Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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1250.To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection when the review of means testing was commenced by her Department; when the report will be finalised and published; the reason for the delay; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31296/24]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Means tests and income thresholds are kept under regular review and a number of significant changes have been made in recent years. In particular, I have introduced a number of changes to means testing which provide for higher income disregards. These disregards ensure that, where people are in receipt of a social assistance payment and are working, a certain level of income from that work is not assessed in the means test.

The means review within the Department commenced in Quarter 1 2023 and the review is underway, and will be completed in time to be considered as part of the run up to Budget 2025. It is my intention that the report will be published once I have considered it in detail.

The outcome of the review will be used to inform decisions regarding any further changes to means testing, including in the run up to Budget 2025, although all prospective changes to means testing arrangements will have to be considered in both an overall policy and budgetary context.