Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context

908. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if he plans to introduce new rules in relation to the widow's pension (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29653/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

There is a general principle of one person-one payment that applies across our social welfare system. Given the contingency-based nature of this system, it can happen that a person may experience more than one contingency at the same time, but generally they can receive only one payment. This principle is common to social security systems across the world.

As a result, people on the Widows, Widowers and Surviving Civil Partners Pension cannot be in receipt of an overlapping second payment, for example Illness Benefit or Invalidity Pension, at the same time. They may, however, get a reduced rate of Illness Benefit, if a customer is getting a reduced rate of Widow’s Pension. In this case, the combined amount of both payments cannot be greater than the rate of Illness Benefit to which they are entitled.

People might be eligible to receive one of the following supports in addition to their Widow’s, Widower’s or Surviving Civil Partner’s Pension: Working Family Payment, Living Alone Increase, Fuel Allowance or Household Benefits Package depending on their living circumstances and their age. More information on overlapping payments and eligibility is available at gov.ie.

My Department operates the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme, administered by the Community Welfare Service, which provides a number of supports and services to help people facing financial hardship. Under this scheme, the Department may make an additional needs payment to meet essential expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. The payment is available to anyone who needs it and qualifies, whether the person is currently on a social welfare payment or working on a low income.

Any changes to the underlying one person-one payment principle would however involve significant additional expenditure which could prove unsustainable in the long-term, and would have to be considered in the overall policy and budgetary context.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.