Written answers
Tuesday, 18 June 2024
Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection
Social Welfare Payments
Eoin Ó Broin (Dublin Mid West, Sinn Fein)
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230. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the reason the changes regarding cessation of the assessment of child maintenance in the means test for social welfare payments were delayed from 1 May 2024 as in the initial announcement made in March 2024 (details supplied) until 4 June 2024 in the updated press release; if the impact of the delay to those in receipt of such payments has been reviewed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26234/24]
Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Social Welfare and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2024 (the “Act”), provides for changes to the social welfare means test to exclude child maintenance payments from assessment as means for any means or income tested payment. This was one of the recommendations of the Report of the Child Maintenance Review Group in relation to the social welfare system which the Government accepted.
The Act also provides for the extension of Child Benefit in respect of children who are aged 18 and in full time education or who have a disability. That provision took effect from 1 May 2024. Following the announcement that the Child Benefit change would come into effect from 1 May, some coverage suggested that the change to the means test was also due to come into effect from that date. However, that was not the case.
In addition to the amendments to primary legislation set out in the Act, amendments to secondary legislation as well as changes to some of the Department’s systems, application forms and processes were required in order to implement the change to treatment of child maintenance payments in the means test.
I am delighted to have brought the change to the social welfare means test into effect from the week beginning 4 June. As a result, the amount of child maintenance a person receives is no longer being assessed in the means or income test for any social welfare payments. This change means that many lone parents on reduced rates of payment will see their payment increase and those who may not have qualified at all up to this point may now be able to access a payment.
It is not necessary for any customer to take any action. My Department is undertaking a significant project to identify and review those claims where a maintenance payment has already been assessed.
The Department has started to contact those affected and will continue to do so over the next few weeks to advise them of the review and any resulting changes to their payment.
I trust this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
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