Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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376. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection when a decision will issue on a jobseeker’s allowance application for a person in County Mayo (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60827/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The person concerned Jobseeker's Allowance claim has been awarded from the 11/10/22.  This payment includes the child dependent allowance at half rate.

The partner of the customer has been on Illness Benefit (IB) since the 12/09/22 and had only been in receipt of payment for herself.

Contact has been made with Illness Benefit who have now paid her full child rate allowance from 12/09/2022 to 11/10/2022.  From this date she will be paid half rate dependent child allowance as the other half is paid to the customer concerned.

Any arrears due from Illness Benefit will be paid to the person concerned partner in due course.

A decision letter issued to the person concerned on 02/12/2022.

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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377. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the current status of the fuel allowance and living alone allowance for a person (details supplied); when a decision will be made; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60830/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The person concerned was awarded a fuel allowance at the weekly rate of €33.00 with effect from 07 October 2022.  They were also awarded the telephone support allowance at the weekly rate of €2.50 from the same date.  Arrears totaling €684 is issuing to their bank account. This includes 8 weeks arrears of Fuel Allowance and Telephone support allowance plus €400 cost-of-living Fuel lump sum payment.

The person concerned was also awarded the Living Alone Increase at the weekly rate of €22.00 from 05 April 2022, allowing for the maximum backdating of six months from the date of receipt of the original application. Arrears totaling €979 is issuing to their bank account.

The person concerned was notified in writing on the 01 December 2022.

I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.

Maurice Quinlivan (Limerick City, Sinn Fein)
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378. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the reason that recipients of the €500 lump sum payment for those in receipt of the disability support grant who are also recipients of the carer’s support grant are not eligible for an additional €500 lump sum payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [60845/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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As part of Budget 2023, I announced a once-off €500 Cost-of-Living payment, to be paid to recipients of the Disability Allowance, Blind Pension, Invalidity Pension, and the Carer's Support Grant. The provision of the payment is to recognise the rising cost of living and the challenges faced by these groups during the current energy crisis.

This payment is made on the basis of one payment per recipient. Those in receipt of more than one social welfare payment will receive one lump sum payment, based on their primary qualifying social welfare payment.

The €500 Cost of Living Disability/Carers Support payment is a lump sum payment to those carers who are eligible for the Carer’s Support Grant and was paid in the week commencing 21 November to over 114,500 carers.  In addition, 7,512 family carers received the payment the previous week with their long-term disability payment.  

Carers/persons on long-term disability payments were eligible for one €500 Cost of Living Disability/Carers Support payment based on their primary payment.

It’s also worth noting that persons receiving both a primary payment and a half rate payment received a double payment in respect of both payments in October and will do so again this week as part of the Christmas Bonus.

The €500 Cost of Living payment is part of a range of measures put in place for carers and people with disabilities as part of Budget 2023.  Other measures I announced include:

- Cost of Living Double Payment to those getting Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Benefit, Domiciliary Care Allowance, Disability Allowance, Blind Pension, Partial Capacity Benefit, Invalidity Pension and Disablement Benefit, paid in October

- Carers and those getting disability payments will also receive the Christmas Bonus Double Payment from week starting 5 December

- €400 Lump Sum Fuel Allowance Payment to all households receiving the Fuel Allowance paid in November

- €200 Lump Sum Payment for pensioners and people with a disability receiving the Living Alone Allowance paid in November

- €12 increase in the maximum weekly rate of carer and disability payments with effect from January 2023 with proportionate increases for people receiving a reduced rate

- €2 increase for each Qualified Child, bringing rates to €50 for Over 12s and €42 for Under 12s from January 2023

- Domiciliary Care Allowance will increase by €20.50 to €330 per month with effect from January 2023

- Domiciliary Care Allowance will be available in respect of children with severe illness or disability who remain in hospital for up to six months after birth.

- The earnings disregard for both the Disability Allowance and Blind Pension will be increased by €25 per week, from €140 to €165 in January

- The means assessment threshold for Fuel Allowance will increase by €80 for people under age 70, and Disablement Benefit and half-rate Carer’s Allowance will be disregarded in the means test for Fuel Allowance with effect from January 2023

- €1 million Expansion of the Reasonable Accommodation Fund to support people with disabilities in the workplace

I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.