Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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838. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will give due consideration to expanding the criteria for the household benefits package to include all cancer patients upon diagnosis until treatment is finished; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28243/23]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Household Benefits Package (HHB) comprises the electricity or gas allowance, and the free television licence. My Department will spend approximately €285 million this year on HHB for over 511,000 customers.

People over the age of 70 receive the HHB package, with one package provided per household. The package is also available to people living in the State aged 66-69 years who are in receipt of certain social welfare payments or who satisfy a means test. The package is available to some people under the age of 66 who are in receipt of certain welfare type payments.

It is important to note that, in general, access to the HHB Package for those aged under 66 is a secondary benefit linked to a person being in receipt of certain primary Social Protection payments such as Disability Allowance, Invalidity Pension, Carer’s Allowance, Blind Pension and Partial Capacity Benefit. As many illnesses or physical conditions have an impact ranging from mild to severe, entitlement to these social welfare schemes is not provided on the basis of a diagnosis but on the basis of the impact of that diagnosis on the individual concerned and in the case of Disability and Carer's allowance to an assessment of their means. In this way, resources can be targeted to people in most need.

Extending the eligibility of the HHB package to the cohort of people the Deputy has suggested would change the nature of the scheme and would require additional funding and administrative staff and would have to be considered in the context of overall budgetary negotiations.

Finally, the Department of Social Protection provides Additional Needs Payments as part of the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme for people who have an urgent need, which they cannot meet from their own resources. These payments are available through our Community Welfare Officers and include help towards costs that cannot be met from the person's own resources and are deemed to be necessary.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Colm Burke (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)
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839. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will consider introducing a new statutory payment for employees and self-employed people with chronic illnesses to attend medical appointments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28246/23]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Since 1 January 2023, customers have a right to three days’ sick pay a year under the statutory sick pay scheme. Under that scheme, sick pay may be paid by an employer at 70% of a person’s normal pay, up to a maximum of €110 a day for the first three days of an absence due to illness. The Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment has policy responsibility for statutory sick pay. In addition, employees may be accommodated by their employers in attending medical appointments as part of their working arrangements. There is no statutory entitlement to payment for attending appointments and there are no current proposals to provide for such a payment.

Illness Benefit is the main short-term income support provided by this department to those who cannot work due to illness of any kind and who are covered by social insurance. Eligibility for Illness Benefit is based on medical certification and social insurance contribution conditions made. It is paid from the Social Insurance Fund and Pay Related Social Insurance (PRSI) paid under Classes A, E, H and P count towards Illness Benefit. Self-employed people generally contribute to the Social Insurance Fund under Class S and do not qualify for Illness Benefit.; however, like employees, self-employed people who cannot work because of a long-term illness or disability may qualify for Invalidity Pension or Disability Allowance.

With regard to additional supports, this department also provides Additional Needs Payment under our Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme to help meet essential expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. This includes exceptional and urgent needs payments, and certain supplements to assist with ongoing or recurring costs that cannot be met from a person’s own resources and are deemed to be necessary.

The payment is available to anyone who needs it and qualifies, whether the person is currently on a social welfare payment or in employment. The payment amount will depend on a person’s weekly household income, their outgoings and the type of assistance needed. Payments are made at the discretion of the Community Welfare Officers administering the scheme, considering all the circumstances of the case.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.