Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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To ask the Minister for Social Protection if a person is in receipt of the back to education allowance will this automatically disqualify their parents with whom they live from the household benefit package. [55856/12]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The household benefits package (HHB) includes free electricity or gas allowance, telephone allowance and free TV licence.

The package is available to all those aged 70 or over regardless of means and household composition and those in receipt of carer’s allowance who are living with the person they are caring for.

Those between 66 and 70 must be in receipt of a qualifying payment from the Department or satisfy a means test and live alone or only with certain exempted persons. Those aged under 66 must be in receipt of a qualifying payment and live alone or with exempted persons.

An exempted person includes dependent children under age 18 or under age 22 if in full-time education or a person who would qualify for the allowance in his or her own right.

Being in receipt of a back to education allowance will not automatically disqualify someone’s parents from receiving household benefits. Without knowing the full circumstances such as the age of the parents, the age of the person receiving the back to education allowance and any primary payment the person may be receiving, it is not possible to say if this couple would qualify for a household benefits package. If the Deputy has a particular case in mind, I will be happy to have the matter examined.