Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Disablement Benefit is part of the Occupational Injuries Benefit scheme. This scheme caters for people injured or incapacitated by an accident at work or while travelling to or from work. The scheme also covers people who have contracted a disease as a result of the type of work they do.

Disablement Benefit is a compensation payment and can be paid alongside other social welfare payments. People in receipt of Disablement Pension (without another payment) can work, full or part-time. Those who are unfit for work may qualify for Illness Benefit or another social welfare payment based on their social insurance contributions (PRSI). Alternatively, they may qualify for Incapacity Supplement.

Payments under the Occupational Injuries Benefit scheme, including Disablement Benefit, did not qualify for the once-off Cost of Living support payment in November 2023, because there are no limits to the amount that recipients can earn from work or they may already be in receipt of a supplement on an ongoing basis in the form of Incapacity Supplement.

They are, however, eligible for other increases in payment rates and double-payments announced under Budget 2024. Recipients of Disablement Benefit received the Christmas Bonus in early December and will receive the Cost-of-Living Bonus in late January, which both provide 100% increases in the weekly rate of payment for recipients. The maximum rate of Disablement Benefit has also increased by €12 per week this month, with an additional €4 weekly increase for qualified children. From January 2023, Disablement Benefit was disregarded from the means test for Fuel Allowance. In November 2023, households getting the Fuel Allowance received a €300 cost-of-living lump sum payment.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

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 €382 million in 2024. The purpose of this payment is to assist these households with their energy costs.

The criteria for Fuel Allowance are framed in order to direct limited resources in as targeted a manner as possible. This ensures that the Fuel Allowance payment goes to those who are more vulnerable to fuel poverty including those reliant on social protection payments for longer periods and who are unlikely to have additional resources of their own.

Disablement Benefit is a benefit under the Occupational Injuries Scheme. It can be paid to a recipient who suffers a loss of physical or mental faculty because of an accident at work, an accident travelling directly to or from work, or a prescribed disease contracted at work. The contribution requirements for the scheme are minimal when compared to other Departmental benefit schemes.

People in receipt of Disablement Benefit (without another social welfare payment) can work full or part time and continue to receive the Benefit Payment – in other words, they are not prevented from generating additional income.

Disablement Benefit can be paid at the same time as most social welfare payments including Jobseeker’s Benefit, Jobseeker’s Allowance, Disability Allowance, Invalidity Pension, State Pension and One-Parent Family Payment. The payment is disregarded when assessing a household’s entitlement to Fuel Allowance.

Incapacity Supplement is an increase payable in addition to Disablement Benefit where a person is considered to be permanently incapable of work as a result of an occupational accident or disease and does not qualify for another Social Welfare benefit such as Illness Benefit. This Incapacity Supplement is a qualifying payment for Fuel Allowance.

Therefore, while Disablement Benefit on its own is not a qualifying payment for Fuel Allowance because a person may continue to work or take up work, or may receive another social welfare payment in parallel, qualification for Incapacity Supplement in addition to Disablement Benefit qualifies that recipient for Fuel Allowance (subject to satisfying all other qualifying criteria).

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.