John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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1400. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the rationale for aligning the rate of disability allowance with jobseeker’s payments, particularly given that many people with disabilities face ongoing medical and personal care costs not covered by existing supports. [18922/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Disability Allowance is the primary disability related social assistance scheme which is a means-tested payment for people with a disability who are aged between 16 and 66. In order to be eligible, the disability must be expected to last for at least one year. The allowance is also subject to a medical assessment and a habitual residency requirement. Estimated expenditure on Disability Allowance for 2025 is expected to be almost €2.4 billion.

The Disability Allowance rate is the same as the maximum rate of Jobseekers Allowance for persons over the age of 25. However, there are a range of benefits, capital disregards and income disregards available to those in receipt of Disability Allowance which are not available to those in receipt of Jobseekers Allowance.

Secondary benefits which people on Disability Allowance may be eligible for include Free Travel, Free Fuel Allowance, the Medical Card and the Household Benefits Package - Electricity/Natural Gas/Bottled Gas Refill Allowance, Free Television Allowance . These secondary benefits are not available to people on Jobseekers Allowance.

Disability Allowance has one of the highest capital disregards operated by the Department of Social Protection. A recipient can have up to €50,000 in savings and still receive the full rate of payment. This is compared to €20,000 for Jobseekers Allowance.

Disability Allowance has been structured to support recipients to pursue employment opportunities, be that self-employment or insurable employment. People in receipt of Disability Allowance can take up employment or self-employment and continue to receive all or part of their social welfare payment, depending on their income. A person can earn up to €165 a week and keep their full rate of Disability Allowance and up to €517.60 a week and still keep their entitlement to the minimum rate of payment and their secondary benefits.

My Department has committed to improving outcomes for people with a disability. As a result, an extensive range of targeted cost of living measures and increases to weekly payments to support people with disabilities were announced as part of Budgets 2023, 2024 and 2025.

In Budget 2025, these included:

• October 2024 cost of living bonus for people in receipt of a long term weekly social welfare payment.
• €400 cost of living lump sum payment for people in receipt of Disability Allowance, Invalidity Pension and Blind Pension, paid in November 2024.
• €300 cost of living lump sum payment to all households getting Fuel Allowance, paid in November 2024.
• €200 cost of living lump sum payment to people who are getting a Living Alone Increase, paid in November 2024.
• €100 cost of living lump sum payment for people getting a Child Support Payment, paid for each qualified child in November 2024.
• Christmas bonus to all persons in receipt of a long-term disability payment paid in December 2024.
• €12 increase in the maximum personal rate of weekly disability payments from January 2025. There are proportionate increases for people on a reduced rate.
• Weekly rates of Child Support Payment increased by €8 to €62 for those aged 12 and over, and by €4 to €50 for under 12s in January 2025.

John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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1401. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection what safeguards are in place to prevent administrative errors in social welfare payments and taxation, particularly in cases where individuals are recorded as receiving supports they have not applied for, or been eligible to receive. [18923/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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My Department is committed to ensuring that only those people who are eligible, receive welfare and other payments. Achieving this requires that robust safeguards are in place that secure our payment systems, detect possible fraud and error, and prevent possible fraudulent claiming.

All applicants must provide proof of their identity when making a claim. The applicants must verify their identity through the SAFE registration process. The SAFE registration process establishes and fully authenticates a person’s identity and allows them to access a range of services from my Department and other public services in an easy and safe manner.

A range of verification processes are employed to validate and verify the information provided by an applicant when making a claim. In addition claims in payment are also subject to review.

Staff are provided with on-going training, mentoring and quality assurance checks are undertaken to ensure any administrative errors are kept to a minimum. In addition, ongoing IT system enhancements further reduce the scope for error.

Another aspect of our customer centric approach is to help customers avoid errors when making claims. This is achieved through the provision of clear and understandable information in publicity campaigns, information leaflets, on the Department’s website and through the assistance provided by Departmental staff. My Department is committed to the use of plain English as part of the Government’s Public Service Reform agenda.

Administrative errors in taxation are a matter for the Revenue Commissioners.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.