Shane Moynihan (Dublin Mid West, Fianna Fail)
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133. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if he will review the situation whereby a carer claiming maternity leave can no longer claim carer’s payments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8384/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Our social welfare system is underpinned by a general principle of one person, one payment. Normally people qualifying for two social welfare payments only receive the higher payment for which they are eligible. However, there are a limited number of exceptions where a person may receive another payment. One such exception is half-rate Carer’s Allowance.

Thus, a carer on Maternity leave may be eligible for the full weekly rate of Maternity Benefit at €289, as well as a Half-rate Carer’s Allowance at €130 for those aged under 66 and caring for one person.

In such circumstances, a carer would go from receiving a payment of €260 per week to receiving €419 per week. This is an increase per week of €159 or €5,565 over the 35-week period while they are receiving maternity benefit.

In addition if a carer has children, the carer retains their Child Support Payments. These are paid with Maternity Benefit, at a rate of €50 per week for any children under 12 or €62 per week for children 12 or over. They may also be entitled to an Increase for a Qualified Adult at a weekly rate of €162 for the duration of their maternity leave.

It’s important to note that some employers will continue to pay an employee, in full, while the employee is on maternity leave.

I trust this clarifies the issue for the Deputy.

Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North-West, Fianna Fail)
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136. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection to consider changing the current means assessment on approved retirement fund pensions to the amount drawn down annually only on the fund in calculating means for fuel allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8369/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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The criteria for Fuel Allowance are in place to direct the limited resources available to my Department 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.

Fuel Allowance operates as part of an overall system of social protection supports which provides assistance payments based on a system of means testing. The treatment of Approved Retirement Funds for Fuel Allowance is aligned with the treatment of Approved Retirement Funds for other departmental means tested schemes.

Approved Retirement Funds are similar to funds in a bank account in terms of accessibility. Therefore, the current value of the Approved Retirement Funds is treated as capital for means assessment purposes.

The standard formula for assessing the value of capital for those aged over 66 for Fuel Allowance purposes is as follows: the first €50,000 is fully disregarded; the next €10,000 is assessed at €1 per thousand, the next €10,000 is assessed at €2 per thousand, with the remainder assessed at €4 per thousand. The capital assessment formula is not designed to reflect interest or annuity rates available to investors and no account is taken of drawdowns from the fund in the means assessment.

Any decision to amend the Fuel Allowance means test in relation to the treatment of Approved Retirement Funds would have to be considered in the context in a wider budgetary and policy context.

I understand however that there will always be exceptional cases and it is for this reason that my department provides Additional Needs Payments as part of the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme. My department may make Additional Needs Payments to help meet essential expenses that a person cannot pay from their weekly income or other personal and household resources. These payments are available through our Community Welfare Officers.

Any person who considers that they may have an entitlement to an Additional Needs Payment is encouraged to contact their local community welfare service. There is a National Community Welfare Contact Centre in place - 0818-607080 - which will direct callers to the appropriate office. In addition, applications can be made online via www.mywelfare.ie.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.