Mr. R?n?n Hession:

I thank the Senator for the questions. The means tests are all done on gross income in our system. The only exception is the working family payment. The reason for this has been discussed in this room previously when it came up in the context of carers. The reality around net assessment is that people will all have different tax arrangements, there will be different levels of outgoings, and it is extremely difficult to get fair and consistent results. These assessments, therefore, are done on a gross basis. The disregards are also at a level that reflect this. For example, if we had a net system we would not necessarily have disregards of €500 and €1,000 . There is a sort of trade-off. When we are dealing across a scheme that has more than 400,000 recipients, one system might benefit one cohort and another system might benefit a different cohort. Reference was made to SI 142 of 2007, which contains our main payments regulations. Across the social welfare system we do our means testing on a gross basis because it is something we can see, we can get it from the Revenue system, and it is something we can apply fairly before we see whatever other deductions a person might have. Depending on other factors also, the tax ranges might change for a couple.

The household composition rule is technical. Basically the way it works is if there is another adult in the household - outside of being a partner - and if the scheme they are on would itself be a qualifying scheme for fuel allowance, then the person is fine in terms of the household composition rule. If, however, it is another type of scheme then it is not. The Senator's point is a wider housing supply issue. To some extent that is addressed in the exemptions for the accommodation recognition payment, ARP, the payment for Ukrainian refugees, the rent a room scheme and so on. Under the household composition rule, the other person must be on one of the underlying qualifying payments. That is on the basis that the person would have the fuel allowance in their own right so why would one block the household getting it?

We are not in the bridging finance space. Some 35% of all the additional needs payments we provide in the system are housing related. They tend to be for kit-outs for local authority housing.

Regarding bridging finance, the CWO is there to address people's urgent needs that they cannot meet from their own resources. It would be through the levers of housing policy or energy policy that other grants and financial supports would be provided to help people.