273. Deputy Colm Brophy asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost of increasing the blind pension weekly income disregard by €10. [45964/24]

My Department provides a suite of income supports for those unable to work due to illness or disability.  These include insurance-based schemes, based on Pay Related Social Insurance (PRSI) contributions, and means-tested social assistance schemes.

The primary social assistance scheme for people who are blind or visually impaired is the Blind Pension, which is a means-tested payment and the only income support payment designed to cater for a specific disability, paid to people aged 18 to 66 years.  Eligibility for Blind Pension requires that a person’s vision is impaired to such an extent that they cannot perform any work for which eyesight is essential or cannot continue in their ordinary occupation.

Recipients of Blind Pension can take up employment and may continue to receive their income support.  Recipients can work while in receipt of their payment, but income is assessable as means.  Persons can currently earn up to €165 per week and keep their payment in full and can earn up to €505.10 per week and keep a small portion of their payment and their secondary benefits.

As of September 2024, there were 99 recipients of Blind Pension who were in employment.  The estimated, conservative cost of increasing the income disregard to €175 per week would amount to almost €26,000.

I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.