Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail)
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249. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if the eligibility criteria for the telephone allowance will be amended in order that it will not be necessary for a claimant to be in receipt of the living alone allowance and the fuel allowance to qualify for the benefit in view of the fact that this penalises other deserving applicants such as pensioners in receipt of a fuel allowance in the UK but are living here; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28103/18]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The new weekly Telephone Support Allowance (TSA) is a payment of €2.50. Customers of the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection who are in receipt of a qualifying payment and who are in receipt of the Living Alone Allowance and the Fuel Allowance will automatically qualify for the TSA. Approximately 127,000 customers are in receipt of the TSA payment. The estimated full year cost of the scheme is €16.14 million.

The primary objective of the TSA is to allow the most vulnerable people access to personal alarms or phones for security. The allowance will also encourage social contact and assist in the prevention of social isolation for those living alone.

The British UK winter fuel payment is a non means tested payment which is automatically paid to people in receipt of a British state pension. People in receipt of the British winter fuel payment and the British state pension may apply for fuel allowance. As with all other recipients of the fuel allowance, the claimant must satisfy a means test as well as all other qualifying conditions.

People in receipt of the British state pension are not entitled to receive the living alone increase. The living alone allowance is paid as an increase in the weekly rate of payment to pensioners and people with disabilities in receipt of qualifying payments who live alone. There are no circumstances where the living alone increase is paid to people who are not in receipt of a qualifying payment from my Department. This applies equally to individuals in receipt of an occupational or private pension but not a State pension.

Where a person, in receipt of a UK State pension, has a legal right to reside in Ireland and is habitually resident in this State, and the level of their weekly means are €257.50 or lower, they may claim a State pension (non-contributory) from my Department, effectively as a top-up to their UK pension. If they qualify for that payment, at any weekly payment rate, and receive a Living Alone Allowance and Fuel Allowance, they will qualify for a TSA payment, on the same basis as someone who paid into the Irish Social Insurance Fund.

There are no plans at this time to review or extend the criteria for the TSA to allow people who are not in receipt of the living alone increase to receive the payment. Any decision to do so would have to be considered in the context of overall budgetary negotiations.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.