Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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620. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the supports in place for those with special needs who have the domiciliary care allowance cut when they turn 16 and are refused disability allowance; the supports available to assist with the costs associated with additional needs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50736/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) is a payment in respect of children, up to the age of 16, who require care and attention substantially in excess of that required by other children their age.  

Disability Allowance (DA) is a payment for people with a specified disability who are aged between 16 and 66. The disability must be expected to last for at least one year and the allowance is subject to a number of conditions including, a medical assessment, a means test and a habitual residence requirement.

If a person feels their DA application was rejected  based, for example, on information about their circumstances which is incorrect or out of date, the person may submit the up to date information to Disability Allowance Section for a revised decision. Contact and other details relating to Disability Allowance are available at www.gov.ie/DA.

The person also has a right to appeal the decision directly to the Chief of Appeals Officer. Contact and other details relating to the appeals process are available at www.gov.ie/socialwelfareappealsoffice.

The Department also provides the Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) scheme for those whose means are insufficient to meet their needs and those of their dependants.  This scheme includes, Exceptional Needs Payments, Urgent Needs Payments and SWA Supplements (heat, travel and dietary supplements). These means tested payments may be made to help meet essential expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet from their weekly income.  Details and eligibility criteria of the scheme are available at www.gov.ie/SWA.

The Department continues to keep its range of supports available under review, while any proposed change(s) need to be considered in an overall policy and budgetary context.

Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent)
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621. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if a person in receipt of a social welfare claim based on PRSI contributions is entitled to the fuel allowance payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50917/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Fuel Allowance is a payment of €33.00 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €924 over a full fuel season) from October to April, to 365,000 low income households, at an estimated cost of €300 million in 2021.  The purpose of this payment is to assist these households with their energy costs.  The allowance represents a contribution towards the energy costs of a household.  It is not intended to meet those costs in full.  Only one allowance is paid per household.

Qualifying payments for fuel allowance are those payments that are considered long-term payments and an applicant must also satisfy a means test.  Social Welfare schemes based on PRSI contributions which are considered short-term schemes are not qualifying payments for fuel allowance.  People on long-term payments are unlikely to have additional resources of their own and are more vulnerable to poverty, including energy poverty.  It is for this reason that the Department allocates additional payments, supports and resources to help this cohort of claimants.

A person in receipt of a Social Welfare scheme based on PRSI contributions which is considered long-term may qualify for the fuel allowance payment if they satisfy all the relevant qualifying conditions. This would include the following long-term schemes:-

- Deserted Wife's Benefit

- Invalidity Pension

- State Pension Contributory

- Guardian's Payment Contributory

- Widow's, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner’s Pension Contributory

- Incapacity Supplement under the Disablement Pension Scheme

- Death Benefit Pension (previously known as Type 15) under Occupational Injuries Benefit Scheme

- A Social Security Payment from a country covered by EU Regulations or a country with which Ireland has a Bilateral Social Security Agreement (of which there is an Irish equivalent payment).

Any decision to include all Social Welfare schemes based on PRSI contributions as qualifying payments for fuel allowance would require significant extra funding for the scheme and would have to be considered in the overall policy and budgetary context. It would also represent a fundamental change in the nature of the 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 exceptional heating costs.  Decisions on such payments are made on a case-by-case basis.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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622. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if an exceptional needs payment has now issued to a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50920/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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My officials have advised a Supplementary Welfare Allowance form issued to the person concerned by post on 06/10/2021.  As the completed forms had not been received by the Community Welfare Service on 13/10/2021 a designated officer contacted the person concerned by phone and arranged for new forms to be posted to her.  I understand that the designated officer was to contact the person concerned on 15/10/2021 to arrange for the completed forms and supporting documentation to be collected in person by my officials.  On receipt of the completed forms the application will be assessed and a decision issued to the person concerned.

I trust this clarifies the matter.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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623. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if assistance can be given towards travel to receive medical treatment in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50921/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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According to the records of my Department, an application for financial assistance towards the cost of travel expenses has not been received from the person concerned. 

To facilitate the person concerned, my officials issued an application form by post on 14/10/2021.  Upon receipt of the completed application form and supporting documentation, the claim will be assessed and a decision will issue to the person concerned

I trust this clarifies the matter.

Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
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624. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection when the budget increase to the fuel allowance will be paid to those who receive the allowance by lump sum payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50989/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Qualified Fuel Allowance recipients who opt to receive their payment by way of lump sum received their first payment, of €392, during the week commencing 27 September 2021.  The second lump sum will be paid in early January 2022.  

In Budget 2022, the weekly rate of Fuel Allowance has been increased by €5 with effect from the week commencing 11th October 2021.  Arrears of Fuel Allowance will be paid to those on lump sum payments, to cover the period from 11 October to year end, as soon as is practicable.  It is intended that the second lump sum payment, due to issue in early January will be calculated and paid at the new weekly rate.  Work on the enabling system changes is underway.

Fuel Allowance recipients, regardless of their preferred payment option will receive payments to the same value, inclusive of any arrears due, on foot of this Budget announcement.  

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy. 

Carol Nolan (Laois-Offaly, Independent)
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625. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if a person (details supplied) who is in receipt of a full carer's allowance is entitled to a fuel allowance payment or any other additional social protection supports; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51035/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The fuel allowance is a payment under the National Fuel Scheme to help with the cost of heating a home during the winter months. It is paid to people who are in receipt of certain qualifying social welfare payments and who also satisfy certain other conditions.  

