Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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550. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if non-taxable subsistence payments while working in rehabilitative employment are exempt from the means test for the purposes of disability allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21986/18]

Finian McGrath (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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Disability allowance (DA) is a weekly means tested allowance paid to people with a disability.

All sources of income (for example, cash income, employment, capital and maintenance) are assessed as part of the means test; however, certain cash income is legislatively excluded from the assessment. Subsistence is not included in the listed exemptions and is fully assessed.

Currently when a person on DA engages in employment of a rehabilitative nature, the first €120 of earnings (after deduction of PRSI, any pension contributions and union dues) is disregarded, and the full amount of DA is retained. In addition, 50% of earnings between €120 and €350 will not be taken into account in the DA means test. Any earnings over €350 are fully assessed as means.

I am pleased to inform the Deputy that, following a recommendation in the Make Work Pay report, the requirement that work must be of a rehabilitative nature is being removed and the provision giving effect to this is contained in the Social Welfare, Pensions and Civil Registration Bill 2017(Bill 94 of 2017).

My Department has also developed an online Benefit of Work Estimator for people with disabilities which is now available on the DEASP MyWelfare website. This will enable people with disabilities on DA or blind pension to estimate the impact of taking up employment or of working more hours on their payments.

I hope that this answers the Deputy’s question.

Alan Kelly (Tipperary, Labour)
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551. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if a person (details supplied) in receipt of disability allowance who serves in a voluntary capacity on a body and is eligible to claim a small amount of non-taxable travel and subsistence for same will have same regarded as means for the purposes of the means assessment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [21987/18]

Finian McGrath (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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Disability allowance (DA) is a means-tested scheme and the way means are assessed is set down in social welfare legislation.

Travel and subsistence under social welfare legislation is considered to be income and all income, with some exceptions, belonging to the person is assessable as means for DA purposes. The deciding officer has no discretion in this and is bound by the legislation.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.