Written answers

Thursday, 12 October 2017

Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection

Living Alone Allowance

Photo of Joan BurtonJoan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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172. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated annual cost of increasing the living alone allowance from €9 per week to €15 per week; her views on whether persons living alone have higher costs than those of couples; if the living alone allowance will be increased following budget 2018; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43305/17]

Photo of Regina DohertyRegina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The living alone increase is an additional payment of €9 per week made to people aged 66 years or over who are in receipt of certain social welfare payments, including State pensions, and who are living alone. It is also available to people who are less than 66 years of age, living alone and in receipt of disability allowance, invalidity pension, incapacity supplement or blind pension. The objective of the payment is to compensate for the additional individual costs of living alone when compared to a couple or family. The cost of raising the living alone increase from €9 to €15 per week is estimated to be €62.8 million in 2018.

I was pleased to a nnounce on Budget Day earlier this week that the maximum weekly rates of payment of all pension and working age social welfare schemes will increase by €5 per week from the week beginning 26th March at a cost of €264 million in 2018. In this regard, the primary social welfare payment for all recipients of the living alone increase will rise by €5 per week.

In addition, a new Telephone Support Allowance is being introduced from June 2018. This payment of €2.50 per week will automatically be paid to people who are in receipt of both the living alone increase and the fuel allowance, with an annual value of €130. This payment will help support over 124,000 pensioners and people with disabilities that live alone and have limited means.

People in receipt of the living alone increase may also benefit from the extension of an additional week to the fuel allowance. Furthermore, I have provided an additional €10 million to the Free Travel scheme to fully protect this valuable scheme, which is available to pensioners and people with disabilities.

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