Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

My Department has carried out extensive work on the policies surrounding means-tested schemes over the past year and I have also made commitments in regard to further reviews. Means tests are kept under regular review and a number of significant changes have been made in recent years. In particular, I have introduced a number of changes to means testing that provide for higher income disregards. These disregards ensure that, where people are in receipt of a social assistance payment and are working, a certain level of income from that work is not assessed in the means test. On foot of the commitment in the programme for Government and the rural development policy 2021-25, my Department recently reviewed the means assessment disregards for the farm assist. The report is available on the Government's website. One of the key recommendations of the report was to provide for an extensive expansion to the list of agri-environmental schemes that qualify for a disregard, a policy I introduced with effect from June 2022.

In addition, I have agreed to carry out a review of how income from land leased by farmers is treated in the means assessments for the State non-contributory pension and the farm assist scheme. I have also introduced several measures that aim to encourage and support people with disabilities to pursue their employment goals, including a higher earnings disregard for the disability allowance and the blind pension. Moreover, I have significantly increased the income disregard for the carer's allowance. This enables more carers with modest incomes to become eligible for the scheme and allows carers and their families to earn more from employment while retaining their carer's payment.

My Department will continue to monitor and review policies for all social welfare payments, including means assessments. The Deputy and I have discussed this matter and I have been listening to him. While I have made changes, I acknowledge he has more ideas for further changes. As always, I would be happy to discuss them with him.

See this speech in context