Carer's allowance (CA) is not a qualifying payment for receipt of fuel allowance. However, carers may qualify for the fuel allowance if they are getting half-rate CA and another qualifying social welfare payment. In this case, the person concerned is not in receipt of a qualifying payment. The person concerned is in receipt of full-rate CA and a household benefits package (HHB) from my department.  It may be that another member of the household may qualify for fuel allowance if they are in receipt of a qualifying social welfare payment and satisfy the qualifying conditions for same. Only one fuel allowance may be claimed per household.  

CA recipients automatically qualify for the Carer's Support Grant, an annual payment of €1,850.00, from June 2021 (€1,700 prior to June 2021) which is not means-tested or taxed and also qualify for Free Travel. They can also register for a GP Visit card through the Health Service Executive.  

I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.

Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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626. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if the Christmas bonus payment announced in budget 2022 will be provided to persons who are in receipt of the pandemic unemployment payment, PUP, at that time; if she will outline which social protection scheme recipients will be eligible to receive the Christmas bonus this year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51036/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Last week, I was pleased to announce that a 100% Christmas Bonus will once again be paid this year to recipients of long-term social welfare payments.

The Bonus will be paid in early December to over 1.4 million people, including pensioners, people with disabilities, carers, lone parents and the long-term unemployed, in recognition of their long-term dependence on their social welfare payment for all or most of their income.

In normal circumstances, only jobseekers on Jobseeker’s Allowance receive the Christmas Bonus after a total period of 15 months on the scheme.

However, this year, I am reducing that period to 12 months.  Any jobseeker in receipt of Jobseeker’s Allowance, Jobseeker’s Benefit or the Pandemic Unemployment Payment for 12 months or more will receive the Bonus. For jobseekers, periods spent on PUP will count towards satisfying the 12 month duration requirement.

People in receipt of the following payments will receive the Bonus: 

- State Pensions (including Benefit Payment for 65 Year Olds) and Widow’s/Widower’s/Surviving Civil Partner’s Pensions;

- Jobseeker's Allowance, Jobseeker's Benefit, and the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (for people who have been in receipt of these payments for 12 months or more); 

- Invalidity Pension, Blind Pension, Disability Allowance, Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Benefit, Partial Capacity Benefit, Disablement Benefit, Domiciliary Care Allowance and Guardian’s payments;

- One-Parent Family Payment, Jobseeker’s Transition Payment, Deserted Wife’s Benefit and Allowance, Back to Work Family Dividend and Farm Assist; 

- Back to Work Enterprise Allowance, Back to Education Allowance (over 12 months), Community Employment, Rural Social Scheme, TÚS, Gateway and Job Initiative;

- Supplementary Welfare Allowance (over 12 months), Daily Expenses Allowance (over 12 months), and the Magdalene Commission Scheme.  

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Michael Creed (Cork North West, Fine Gael)
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627. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of recipients of carer's allowance and half rate carer’s allowance who are in receipt of the fuel allowance; the estimated cost of extending this entitlement to all recipients of the carer's allowance and the half-rate carer's allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51049/21]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Fuel Allowance is a payment of €33.00 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €924 over a full fuel season) from October to April, to 365,000 low income households, at an estimated cost of €300 million in 2021.  The purpose of this payment is to assist these households with their energy costs.  The allowance represents a contribution towards the energy costs of a household.  It is not intended to meet those costs in full.  Only one allowance is paid per household.

The number of people claiming Carer's Allowance, who are directly in receipt of the fuel allowance payment, is 13,600.  This number does not include people in receipt of Carer's Allowance, who would reside in a household where another member of the household is in receipt of fuel allowance.  The estimated cost of extending the fuel allowance payment to all recipients of Carer's Allowance from January 2022 is in the region of €74 million in the first full year. This estimate is based on an additional 79,900 claims qualifying for fuel allowance.  

Any decision to allow all those in receipt of Carer's Allowance to receive the fuel allowance payment would represent a fundamental change to the nature of the scheme and would have to be considered in the overall policy and budgetary context. The fuel allowance payment would no longer be a household or means tested payment that is targeted at those who are most likely to require additional help over the winter period.

While Carer's Allowance is not a qualifying payment for Fuel Allowance, a person in receipt of Carer's Allowance may avail of the fuel allowance payment in certain circumstances.  Fuel Allowance is a household-based payment, and a carer will very often live with and care for a person in receipt of a qualifying payment for Fuel Allowance.  Income from full rate Carer's Allowance is disregarded from the fuel means test, if the carer is providing full time care and attention to the Fuel Allowance applicant, his/her qualified spouse / civil partner or cohabitant or qualified child(ren).

If a person is getting certain qualifying social welfare payments and also providing full time care and attention to another person, s/he can keep his/her main social protection payment in addition to receiving the half-rate Carer's Allowance.  S/he can also receive an extra half-rate Carer’s Allowance if s/he cares for more than one person.  The payment of half-rate Carer’s Allowance does not preclude a person from qualifying for Fuel Allowance.  If a person is in receipt of a non-contributory social welfare payment and a half-rate Carer’s Allowance, then s/he is deemed to have satisfied the means test and Fuel Allowance is payable, subject to all remaining criteria being satisfied.  If a person is in receipt of a contributory social welfare payment and a half-rate Carer’s Allowance then s/he will have to satisfy a means test in order to qualify for Fuel Allowance.

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 exceptional heating costs.  Decisions on such payments are made on a case-by-case basis.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.