Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael)
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426. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the percentage of domiciliary care allowance applications that are approved on first application, appeal and any subsequent appeal; and the number of these that relate to children with autism. [59194/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) is a monthly payment in respect of a child aged under 16 with a severe disability who requires ongoing continual or continuous care and attention, substantially over and above the care and attention normally required by a child of the same age and the child must be likely to require this level of care and attention for at least 12 months. Eligibility for DCA is determined primarily by reference to the degree of additional care and attention required by the child rather than the child's disability.

Applicants are advised to provide as much detail as possible at application stage to ensure all information is available for the decision and assessment process.

The last complete year for which data on DCA is available is 2021. The following table sets out the details of the applications processed, including the outcomes from the initial application/decision stage during 2021.

The following is the DCA appeal outcome details in respect of year 2021:

It should be noted that information in relation to a child's specific medical disability or condition such as autism is not collated as children can have multiple diagnoses.

I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Fuel Allowance is paid to social welfare recipients such as pensioners, people with disabilities, lone parents and the long-term unemployed in recognition of their long-term financial dependence on their social welfare payment for all or most of their income.

The reason that Illness Benefit is not a qualifying payment for Fuel Allowance or the Household Benefits Package is that, in the vast majority of cases, they are short-term payments for those who suffer a short period of interruption to their employment. The payments are not means-tested and are based on a person’s PRSI record. The recipients still have an attachment to the labour force and there is an expectation that they will return to the workforce.

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 the Household Benefits Package.

This Department provides Additional Needs Payments under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme to help meet essential expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income.

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

I hope this clarifies matters for the Deputy.