Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

96. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will outline the various supports for pensioners in County Kerry in Budget 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [59184/22]

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

This Government recognises the challenges people are facing with increases in the cost of living. That is why we announced the largest social protection Budget package in the history of the State. The Social Protection measures announced in the Budget amounted to almost €2.2 billion.

Those measures will make a real difference in terms of protecting our most vulnerable – our pensioners, carers, people with disabilities, low-income families and lone parents.

Last week, the Social Welfare Bill began its passage through the Dáil. This will give effect to the Social Protection measures announced as part of Budget 2023. These include a €12 increase to weekly personal rates of payment. This increase supports recipients across all Social Welfare weekly schemes including pensioners. There will also be a proportionate increase for adult dependants which means that the basic increase for a recipient of the State Pension (Contributory) with an adult dependant will be €22.80 per week.

I also announced significant changes to qualifying criteria for the Fuel Allowance. From 1st January 2023, people aged 70 and over can qualify for Fuel Allowance with weekly income of up to €500 per week for a single person and €1,000 per week for a couple. The Fuel Allowance income threshold will increase from €120 to €200 above the applicable State Pension (Contributory) rate for people aged under 70. Income from Half-rate Carer's Allowance and Disablement Benefit will also be disregarded in the Fuel allowance means test.

To ease the pressure that many households are facing, my Department announced a range of exceptional lump sum payments and other supports, many of which have already been paid and are already supporting people in meeting the cost of living.

These measures include an Autumn Double Payment, which was paid in mid-October to over 1.4 million people, including pensioners, carers, people with disabilities, lone parents, and jobseekers. The Department of Social Protection paid a total of €316 million in additional payments during this week.

On November 1st, the first of three €200 Electricity Credits was applied to household’s electricity accounts. Two further Electricity Credit payments of €200 each will be paid to all households next year, at a total cost of €1.3 billion. This will help protect households from the risk of energy poverty through the winter months and during ongoing uncertainty due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

During the week commencing 14th November, my Department paid a range of cost of living supports to pensioners across Ireland, which included:

- A €400 lump sum payment to over 370,000 households in receipt of Fuel Allowance;

- A €500 Disability Support Grant to 216,000 recipients of Disability Allowance, Blind Pension and Invalidity Pension; and

- A €200 lump sum payment to the 234,000 recipients of the Living Alone Allowance.

In total, the Department paid an additional €325 million during this week in cost of living supports to over 865,000 people.

Last week, commencing 21st November, the Department paid a lump sum of €500 to over 114,000 carers, at a cost of €57.3 million. This lump sum was paid to many elderly carers, or to those caring for elderly individuals.

In December, the Christmas Bonus double payment will be paid to pensioners, carers, people with disabilities, and other social protection recipients.

As you can see, these payments will benefit households across Ireland, including those in Kerry.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.