Ryan O'Meara (Tipperary North, Fianna Fail)
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112. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if his Department plans to increase the rate of for the living alone allowance payment; if not, if he will consider same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52593/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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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.

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.

For those aged 66 or over, payments eligible for the LAI include State Pension (Contributory), State Pension (Non-Contributory), Bereaved Partner’s (Contributory) Pension, Bereaved 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.

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 measure the “Minimum Essential Standard of Living (MESL)”.

Any change to the rate payable for this payment will have to be considered in an overall budgetary context.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.