Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail)
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87. To ask the Minister for Social Protection why claimants under the disability allowance scheme receive the same rate of payment as claimants under the jobseeker's allowance scheme who are over 25 years of age; if persons on disability allowance have greater difficulties and expenses and her plans to increase the rate of payment under this scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8434/16]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Disability allowance (DA) is a means-tested social assistance payment which is paid to persons aged 16 to 66 who are substantially restricted in undertaking suitable employment arising from a medical condition (subject to satisfying the relevant medical criteria). Jobseeker’s Allowance (JA) is a means-tested social assistance paid to persons aged 18 to 66 who are unemployed, capable of work, available for and genuinely seeking employment.

As indicated by the Deputy, the rate for DA recipients under 26 years of age, at €188 per week, is higher than that of JA recipients in receipt of the age-related reduced rates (€100 per week for JA recipients aged 18 to 24, and €144 for JA recipients aged 25). According to the Statistical Information on Social Welfare Services 2014report, there were almost 13,000 DA claimants under the age of 25 at the end of 2014 (representing 11.5% of all DA claimants).

It should be noted that DA recipients may also be eligible for secondary benefits, which JA recipients may not qualify for, such as:

- All DA recipients are eligible for the Free Travel Pass, which entitles the bearer to free travel on public transport in Ireland (and certain private services);

- depending on the household composition of the DA claimant, he or she may qualify for the Fuel Allowance (€22.50 per week for the duration of the fuel season) and the Household Benefits Package (€35 per month towards the claimant’s gas/electricity costs, and the free television licence worth €160); and

- recipients of DA who are living alone also qualify for the Living Alone Allowance (a €9 per week increase to their weekly payment).

In contrast to this, JA recipients must be unemployed for 15 months in order to be eligible for the Fuel Allowance, and JA is not a qualifying payment for the Household Benefits scheme or the Living Alone Allowance.

Aside from secondary benefits, the means test for the DA scheme is also more generous than the means test for JA two significant ways. The DA means assessment has a weekly earnings disregard of €120 per week (with a 50% taper for earnings up to €230 per week) in respect of employment of a rehabilitative nature, compared to a €20 per day disregard for JA recipients, (up to maximum of three days) and a 60% taper. In addition, the DA means test provides for a capital disregard of €50,000, compared to €20,000 for JA. This results in a person with savings of €50,000 and no other means being assessed with nil means for DA purposes, while this would be calculated as €70 weekly means in the JA means test.

Accordingly, the social welfare system currently provides extra supports for people with disabilities. It should be noted that a range of employment supports are also available for Disability Allowance recipients.

The appropriate future level of supports for Disability Allowance recipients specifically, and people with disabilities generally, will have to be considered in a budgetary context. In this regard, it should be noted that supports for people with disabilities extend beyond the provision of monetary supports and includes the provision of services, which are proper to other Departments.