Mairead Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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381. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if her attention has been drawn to the situation in which those that live in close proximity to wind farms and receive compensatory payments from the private operators then have these payments deducted from their pension; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27675/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Social welfare legislation provides for the manner in which a person's means are assessed for social assistance schemes. In summary, any income or capital, with certain exceptions and disregards, belonging to the person and his / her spouse, partner or co-habitant is assessable for social welfare means testing purposes.

Social welfare legislation provides for the disregard of certain compensation awards when assessing the means of a person. These disregards include, for example, all income derived from compensation awarded by the Hepatitis C and HIV Compensation Tribunal, the Residential Institutions Redress Board and in relation to disability caused by Thalidomide. Any payment made by the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Board is also disregarded for social welfare means test purposes.

In addition, ex gratia payments made to women who were admitted to and worked in the Magdalen Laundries, or through the Symphysiotomy Payment Scheme, or payments made by the Minister of Health in accordance with recommendations proposed by the Scoping Inquiry into the CervicalCheck Screening Programme are also disregarded.

Other compensation payments, with the exception of those specifically disregarded in legislation, are assessable as means for social assistance payments, including the State Pension (Non-Contributory).