Holly Cairns (Cork South West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

I have two questions, but I will first make another point. The Minister's comment that people can have €50,000 in savings and earn €140 per week is like saying, “Isn't it great that somebody can have €50,000 in savings and still get their benefit?” That is very difficult for people watching these proceedings to hear. Why can somebody with a disability or a disabled person not save more than that? It leaves them out of being able to save for things like buying a home or earning an income without having this consequence of disability.

To move to my two questions, the enhanced illness benefit form online is much simpler than the paper version. The illness benefit and back to school clothing and footwear allowance forms are not available for download. Will the Minister commit to having all forms available in plain English and available online?

Second, the pandemic highlighted issues of digital poverty. Will the Minister update the household benefits package and telephone support allowance to include support for Internet services, broadband and hardware like laptops and tablets?