed as part of the means test for any social welfare payment.
A PhD stipend disregard was introduced effective from 2021, for persons in receipt of Disability Allowance and from 2022 for persons in receipt of Blind Pension who have been granted a bursary, stipend or scholarship towards completing a PhD. An annual disregard of €20,000 was introduced with the disregard available for a maximum of four years.
Any income in excess of the disregard of €20,000 is assessed as means for the purposes of claiming Disability Allowance or Blind Pension.
Any changes to means testing arrangements will have to be considered in an overall policy and budgetary context.
513. Deputy Joanna Byrne asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of households nationally that have a TV Licence exemption and do not have to purchase one, per month, from January 2020 to date, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51218/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe number of households whose television licence was paid through the Household Benefits Package for the years 2020 - 2025 is given below. These figures are as of the 31 December of each year.
|
- |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 |
2025 |
|
Household Benefits - Television License Recipients |
471,977 |
484,289 |
506,583 |
521,753 |
534,903 |
550,096 |
514. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full-year cost of increasing all headline weekly social protection payment to €350, €400, and €450 per week, excluding disability allowance, invalidity pension, partial capacity, disablement pension and blind person’s pension; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51270/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe estimated full year cost of increasing weekly rates to €350, €400 and €450 per week, excluding disability allowance, invalidity pension, partial capacity, disablement pension and blind person’s pension, is provided in the table below.
|
Weekly Rate Increased to - |
Total Cost of Increase, € billion |
|
€350 per week |
€3.73 |
|
€400 per week |
€6.66 |
|
€450 per week |
€9.59 |
It should be noted that these costings include proportionate increases for qualified adults and for those on reduced rates of payment, where relevant.
It should also be noted that these costings are subject to change in the context of emerging trends and the associated revision of the estimated numbers of recipients for 2026.
515. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full-year cost of increasing disability, blind pensions and invalidity pension to €400, €450, and €500 per week; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51271/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe total estimated full-year cost of increasing the weekly rate of Disability Allowance, Blind Pension and Invalidity Pension to €400, €450, and €500 is outlined in the following table:
|
Increase weekly rate to: |
Estimated Full-Year Cost (€ million) |
|
€400 |
1,803.5 |
|
€450 |
2,426.6 |
|
€500 |
3,049.7 |
It should be noted that these costings include proportionate increases for qualified adults and for those on reduced rates of payment, where relevant. It should also be noted that these costings are subject to change in the context of emerging trends and the associated revision of the estimated numbers of recipients for 2026.
516. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full-year cost of lowering the pension age to 65 years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51272/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraActuarial analysis by officials in my Department indicates that, based on the rates of payment in 2026, the full year cost of reducing the State Pension age to 65 would be an estimated extra €550 million for one year. Demographic pressures will increase this additional cost considerably in subsequent years.
This estimate takes account of decreased expenditure arising from the non-payment of working age social insurance payments that would no longer be payable at age 65, including Jobseeker's Benefit, Benefit Payment for 65 year olds, Illness Benefit, and Invalidity Pension.
The Deputy may wish to note that the estimate of €550 million relates to social insurance payments only. High-level estimates indicate social assistance expenditure changes would not markedly alter the estimate of €550 million.
The estimate takes no account of any additional costs to public sector pensions, or potential knock on effects for other Government departments. Matters relating to public service pensions fall within the remit of the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation.
The "Benefit Payment for 65 year olds" was introduced to provide a benefit payment for people who are aged 65 and who are required to retire, or who chose to retire, without a requirement to sign on, engage in activation measures or be available for, and genuinely seeking work. This payment was designed specifically to bridge the gap for people who retire from employment or self-employment at 65 years of age but who do not qualify for the State Pension until age 66.
Demographic projections indicate significant increases in the number of future State Pension recipients which will impact on State Pension related expenditure. Clearly, reducing the State Pension age to 65 years of age would be very expensive and would require either considerable additional revenues, or, if introduced on a cost-neutral basis, very significant diversion of funds from elsewhere.
