Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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414. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will review a decision to remove a free travel pass from a wheelchair user who requires a personal assistant (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3339/23]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Free Travel scheme is available to all people aged over 66 living permanently in the State and people under age 66 on certain qualifying social welfare payments who reside permanently in the State. The scheme allows recipients to travel free of charge on most CIE public transport services, LUAS and Local Link, as well as on transport services provided by some 73 private operators countrywide.

The eligibility of the person concerned was linked to their previous entitlement to Disability Allowance, which is a qualifying payment for Free Travel. Their entitlement to Disability Allowance ceased in November 2017, when they returned to employment. Under the Make Work Pay initiative, a person who was in receipt of Disability Allowance may have their entitlement to Free Travel extended for a period of five years after taking up employment. In the case of the person concerned, the five year extension period has expired, resulting in the consequential cessation of their Free Travel entitlement.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Working Family Payment is an in-work support which is designed to prevent in-work poverty for low paid employees with child dependents, and to offer a financial incentive to take-up employment. There are approximately 47,000 families with 102,000 children currently in receipt of the Working Family Payment. Estimated expenditure on the scheme in 2023 is €362 million.

To qualify for the Working Family Payment a person must be engaged as an employee in full time paid employment which is expected to last for at least 3 months and be working for a minimum of 38 hours per fortnight. A couple may combine their hours of employment to meet the qualification requirement. The applicant must also have at least one qualified child who normally resides with them or is part of a family supported by them. In addition, the person's income must be below the relevant threshold for their family size.

It is possible for the household of a self-employed person to receive Working Family Payment where the spouse, civil partner or cohabitant of the self-employed person is an employee who meets the qualifying criteria.

My Department has several schemes available to self-employed individuals including:

- The Back to Work Enterprise Allowance scheme which encourages people in receipt of certain social welfare payments to become self-employed. If a person takes part in the Back to Work Enterprise Allowance scheme they can keep a percentage of their social welfare payment for up to 2 years.

- The Short-Term Enterprise Allowance gives support to people who have lost their job and want to start their own business.

- The Back to Work Family Dividend helps families to move from social welfare into employment or self-employment, by retaining their qualified child increase for up to two years.

There are no plans to extend the Working Family Payment to the self-employed at this time. Any such extension of the scheme could only be considered in the overall budgetary context.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

James Lawless (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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416. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will provide an update on an application by a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3366/23]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The person concerned applied for Jobseeker's Allowance in February 2022. This application was disallowed as they did not qualify under the Habitual Residence conditions. The person concerned appealed this decision and in August 2022 their appeal was disallowed.

The person concerned does not have a current pending application with the Department of Social Protection.

If the person concerned is still experiencing financial difficulty, they may submit an application for Jobseeker's Allowance through their MyWelfare.ie account or through their Local Intreo Office. They may also apply for Supplementary Welfare Allowance which is a means tested payment based on household income while awaiting their Jobseeker's decision.