Steven Matthews (Wicklow, Green Party)
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140. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if her attention has been drawn to cases where people in receipt of full disability allowance will see it revoked if they move out of their parental home to get married or to cohabit with their partner; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15194/23]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Disability Allowance is a means-tested social assistance scheme, which is also subject to a medical assessment and habitual residency requirement.

Where a person makes an application for Disability Allowance, the means assessment includes income from employment or self-employment, income from a social security pension from another country and maintenance payments.

If a claimant is married, in a civil partnership or cohabiting, the means of the couple will be assessed. This is the case even if only one of the couple is claiming a payment.

In the assessment of capital means, the couple’s savings, investments, shares and property are included. The home in which the claimant lives is not included in the assessment of means, unless the person receives an income from it.

It must be noted that the entire amount of income or capital is not included while assessing means. The first €50,000 of capital and savings is fully disregarded, the next €10,000 is assessed at €1 per thousand, the following €10,000 is assessed at €2 per thousand, with the remainder assessed at €4 per thousand. These disregards are the most generous among social welfare schemes.

For people in employment, an income disregard of €165 per week is applied. In addition, 50% of earnings between €165 and €375 per week is also disregarded for the purpose of the means test.

Where the spouse/civil partner/cohabitant is engaged in insurable employment a disregard of €20 per day applies subject to a maximum of €60 per week and the balance is assessed at 60%.

Means is assessed on a household basis and as such must be reassessed if a person’s living circumstances change.

The means assessment reflects the fact that there is an expectation that people with reasonable amounts of income or capital are in a position to use these resources to support themselves so that social welfare expenditure can be directed towards those who need it most.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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143. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she intends on changing the medical criteria for receipt of invalidity pension to align it with the medical criteria for disability allowance; the reason that these criteria are different at present; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15135/23]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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My Department provides a suite of income supports for those who are unable to work due to illness or disability. Our two main long-term disability payments are Disability Allowance and Invalidity Pension.

Disability Allowance is a means-tested social assistance scheme. The medical criterion for Disability Allowance is that the person's disability must be expected to last for at least one year, and the disability must substantially restrict a person’s ability to work. Over 157,000 people were on Disability Allowance in January 2023.

Invalidity Pension is a social insurance scheme. Eligibility is based on PRSI contributions and medical condition. In order to qualify, the person must have been incapable of work for at least 12 months and be likely to be incapable of work for at least another 12 months; or must be permanently incapable of work. Over 56,000 people were on Invalidity Pension in January 2023.

Officials in my Department are working on a Strawman on disability reform in accordance with a commitment under the Roadmap for Social Inclusion (2020 – 2025). The Strawman will provide proposals on the restructuring of these long-term disability payments. I expect to publish it for consultation in Q2.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.