Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)

All social assistance payments are subject to a means test. This is a way of checking whether a person has enough means to support himself or herself and deciding the level of payment, if any, for which a person may qualify. Means are any income belonging to a claimant, or his or her partner. This includes property, except a family home or an asset that can provide a person with an income. There are similarities in the specific tests applied under each category of benefit. Household composition and means test rules, however, including exclusive disregards for each specific scheme, are designed to meet the objectives of each category of benefit and to ensure the maximum amount of support is targeted at those most in need. Different means tests apply to people in different houses with different incomes and must be considered separately. It is not possible to have a one-size-fits-all scheme because the schemes are so focused and specific to each household and each individual within that household.

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