Charlie McConalogue (Donegal North East, Fianna Fail)
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183. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if the disability allowance in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Donegal, who has secured a paid internship, will be cut, given that persons who are on the back to education allowance retain their allowance while engaged on a paid internship; if this person will qualify for family income supplement during his internship; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23260/15]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The person in question is in receipt of disability allowance (DA) and not participating in the back to education programme. Entitlement to DA is based on satisfying medical, means and residency conditions. The person must be between the age 16 and 66.

As the person concerned is in receipt of DA, the income from employment will be assessed as means. If the person’s doctor recommends that the work is of a rehabilitative or therapeutic nature, recipients of DA can work and earn €120 per week without affecting the rate of DA being paid, while if the weekly earnings are between €120 and €350, fifty per cent of the earnings will be disregarded in the DA means test.

A person in receipt of DA can apply for Family income supplement (FIS). The qualifying conditions for both schemes are significantly different.

The FIS scheme is designed to provide support for employees on low earnings with families. To qualify for payment of FIS a person must be engaged in full time paid employment as an employee which is expected to last for at least 3 months and be working for a minimum of 19 hours per week or 38 hours per fortnight. Furthermore, the average family income must be below a specified amount which varies according to the number of qualified children in the family.

If the person concerned has secured paid employment, at a minimum level of 38 hours per fortnight, for the duration of their internship they should make an application for FIS and their entitlement will be assessed accordingly.