Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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292. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she can address the issue raised in correspondence (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39818/24]

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. In addition to these primary payments, my Department also provides a range of other payments on a weekly, monthly, or less frequent basis. These payments are considered secondary in nature and cannot be made available to those who are not in receipt of a primary payment. These secondary payments may also attach requirements such as the age of the recipient or the nature of the payment that the person is in receipt of.

The Living Alone Increase (LAI) is one of those secondary payments. It is not a scheme or a stand-alone payment, but it is a supplement to a primary social protection payment of €22 per week made to people aged 66 years or over, who are in receipt of certain social welfare payments and who are living alone. A person eligible for the LAI will receive the full €22 supplement even if they are not in receipt of the maximum rate of their primary payment.

For those aged 66 or over, payments eligible for the LAI include State Pension (Contributory), State Pension (Non-contributory), Widow’s, Widower’s, or Surviving Civil Partner’s (Contributory) Pension, Widow's, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner's Pension under the Occupational Injuries Benefit Scheme, Incapacity Supplement under the Occupational Injuries Benefit Scheme and Deserted Wife's Benefit.

LAI is also paid to people aged under 66 who live alone and are in receipt of Disability Allowance, Invalidity Pension, Incapacity Supplement or Blind Pension.

In the case of the Widow’s, Widower’s, or Surviving Civil Partner’s (Contributory) Pension, the pension is payable to surviving spouses and civil partners who meet the qualifying criteria irrespective of age. However, the rates of payment differ between those aged 66 and over and those under 66. In addition, entitlement to the LAI is only available to those in receipt of a pension who are aged 66 and over.

Changes to the qualifying criteria for the LAI are a policy and budgetary matter, and no changes were provided for in Budget 2025.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.