Over 3,100 receive telephone allowance

A TOTAL of 3,176 of people living in Wicklow have benefited from the telephone support allowance (TSA) in 2018.

The TSA was announced during Budget 2018 and has been in effect since June. It amounts to up to €130 a year and is intended to assist with the cost of communications and home security solutions. People who are in receipt of a Living Alone Allowance (increasing their main DEASP payment) and a Fuel Allowance automatically qualify for the TSA. Approximately 128,000 people nationwide are in now receipt of the weekly payment. The estimated full year cost of the scheme is €16.14 million.

‘I am pleased that this scheme is helping people here in Wicklow,’ said Minister of State Andrew Doyle. ‘ The main objective of the TSA is to allow the most vulnera- ble people access to personal alarms or phones for security. The allowance will also encourage social contact and assist in the prevention of social isolation for those living alone. People who qualify for the TSA automatically receive the payment. There is no need to fill out an application form and people don’t have to apply to the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection to receive it,’ he added.