Rose Conway-Walsh (Mayo, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

1083. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if disabled PhD students lose eligibility to the fuel allowance and other means tested secondary supports; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20909/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

My Department provides a range of income supports for people unable to work due to illness or disability.  The largest disability related social assistance scheme is the Disability Allowance.  At the end of March 2022, in excess of 155,000 persons were in receipt of this means tested payment.

A PhD disregard was introduced in 2021, for persons in receipt of Disability Allowance who have been granted a bursary, stipend or scholarship towards completing a PhD, as follows:

- an annual disregard (limit) of €20,000 (i.e. if a person receives more than one bursary, the combination cannot exceed €20,000 per annum/amounts above €20,000 are considered as part of the assessment of means),

- the disregard is available for a maximum of four years.

In general, once a person continues to be in receipt of a Disability Allowance payment, in full or at a reduced rate, there should be no loss of eligibility to the fuel allowance, household benefits payment or Free Travel Scheme once they continue to satisfy all other remaining qualifying criteria for these individual schemes.