Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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919.To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if the reintroduction of a payment for carers will be considered (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter.[34043/24]

Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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939.To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will consider the reintroduction of the household benefits package for carers who do not live with the person they care for, which was scrapped in 2012 for new carers; and if she will make a statement on the matter.[34193/24]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 919 and 939 together.

The Household Benefits Package comprises the electricity or gas allowance, and the free television licence. The Department of Social Protection will spend approximately €294 million this year on the Household Benefits Package for over 523,000 customers.

People over the age of 70 receive the Household Benefits Package, with one package provided per household. The package is also available to people living in the State aged 66-69 years who are in receipt of certain social welfare payments or who satisfy a means test. The package is available to some people under the age of 66 who are in receipt of certain welfare type payments.

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. Only one allowance is paid per household.

Any decision to extend the qualifying conditions for the Household Benefits package to include those who are in receipt of Carers Allowance and who don’t live with the caree or to adjust the rules of the Fuel Allowance scheme to make Carer's Allowance a qualifying payment would have be considered in an overall policy and budgetary context.

The Government values the role of carers very much and it is for this reason that they receive significant income supports from the Department. In addition to Carer’s Allowance, carers receive additional support in the form of free travel and household benefits (for those who live with the person for whom they care) and the annual Carer's Support Grant (€1,850) in respect of each person for whom they care.

The maximum rates of Carer's Allowance for those aged under 66, at €248 (€286 for carers aged 66 or over) for where one person is being cared for, is significantly higher than that for most schemes administered by the department.

The means test for carers allowance has been significantly eased over the years and is now one of the most generous means tests in the social welfare system. From January 2024 the income disregard for a single person was increased to €450 and €900 for a couple.

Carers can also engage in employment, self-employment, training or education courses outside the home for not more than 18.5 hours a week.

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 and can include payments towards essential heating or repair costs.

I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Patrick Costello (Dublin South Central, Green Party)
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920.To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection to consider backdating eligible claims for jobseeker’s benefit, once the jobseeker’s pay-related benefit programme for individuals who presently find themselves losing out twice due to the timing of commencement and implementation of it systems required for the new system; if such backdating can take place from 15 July when the Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2024 was signed into law; and if she will make a statement on the matter.[34044/24]

Marian Harkin (Sligo-Leitrim, Independent)
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932.To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection when she expects the new pay-related jobseeker's benefit system to be up and running; and if she will make a statement on the matter.[34130/24]

Richard Bruton (Dublin Bay North, Fine Gael)
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1031.To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the start date for pay-related jobseeker’s benefit; the percentage of previous earnings to be awarded; and the ceilings and duration which applies.[35838/24]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 920, 932 and 1031 together.

The Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2024 which was signed into law by the President in July sets out the legislative framework for the new Jobseeker's Pay-Related Benefit scheme.

Jobseeker's Pay-Related Benefit will be made available to fully unemployed persons who have a strong and recent attachment to the labour market. The introduction of the scheme will ensure that people with a strong work history receive enhanced benefits if they lose their employment.

The weekly rate of payment for people who have at least 5 years paid PRSI contributions will be 60% of previous earnings, subject to a maximum of €450 per week, for the first three months. The rate will change to 55% of earnings subject to a maximum of €375 per week for the following 3 months. A further 3 months will be paid at the rate of 50% up to a maximum of €300 per week.

For persons who have between 2 and 5 years contributions, the rate will be 50% of previous earnings, subject to a weekly maximum of €300 and 6 months' duration.

The introduction of any new social welfare scheme involves a lead-in time and my department continues to work on the necessary technical and administrative arrangements required to facilitate the introduction of Pay Related Benefit. This is a complex piece of IT work which is required to ensure the smooth running of what is one of the largest ever reforms to the Social Welfare system in Ireland.

The benefit will be available to people who become unemployed from the date the scheme is introduced. Until then, anyone finding themselves unemployed can apply for the existing Jobseeker’s Benefit.

John McGuinness (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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921.To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if disability allowance will be approved for a person (details supplied) as a matter of urgency.[34065/24]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Social Welfare Appeals Office is an Office of the Department of Social Protection which is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements. Appeals Officers are independent in their decision making functions.

The Social Welfare Appeals Office has advised me that an appeal by the person concerned was registered in that office on 25 April 2024. It is a statutory requirement of the appeals process that the relevant papers and comments by or on behalf of the Deciding Officer on the grounds of appeal be sought from the Department of Social Protection. These papers were received in the Social Welfare Appeals Office on 20 June 2024 and the case has been referred to an Appeals Officer who will make a summary decision on the appeal based on documentary evidence presented or, if necessary, hold an oral hearing.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.