Last week it was brought to my attention that persons in receipt of disability payment from the Department of Social Protection who had taken up training and been transferred to a training allowance for the duration would not be entitled to the €500 lump sum. I raised it with the Minister of State, Deputy Rabbitte. She was to raise it with the Minister, Deputy Humphreys, and I think it is to be addressed. I am raising it here again to make sure, because there is confusion, that this applies to people on community employment, CE, schemes and in back-to-work education. They have transferred from disability to a different payment for a short time while undergoing education or training or while on employment schemes. Pensioners should also be entitled to this. If they have a disability, it does not disappear once they turn 66. They still have an additional cost of disability to contend with. Will the Taoiseach provide clarification and a commitment that the additional payments given to people, mostly to address exorbitant energy costs, will not be used in means tests next year for social housing, SUSI grants, medical cards etc?

I thank the Deputy for raising that. It has been raised by a number of Deputies. Regarding any anomalies of that kind, we do not want to punish people for being on a training course or that they would lose the once-off payment. We will come back to the Deputy to clarify that but my understanding is those anomalies are being dealt with. The Deputy raised issues in terms of pensions, which are broader social protection policy issues. On means testing, these are once-off payments in respect of an energy crisis and should not affect means tests.