Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

205. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she has considered the treatment of awards made by the Courts in her Department's means tests, particularly for disability allowance, wherein awards for negligence are treated as assets resulting in refusal, even where the award was for medical negligence which has completely denied the person any ability to work or have a normal life of any sort, and bearing in mind that means tests have been waived for some means-tested supports like medical cards; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40825/23]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Social welfare legislation provides that means tests take account of the income and assets of the person (and their spouse or partner, if applicable) applying for the relevant scheme. The means assessment includes income from employment, self-employment, occupational pensions and maintenance payments. It also includes property owned other than the family home and capital such as savings, shares, and other investments.

Social welfare legislation provides for the disregard of certain compensation awards when assessing the means of a person.

These disregards include, for example, all income derived from payments awarded by the Hepatitis C and HIV Compensation Tribunal, the Residential Institutions Redress Board and payments made in relation to disability caused by Thalidomide.

In addition, ex gratia payments made to women who were admitted to and worked in the Magdalen Laundries, or through the Symphysiotomy Payment Scheme, or payments made by the Minister of Health in accordance with recommendations proposed by the Scoping Inquiry into the CervicalCheck Screening Programme are also disregarded.

All compensation or court awards which are not specifically provided for in social welfare legislation are assessed in the normal manner. However, most social assistance schemes have an initial capital disregard of €20,000. In the case of Disability Allowance, the first €50,000 of capital is disregarded.

Any changes to the means assessment of social assistance schemes would have to be considered in the overall policy and budgetary context.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

206. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she plans to extend child benefit for those continuing in secondary education but who have turned 18; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40859/23]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

Child Benefit is a universal monthly payment made to families with children up to the age of 16 years. The payment continues to be paid in respect of children until their eighteenth birthday who are in full-time education, or who have a disability. Estimated expenditure on the scheme will be approximately €2.1 billion in 2023.

Any plans to extend Child Benefit in respect of children aged 18 years and over who may still be in post-primary education will be considered as part of the overall budgetary context.

Families on low incomes may be able to avail of a number of social welfare schemes that support children in full-time education until the age of 22, including:

• Increase for a Qualified Child (IQCs) with primary social welfare payments;
• the Working Family Payment for low-paid employees with children; and
• the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance, where the child is in second level education.