Richard O'Donoghue (Limerick County, Independent)
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150. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if the allowance for electricity units for the elderly and persons claiming such entitlements can be increased due to planned increases from energy suppliers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50019/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Household Benefits Package (HHB) comprises the Electricity/Gas Allowance (€35 per month) and the Free Television Licence Scheme. My Department will spend approximately €265 million this year on HHB for over 480,000 customers.

The package is generally available to people living in the State aged 66 years or over who are in receipt of a social welfare type payment or who satisfy a means test.

The package is also available to some people under the age of 66 who are in receipt of certain welfare type payments. Disability Allowance is one of these qualifying payments.

Any decision to enhance the overall HHB package or to increase the electricity and gas aspect of the package would have budgetary consequences and would have to be considered in the context of overall budget negotiations.

Under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme, exceptional needs payments may be made to help meet an essential, once-off cost which customers are unable to meet out of their own resources, and this may include help towards the cost of utility bills. Decisions on such payments are made on a case-by-case basis.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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My Department provides a suite of income supports for those who are unable to work due to an illness or disability. It is important to note that entitlement to these supports is generally not contingent on the nature of the illness or disability but on the extent to which a particular illness or disability impairs or restricts a person’s capacity to work. My Department spent a total of €4.7 billion on illness, disability and caring payments in 2020.

In March of last year, under the Health (Preservation and Protection and other Emergency Measures in the Public Interest) Act 2020 and subsequent regulations, the Government provided for entitlement to illness benefit for persons who have been diagnosed with Covid-19 or are a probable source of infection with Covid-19. Expenditure on the enhanced Illness Benefit was €57 million in 2020, in addition to €593 million spent on standard Illness Benefit. Expenditure on the enhanced payment was €68 million from January to the end of September this year and is expected to be circa €84 million for all of 2021.

The enhanced rate of Illness Benefit was brought in as a short-term public health measure. It is payable for 2 weeks where a person is isolating as a probable source of infection of Covid-19 and up to 10 weeks where a person has been diagnosed with Covid-19.

This payment was designed to ensure that, where a registered medical practitioner or a HSE medical officer diagnoses a person with Covid-19 or identifies him or her as a probable source of infection of Covid-19, the person can comply with medical advice to isolate, while having their income protected. This is essential to limit and slow down the spread of the virus, to keep the number of people affected to a minimum, and to reduce a peak of cases which would cause extreme pressure on the health system.

In a case where a person continues to be ill beyond 10 weeks, standard Illness Benefit may be paid for an extended period, based on the person’s continued eligibility. Additional payments may also be made in respect of a qualified adult and qualifying children.

Apart from these income supports, my Department also provides means-tested supports under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme for people who are ill but who do not qualify for Illness Benefit. The Department may also make an Exceptional Needs Payment to help meet essential, once-off expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet from their weekly income.

As a comprehensive set of income supports is in place for those experiencing illness and disability that impairs or restricts a person’s capacity to work, I do not intend to introduce additional payments at this time.

My Department will continue to monitor the public health situation and to review its supports and payments schemes to ensure that they continue to meet their objectives.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.