Cian O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay North, Social Democrats)
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987.To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the steps being taken to support individuals in situations in which there were two pensions within a household but a spouse dies and as a result there is a severe drop in the household income and the household bills remain the same; and if she will make a statement on the matter.[35153/24]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Primary weekly social welfare payments are intended to enable recipients to meet their basic day-to-day income needs. Payments available to those over 66 include the State Pension (Contributory), State Pension (Non-Contributory) and the Widows, Widowers and Surviving Civil Partners' Contributory Pension.

There are also supports available for people following bereavement. These include a once-off Widowed or Surviving Civil Partner grant of €8,000 where there is a dependent child and Guardian payments are available where someone cares for an orphaned child. A number of social welfare payments, including State Pension, continue in payment for six weeks following a death, extending to 12 weeks in respect of Carer’s Allowance.

The rate of primary and secondary payments to pensioners, and their adequacy, are considered in the context of the annual budgetary process. In doing so, the Government considers evidence from a wide range of sources, including agencies such as the CSO, and also research submitted by advocacy groups such as the Vincentian Partnership for Social Justice, who have a measure they call the “Minimum Essential Standard of Living (MESL)”.

The data shows that the cost of living for a single person is slightly more than the individualized cost of two people living together. For this reason, the Living Alone Increase is available to those in receipt of qualifying payments. The Living Alone Increase is currently paid at €22 per week.

There are a number of additional supports in the social welfare system which further benefit a widow or widower or surviving civil partner:

• A person who loses their spouse or civil partner may be entitled to the Living Alone Allowance in addition to receiving a Pension.
• People in receipt of a Pension may also be eligible for the Household Benefits Package. In addition, a widow or widower or surviving civil partner aged between 60 and 65 years, whose late spouse/civil partner received the Household Benefits Package from this Department, may qualify for that package if they otherwise satisfy all other conditions and receive a relevant qualifying payment.
• A person in receipt of a Pension may also qualify to receive Fuel Allowance, subject to the conditions of the scheme, including a means test.
• A person in receipt of a Pension and who qualifies for both the Living Alone Allowance and the Fuel Allowance will automatically qualify for the Telephone Support Allowance. This payment aims to help those living alone with the cost of communications and/or home alert security systems.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Duncan Smith (Dublin Fingal, Labour)
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988.To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she is aware that when a blind person applies for a blind pension they are means-tested under the household income, even if that person is unable to work due to their disability; if she plans to withdraw the means test for people in this category; and if she will make a statement on the matter.[35158/24]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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My Department provides a suite of income supports for those unable to work due to illness or disability. These include insurance-based schemes based on Pay Related Social Insurance (PRSI) contributions and means-tested social assistance schemes.

The primary social assistance scheme for people who are blind or visually impaired is the Blind Pension, which is a means-tested payment payable to those aged between 18 and 66. Blind Pension is the only income support payment designed to cater for a specific disability.

Eligibility for Blind Pension requires that a person’s vision is impaired to such an extent that they cannot perform any work for which eyesight is essential or cannot continue in their ordinary occupation.

Means-testing of Blind Pension is a statutory requirement under social welfare legislation. The means test plays a critical role in determining if an income need arises as a consequence of a particular contingency - be that illness, caring, unemployment or disability.

Applying a means-test not only ensures that the recipient has an income need but also that scarce resources are targeted at those who need them most.

By its nature, the means test takes account of the income a person or couple has in terms of cash, property - other than the family home - and capital. It does not take account of a person’s expenditure. In line with most social assistance payments, deductions permitted for Blind Pension include PRSI, union dues and pension contributions.

A review of means testing in the Department is underway. The outcome of the review will be used to inform decisions regarding any further changes to means testing. Any changes to means testing arrangements will have to be considered in an overall policy and budgetary context.

I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.