Catherine Connolly (Galway West, Independent)
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267. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 313 of 27 September 2022, if she will clarify the approach taken as regards access to the free travel pass for persons who are vision-impaired; if she will clarify the approach taken as regards access to the free travel pass for persons who are blind; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49203/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The free travel scheme provides free travel on the main public and private transport services for those eligible under the scheme. These include road, rail and ferry services provided by companies such as Bus Átha Cliath, Bus Éireann and Iarnród Éireann, as well as Luas and services provided by over 80 private transport operators. There are approximately 1,043,000 customers with direct eligibility. The estimated expenditure on free travel in 2022 is €95 million.

In 1997, the free travel pass was extended to all registered blind people regardless of whether they qualify for the Department's blind person's pension or any other Social Protection payment. To receive the free travel pass, the person must meet the medical conditions for Blind Pension or alternatively, be registered as blind with the National Council of the Blind Ireland or the League of the Blind of Ireland.

A person who is visually impaired but does not meet the qualifying criteria for blind registration can only receive the pass if they are aged 66 or if they are in receipt of certain primary Social Protection payments such as Disability Allowance, Invalidity Pension, Carer’s Allowance or Partial Capacity Benefit.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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268. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the reason that persons who are in receipt of the illness benefit will not receive the double payment that was announced in Budget 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49210/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The autumn Cost of Living double payment is part of a range of measures put in place as part of Budget 2023 to mitigate the effects of the increased cost of living.

The autumn Cost of Living double payment will be paid to recipients of Disability Allowance, Invalidity Pension, Blind Pension, Disablement Benefit and Partial Capacity Benefit.

Qualifying payments for the autumn double payment are those payments that are considered long-term payments. People on long-term payments are unlikely to have additional resources of their own and are more vulnerable to being at risk of poverty. It is for this reason that the Department allocates additional payments, supports and resources to help this cohort of claimants.

Illness Benefit is not a qualifying payment for the Autumn double payment. In the vast majority of cases, Illness Benefit is a short-term payment for those who are certified by their GP as needing to take time out from their employment. This means there is a constant daily churn in terms of Illness Benefit recipients as people take time off / return to work. In addition, in many cases Illness Benefit is paid directly to the employer where sick pay is paid.

Most recipients of Illness Benefit still have an attachment to the labour force and there is an expectation that they will return to work.

Long-term Illness Benefit recipients who are permanently incapable of work may be eligible for Invalidity Pension (subject to satisfying the relevant medical criteria and social insurance contributions). Those who are substantially restricted in undertaking suitable employment arising from a medical condition may be eligible for the means-tested Disability Allowance (subject to the relevant medical criteria). All recipients of both of these payments are eligible for additional benefits including free travel and the household benefits package.

This Department provides Additional Needs Payment under our Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme to help meet essential expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. This includes exceptional and urgent needs payments, and certain supplements to assist with ongoing or recurring costs that cannot be met from a person’s own resources and are deemed to be necessary.

Illness Benefit recipients will benefit from the €12 increase in the maximum weekly rate of this payment from January 2023.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.