Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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1853. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the basis on which a person (details supplied) came to receive an overpayment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35781/19]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The person concerned is in receipt of a weekly basic supplementary welfare allowance payment (BASI). One of the qualifying conditions for this payment is that a person must satisfy a means test and other social welfare payments are assessable as means.

The spouse of the person concerned is currently in receipt of a half-rate carer's allowance payment. An overpayment occurred as the half-rate carer's payment was not assessed as means at the time of application. Carer's allowance payment has now been assessed as means with effect from 11/7/19 and the weekly BASI payment has been reduced accordingly.

This Department notified the person concerned by letter dated 26/7/19 that it would recover the resulting debt by reducing his weekly BASI payment by 15% of his personal rate. The person concerned was given the opportunity to advise the Department of any facts or circumstances that may be relevant to the repayment of the debt. The person concerned was also advised that overpayment deductions would begin 3 weeks from the date of the letter.

There has been no contact to date from the person concerned regarding the recoupment of the debt, but the community welfare officer will contact the person concerned to discuss the reduction of the weekly repayment.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.