Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein)
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457. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated cost to the Exchequer if the living alone allowance was to be extended to retired single public and civil service pension holders who met the requirements of living alone. [16566/22]

Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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478. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated cost of extending the living alone allowance to persons over 66 years of age who are not in receipt of a qualifying payment from her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16138/22]

Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)
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480. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will consider amending the legislation relating to the living alone allowance to ensure that single persons who were never married are treated in the same manner as widows or widowers and that they can access the living alone allowance if not in receipt of a qualifying payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16321/22]

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal, Sinn Fein)
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482. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if there are plans to allow single non-widowed persons who are not in receipt of a qualifying payment to receive the living alone allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16352/22]

Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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490. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if her attention has been drawn to or can provide details on the approximate number of persons over the age of 66 years who are currently living alone in the State who are not in receipt of the living alone allowance as they are not in receipt of one of the qualifying social welfare payments required; her plans to expand the scheme to this cohort considering the significant increase in the cost of living; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [16665/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 457, 478, 480, 482 and 490 together.

Primary weekly social welfare payments are intended to enable recipients to meet their basic day-to-day income needs. In addition to these primary payments, my Department also provides a range of other payments, both cash and non-cash, on a weekly, monthly, or less frequent basis. These payments are considered secondary in nature.

The Living Alone Increase (LAI) is one of those secondary payments. It is not a scheme or a stand-alone payment in itself, but rather it is a supplement to a primary social protection payment of €22 per week made to people aged 66 years or over, who are in receipt of certain social welfare payments and who are living alone. For those aged 66 or over, these payments include State Pension (Contributory), State Pension (Non-contributory), Widow’s, Widower’s or Surviving Civil Partner’s (Contributory) Pension, Widow's/Widower's Pension under the Occupational Injuries Benefit Scheme, Incapacity Supplement under the Occupational Injuries Benefit Scheme and Deserted Wife's Benefit.

Accordingly, there are no circumstances where the Living Alone Increase can be paid to people who are not in receipt of a primary qualifying payment from my Department. Any decision to allow those who are not in receipt of a qualifying payment to receive the Living Alone Increase - and thereby establish it as a scheme - would have budgetary and administrative consequences and would have to be considered in the context of Budget negotiations.

My Department would not have records on the numbers of people currently aged 66 or over, who are not in receipt of a primary social welfare payment, regardless of the class at which they paid PRSI previously, and who are living alone.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputies.