Kathleen Funchion (Carlow-Kilkenny, Sinn Fein)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

446. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will consider writing off, on compassionate grounds, the debt of a person (details supplied). [22513/23]

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

Disability Allowance (DA) is both a means and medically assessed payment. It is a condition of the scheme that a DA recipient must reside in the State. An overpayment of DA was raised against the person concerned for periods during 2019 as they were absent from the State and had not notified the Department of same.

It is Departmental policy to recover all debts in full. This can be done via weekly repayments, including deductions of 15% (€33) of the personal rate of payment from social welfare payments, attachment to earnings or from the estate of a deceased person. In all cases, the Department offers the customer a right to comment on the proposed method of recovery and takes account of their personal circumstances before implementing a recovery plan.

In this case, following discussions with and agreement from the person concerned, the Department has accepted a repayment of €5 per week against the debt. While the Department is sympathetic with the condition of the person concerned, the debt cannot be written off and will continue to be recovered at the rate of €5 per week, which the Department has agreed with the individual concerned based on their current situation.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.