Frank Feighan (Roscommon-South Leitrim, Fine Gael)
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195. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the reason elderly persons living here who are in receipt of a United Kingdom pension are discriminated against by not being entitled to a living-alone allowance, in view of the fact that this is not a means-tested benefit. [4612/15]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Expenditure on pensions is the largest block of expenditure in the Department, representing about a third of overall expenditure. Because of demographic changes the Department’s spending on older people is increasing year on year. Accordingly, the overall concern of the Government in Budget 2015 and previous Budgets has been to protect the primary social welfare rates.

The living alone allowance is an increase of €9.00 per week to the rate of certain social welfare payments, including State pensions, made to people living alone. It is considered secondary, rather than primary, in nature.

As the increase is not a payment in its own right but an increase to an Irish social welfare payment, it cannot be paid to people who are not in receipt of such a payment in the first place.

There are no plans to change the rules or nature of this allowance. In relation to those receiving payments exclusively from other countries, the needs of older people are often provided for in different ways by these countries. While the Irish system provides a basic pension, supplemented by allowances and other benefits, the approach adopted by other countries can be very different, with each country providing for the needs of older people in the way it sees fit. The fact that a living alone allowance is not paid by another administration merely reflects a different approach to providing for the needs of older people.

It is, of course, open to recipients of pensions from other countries to apply for pensions under the Irish system and they can do this in a number of ways. Those with a mixture of social insurance contributions from this country, other EU countries or from countries with which Ireland has reciprocal agreements, may qualify for a pro-rata contributory pension. Alternatively, they may qualify for a non-contributory pension if they can satisfy a means test. Improvements made to the income disregard in recent years have made it easier for people to qualify for a pension and receive the additional support provided under our pension system for those who live alone.