Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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235. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the cost of giving the telephone support allowance to all those entitled to the household benefits package; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42207/24]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Telephone Support Allowance is a weekly payment of €2.50 for people on certain social welfare payments who are also getting both the Living Alone Increase and the Fuel Allowance. The primary objective of the Telephone Support Allowance is to allow the most vulnerable people at risk of isolation, including the elderly and those with disabilities, access to personal alarms or phones for security. Approximately 156,000 customers are in receipt of the Telephone Support Allowance payment. The full year cost of the scheme in 2024 is estimated at €20.9 million.

If the measure outlined by the Deputy was introduced in 2025, it is estimated that there will be an average of 163,000 recipients of the Telephone Support Allowance and an estimated average of 540,000 recipients of the Household Benefits Package. Out of the 540,000 estimated Household Benefit recipients 163,000 will already have access to the Telephone Support Allowance; therefore it is estimated 377,000 households would benefit from the measure. Based on a yearly rate of Telephone Support Allowance of €130, the estimated yearly cost of the measure is €49 million.

All proposals, including any proposals to expand the qualifying criteria for the Telephone Support Allowance could only be considered while taking account of overall Government policy and in a budgetary context.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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236. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the cost in 2025 of increasing the qualified child increase in each age category by €5; €10; €15 and €20; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42208/24]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The full year cost of increasing the Qualified Child Increase, now called the Child Support Payment, in each age category by €5, €10, €15 and €20 is as follows:

The costs shown above are on a full year basis and are based on the estimated number of recipients in 2024. It should be noted that these costings are subject to change in the context of emerging trends and associated revision of the estimated numbers of recipients for 2025.

Jim O'Callaghan (Dublin Bay South, Fianna Fail)
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237. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection to provide details on any work carried out by her Department on the reform of disability payments; details of any proposals that have been submitted to her for her consideration; her plans for same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42210/24]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I published the Green Paper on Disability Reform in September last year. The Green Paper sought to reform my Department's system of disability payments to better target supports.

The Green Paper was a consultation document. Feedback from the public consultation raised concerns about its proposals. In particular, people questioned whether it was appropriate to reform the system of disability payments and employment supports separate to a wider consultation on other challenges faced by people with disabilities, including housing, transport, health and education.

I listened to these concerns, and in April I announced that I would not proceed any further with the Green Paper proposals.

The Taoiseach has established a Cabinet Committee on Children and Education and Disability. Any reform of disability payments will now be considered as part of this broader review of disability matters on a whole-of-Government basis. Officials in my Department are currently analysing the feedback collated during the Green Paper process. This feedback will be shared with the Committee.

It must also be noted that the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth is co-ordinating the development of a new National Disability Strategy with a whole-of-Government approach. My Department has been actively involved in the development of this new strategy.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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238. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection to expedite an application for invalidity pension (details supplied). [42217/24]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Invalidity Pension (IP) is a payment for people who are permanently incapable of work because of illness or incapacity and for no other reason and who satisfy the pay related social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions.

The person concerned has been awarded IP with effect from 5 September 2024 and will receive first payment to her nominated bank account on 24 October 2024. Any arrears due for the period 5 September 2024 to 23 October 2024 will issue shortly after first payment date. The person referred to was notified of this decision on 15 October 2024.

I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.

Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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239. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she has examined the extension of illness benefit to the self-employed, given that they have no access to income support when they become ill; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42239/24]

Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent)
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243. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will consider introducing illness benefit for self-employed people to help if they are sick and unable to work; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42290/24]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 239 and 243 together.

Illness benefit is the primary short term income support provided by my Department to those who are unable to work due to illness of any type and who are covered by social insurance.

Eligibility for illness benefit depends on the person’s PRSI record and class. The person must have made the required number of contributions under class A, E, H or P to qualify. In general, self-employed people make PRSI contributions at Class S which does not provide entitlement to illness benefit.

Self-employed people pay contributions to the Social Insurance Fund at a lower rate of 4.1%. This is 11.15 percentage points lower than the combined employer and employee contribution of 15.25% made in respect of employed contributors. However, self-employed contributors do have access to over 90% of benefits available to employed contributors including;

• Adoptive Benefit;
• Guardian's Payment (Contributory);
• Invalidity Pension;
• Jobseeker's Benefit (Self-Employed);
• Maternity Benefit;
• Parent's Benefit;
• Partial Capacity Benefit (where in receipt of Invalidity Pension);
• Paternity Benefit;
• State Pension (Contributory);
• Treatment Benefit; and
• Widows, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner's (Contributory) Pension.

Denis Naughten (Roscommon-Galway, Independent)
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240. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will extend illness benefit to self-employed people with chronic or terminal illnesses; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42245/24]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Illness benefit is the primary short term income support provided by my Department to those who are unable to work due to illness of any type and who are covered by social insurance. Eligibility for illness benefit is generally not dependent on the type of illness but on medical certification and the person’s PRSI record and class. The person must have made the required number of contributions under class A, E, H or P to qualify. In general, self-employed people make PRSI contributions at Class S which does not provide entitlement to illness benefit.

Self-employed people pay contributions to the Social Insurance Fund at a lower rate of 4.1%. This is 11.15 percentage points lower than the combined employer and employee contribution of 15.25% made in respect of employed contributors. However, self-employed contributors do have access to over 90% of benefits available to employed contributors including;

• Adoptive Benefit;
• Guardian's Payment (Contributory);
• Invalidity Pension;
• Jobseeker's Benefit (Self-Employed);
• Maternity Benefit;
• Parent's Benefit;
• Partial Capacity Benefit (where in receipt of Invalidity Pension);
• Paternity Benefit;
• State Pension (Contributory);
• Treatment Benefit; and
• Widows, Widower's or Surviving Civil Partner's (Contributory) Pension.

As a result, the only benefits that class S PRSI will not provide access to are health and safety benefit, illness benefit and occupational injuries benefits.

The Deputy's question refers to persons who are chronically or terminally ill. The two main long-term disability income support payments provided by my Department are invalidity pension and disability allowance.

Invalidity pension is a social insurance scheme paid from the Social Insurance Fund. Eligibility is based on PRSI contributions (including Class S contributions paid by self-employed persons) and medical condition. To qualify, the person must have been incapable of work for at least 12 months and be likely to be incapable of work for at least another 12 months or must be permanently incapable of work. In the case of terminal illness, this is considered permanent. If the person has the required contributions, they should get a letter from their doctor confirming that it is a terminal condition.

Disability allowance is a weekly allowance paid to people with a specified disability who are aged 16 or over and under the age of 66. This disability must be expected to last for at least one year and the allowance is subject to a medical assessment, means test and habitual residence conditions.

People who are ill but do not qualify for other illness or disability schemes may apply for means tested supports through the additional needs payment under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme to help meet essential expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. This includes certain supplements to assist with ongoing or recurring costs that cannot be met from a person’s own resources and are deemed to be necessary.

My Department will continue to keep its range of supports under review to ensure that they meet their overall objectives. Any changes to the current system would need to be considered in an overall policy and budgetary context, and in the context of social insurance contribution rates for self-employed contributors.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.