Cork man with terminal cancer had benefit cut by €66 a month 'in error'

Minister apologises for miscalculation as man has benefit restored — but TD condemns initial 'appalling, unkind' decision  

Sinn Féin TD for Cork South-Central, Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire. File picture: Gareth Chaney/Collins

A Cork man with terminal cancer had €66 per month in benefit cut by the Government “in error” after he returned to work for two days a week.

The man had previously been on an invalidity payment after working full-time. He then went onto partial capacity benefit on the understanding that he would also receive the living alone allowance. 

Partial capacity benefit allows people to return to work or self-employment. However, the man then received a letter from the Department of Social Protection saying that, following an internal review of the partial capacity benefit, it was decided that those in receipt of the benefit would be disqualified from the living alone allowance. Therefore, the man was told his benefits were being cut from €185.65 per week to €169.10 a week.

Partial capacity benefit is a payment to people previously on invalidity pension, or, but less frequently, illness benefit, but who are capable of working. 

It is paid at a rate of 50%, 75% and 100% of the previous payment depending on severity of illness or disability.

Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys  has responded to Sinn Féin TD for Cork South-Central Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire to say that what happened to this man and more than 100 other claimants was an error and that the entitlements have been restored.

“The department recently issued letters to a small number of ppartial capacity benefit customers with regard to their entitlements. 

In writing to customers, the department incorrectly indicated a disqualification from the living alone allowance.

In fact, when a person with a living alone allowance moves from an illness or invalidity payment to partial capacity benefit, his or her living alone payment is also adjusted to 50%, 75% or 100% in the same manner as the underlying payment.

“I am sorry for any upset it may have caused anybody. It was an error to say that the payment would be completely disallowed. It was not. Nobody has lost out because of this error. We have corrected the oversight and people will continue on as normal,” Ms Humphreys said. 

However, Mr Ó Laoghaire said the decision to cut the benefit was appalling.

“People with disabilities are at much greater risk of poverty,” he said. “The minister’s department took the appalling decision to take the living alone allowance off people on partial capacity benefit.

“We are talking about not a great number of people and not a great amount of money for the department but, for those people, the decision arrived meant a loss of between €44 and €88 a month.

A constituent of mine, who has terminal cancer, is sitting at home and believes he is down €66.20 a month. 

Mr Ó Laoghaire said this was “an administrative decision and an unkind one”.

He welcomed the decision to restore the entitlements.