Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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320. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection when a claim for disability allowance will be approved for a person (details supplied) in view of their medical condition; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43516/23]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Disability Allowance (DA) is a weekly allowance paid to people with a specified disability who are aged 16 or over and under the age of 66. This disability must be expected to last for at least one year and the allowance is subject to a medical assessment, means test and Habitual Residency conditions

I confirm that my Department received an application for DA from the person concerned on 21 August 2023. The processing time for individual DA claims may vary in accordance with their relative complexity in terms of the three main qualifying criteria, the person’s circumstances and the information they provide in support of their claim.

As their initial application did not contain all the information required to establish an entitlement to DA, an information request letter was sent to the person concerned on 7 September 2023 to supply this supporting documentation. The requested information was received on 21 September 2023.

A request for further information was sent to the person concerned on 4 October 2023. The information request allows the person concerned 21 days to provide the required information in order to determine eligibility for DA.

On receipt of this information, a decision will be made and they will be notified directly of the outcome.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Mairead Farrell (Galway West, Sinn Fein)
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321. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the reason that the benefit payment for 65-year-olds is not a qualifying payment for the fuel allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43625/23]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Fuel Allowance is a payment of €33 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €924 each year) from late September to April, at an estimated cost of €412 million in 2023. The purpose of this payment is to assist these households with their energy costs. Only one allowance is paid per household.

Qualifying payments for fuel allowance are those payments that are considered long-term payments and an applicant must also satisfy a means test. People on long-term payments are unlikely to have additional resources of their own and are more vulnerable to poverty, including energy poverty. It is for this reason that the Department allocates additional payments, supports and resources to help this cohort of claimants.

The Benefit Payment for 65-Year-Olds is a short-term payment for people aged 65 who have ceased employment or self-employment and who satisfy the pay-related social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions. It is not a means tested payment. Accordingly, it is not a qualifying payment for receipt of fuel allowance.

Any decision to include the Benefit Payment for 65-Year-Olds as a qualifying payment for Fuel Allowance would have to be considered in the overall policy and budgetary context.

Finally, the Department of Social Protection provides Additional Needs Payments as part of the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme for people who have an essential need which they cannot meet from their own resources. These payments are available through our Community Welfare Officers.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.