Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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901. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if the disregard which now applies to disability allowance recipients who have been granted bursaries, stipends or scholarships towards completing a PhD will be extended to students who have been granted bursaries, stipends or scholarships towards completing a PhD who are on other means tested disability payments such as the blind pension; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31532/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I recently signed Regulations which introduced a new disregard which applies to Disability Allowance recipients who have been granted bursaries, stipends or scholarships towards completing a PhD. It is subject to an annual limit of €20,000 per annum (i.e. if a recipient gets more than one bursary, the combination cannot exceed €20,000) and is available for a maximum of four years.

My Department encourages other social welfare recipients to avail of education and training through the Back to Education scheme, as well as by referrals to Education and Training Board courses through the Department's Intreo service. In addition, income received from the SUSI grant is disregarded in the means test for most social welfare schemes.

Also, there are a number of scholarships, such as those awarded by certain charitable organisations, which are not assessed as part of the means test for social welfare payments. These include payments under the 1916 Bursary Fund and under Higher Educational Scholarships for Adult Learners from Uversity to a maximum of €7,000 per annum. Uversity is a registered charity that has been awarding Higher Education Scholarships to adult learners since 2018.

Any extension of means disregards would need to be examined in an overall budgetary context.

Pauline Tully (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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902. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated additional cost of extending the disregard which applies to disability allowance recipients who have been granted bursaries, stipends or scholarships towards completing a PhD to students in receipt of the blind pension who have been granted bursaries, stipends or scholarships towards completing a PhD; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31533/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I recently signed Regulations which introduced a new disregard which applies to Disability Allowance recipients who have been granted bursaries, stipends or scholarships towards completing a PhD. It is subject to an annual limit of €20,000 per annum (i.e. if a recipient gets more than one bursary, the combination cannot exceed €20,000) and is available for a maximum of four years.

My Department encourages other social welfare recipients to avail of education and training through the Back to Education scheme, as well as by referrals to Education and Training Board courses through the Department's Intreo service. In addition, income received from the SUSI grant is disregarded in the means test for most social welfare schemes.

Also, there are a number of scholarships, such as those awarded by certain charitable organisations, which are not assessed as part of the means test for social welfare payments. These include payments under the 1916 Bursary Fund and under Higher Educational Scholarships for Adult Learners from Uversity to a maximum of €7,000 per annum. Uversity is a registered charity that has been awarding Higher Education Scholarships to adult learners since 2018.

The cost of extending the disregard to the Blind Pension would be dependent on the number of people in receipt of the payment who wish to pursue a PhD and who will receive a bursary for same. It is not possible for the Department to provide this estimate at this time.

Any extension of means disregards would need to be examined in an overall budgetary context.