Written answers

Thursday, 4 April 2019

Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection

Disability Allowance

Photo of Éamon Ó CuívÉamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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15. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection her plans to revise the method by which capital is assessed for those in receipt of disability allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15509/19]

Photo of Regina DohertyRegina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The Department operates a range of means-tested social assistance payments.  Social welfare legislation provides that the means test takes account the income and assets of the person (and spouse / partner, if applicable) applying for the relevant scheme.  Income and assets include income from employment, self-employment, occupational pensions, maintenance payments as well as property owned (other than the family home) and capital such as savings, shares and other investments.

The assessment of capital reflects the fact that there is an expectation that people with reasonable amounts of capital and property are in a position to use that capital or to realise the value of property to support themselves without having to rely solely on a means tested welfare payment.

Disability allowance (DA) has the most generous capital disregard of any scheme operated by the Department.  A recipient can have up to €50,000 in savings and still receive the full rate of payment.  This is compared to €20,000 for most social welfare payments.

Any proposals to change the capital means assessment for means-tested social assistance schemes would have to be considered in the overall budgetary context.

It should also be noted that people receiving Disability Allowance (DA) may also be eligible for secondary benefits such as free travel, fuel allowance, the household benefits package, living alone allowance and the telephone support allowance. 

In addition to this, DA recipients may also work and earn up to €120 per week without their payment being affected.

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