Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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117. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will consider making the disability allowance into a non-means tested benefit rather than an allowance. [61674/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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The Department of Social Protection provides a suite of income supports to disabled people, including Disability Allowance, Blind Pension, Invalidity Pension and Partial Capacity Benefit. Disability Allowance is my Department's primary disability related social assistance scheme. The payment is subject to a medical assessment, a means test and a habitual residency requirement.

The means test takes account of the income a person or couple has in terms of cash, property – other than the family home – and capital. 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 compares with €20,000 for most social welfare payments.

Applying a means-test ensures that the recipient has an income need and that scarce resources are targeted to those with the greatest need. This approach supports an economically sustainable and socially equitable allocation of scarce resources.

In Census 2022, over 1.1 million people reported experiencing at least one long-lasting condition or difficulty. Providing a non-means tested payment to such a large number of people, would have significant budgetary implications and raise real questions about sustainability.

Over the last five budgets the Government has progressively improved payment rates and income disregards for disabled people. The weekly payment rates for Disability Allowance have increased by €51 in that time. From January 2026 the maximum personal rate of payment will be €254 per week.

The earnings disregard has increased by almost 38% since Budget 2021 from €120 to €165 currently. This enables those in receipt of Disability Allowance to earn more without having a negative impact on their means tested payment. It means that people can earn up to €165 per week and keep their payment in full and can earn up to €517.60 per week and keep a small portion of their payment.

As a result of Budget 2026, people moving from Disability Allowance or Blind Pension to take up work will keep their Fuel Allowance for up to five years, from September 2026. The Back to Work Family Dividend is also being extended to people with children moving from Disability Allowance or Blind Pension into employment.

The Programme for Government includes commitments to reform the Disability Allowance Payment, remove any anomalies in the means test, and to introduce an Annual Cost of Disability Payment.

My Department will lead the employment pillar, alongside the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment of the recently launched the National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025-2030. Our focus will be to improve the employment prospects for disabled people. In addition, my Department will lead a Strategic Focus Network on the Cost of Disability. All relevant Departments and Agencies will be involved in this work and there will be consultation with stakeholders throughout. We know that addressing the cost of disability is not just about income but it is also about services and that is why a whole of Government approach is needed.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

James O'Connor (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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118. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of persons that will benefit from the changes in the qualifying criteria for the fuel allowance announced in Budget 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62282/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I am very conscious of the need to target support to those people who most require help with their energy costs.

Therefore, as part of Budget 2026 I was pleased to announce that I had secured funding for an increase in the weekly rate and a number of expansion measures in relation to the Fuel Allowance scheme.

In recognition of the importance of helping low paid working families, I announced the extension of the Fuel Allowance payment to Working Family Payment recipients. This will benefit over 43,000 families and is a significant measure in tackling child poverty. This will be implemented from March 2026 and backdated to January 2026.

This measure honours commitments made in the 2025 Programme for Government to expand the eligibility for the Fuel Allowance to families in receipt of the Working Family Payment.

Budget 2026 allows those who leave their disability payment to take up employment to continue to receive their Fuel Allowance for five years after exiting their payment.

I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.