Written answers
Tuesday, 13 July 2021
Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection
Social Welfare Eligibility
Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)
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460. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection her views on whether it is discriminatory to place a ceiling on a minority of recipients of the deserted wives benefit 1992-1997; her further views on whether this allowance should be subject to inflationary rebalancing over the past 14 years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37632/21]
Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Deserted Wife's Benefit is a payment made to a woman deserted by her husband. Entitlement to the payment is based on social insurance contributions paid by the wife or her husband as well as a number of other qualifying criteria. The Deserted Wife's Benefit scheme was closed off to new applications with effect from 2 January 1997, when One-Parent Family Payment was introduced.
Some women have continued to receive Deserted Wife’s Benefit because they qualified for the payment before 2 January 1997 and have continued to meet the qualifying criteria.
No earnings limit applies to claims made before 30 August 1992. An earnings limit of €12,697.38 was introduced on 31 August 1992 with a reduced rate payable provided earnings did not exceed €17,776.33. From 3 May 2007 the earning limit was increased to €20,000. This applies to all claims made from 31 August until 2 January 1997 when the scheme closed to new entrants.
There are no plans to change the qualification conditions for the scheme at present. Where a woman no longer meets these conditions but has an income need she may qualify for another payment from my Department.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
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