John Paul O'Shea
Question:6. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will increase support for carers as part of budget 2027. [66996/26]
Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions
Budget 2027
I agree with Deputy Wall on the domiciliary care allowance. We agreed at the committee yesterday to block off a bit of time to discuss that and prepare a report for the Minister.
I take this opportunity to recognise the extraordinary contribution made by family carers across the country. Every day, carers provide love, support and care to family members who depend on them. They allow people to remain at home and part of their communities to live life with dignity. I am asking whether the Minister will increase support for carers in budget 2027.
I thank the Deputy. The Government recognises the invaluable contribution made by carers and we have prioritised improvements in supports for carers in recent budgets. We have provided over €2.2 billion for caring income supports in 2026. That included a €10 increase in the maximum personal rate of carer's allowance and carer's benefit to €270 and €271, respectively, for carers under 66. For carers aged 66 and over the maximum weekly rate increased to €308. For carers with children the weekly rates of the child support payment increased by €16 to €78 for children aged 12 and over and by €8 to €58 for under-12s from January 2026. This was the largest child support payment increase in the history of the State.
In budget 2026, the weekly income disregards for carer's allowance were increased significantly to €1,000 for a single person and €2,000 for a couple, which built on significant improvements introduced in recent budgets. As a result, a carer in a two-adult household with an income of €110,000 will retain their full carer’s allowance payment and receive a partial payment with a household income up to €138,000. This means virtually all those receiving carer's allowance are now receiving the maximum rate. The Government has also provided a range of other supports, including the payment of the carer's support grant, and the €20 increase to domiciliary care allowance.
We are engaging with the Department of public expenditure on potential budget measures. Discussions are still going on and the Ministers for Finance and public expenditure will reveal the budget on 6 October. I assure the Deputy we are very committed to moving forward on our shared programme for Government commitments to carers and to supporting them and I am continuing to focus on that.
I thank the Minister. The contribution carers make cannot be measured simply in financial terms but we should recognise the work of family carers also represents an enormous contribution to the State and to our public services. I also acknowledge the progress the Government has made in supporting carers. In particular I welcome the very significant increase in the income disregards for carer's allowance introduced last year. That was an important step in recognising the people should not be forced to choose between caring for a loved one and having the opportunity to work and earn an income.
I believe we should go further so my ask for budget 2027 is that we increase those income disregards again. We should continue on the path we have started. The ultimate objective should be to move towards removing the means test for the carer's allowance altogether. A person who is providing substantial care to a loved one should not feel that he or she is being penalised because he or she has some income of his or her own. We should be encouraging carers who can work to remain connected to the workforce rather than creating barriers for them.
I agree with the Deputy regarding the focus we need to put on carers. We also need to mind existing carers as well. We will see through our commitment regarding abolishing the means test over the lifetime of the Government but I am also focused on existing carers. That is why over the past number of years, we have continued to increase the weekly rate of carer's allowance, which is now at €270. In January 2022, it was €224. We have expanded eligibility for the carer's support grant and are consistently engaging with carers' organisations. We hold a carers forum in the Department every May where representatives of young carers, Care Alliance Ireland and Family Carers Ireland come together - not just officials but carers from across the country - and we engage with them and bring in other Departments. It is not just about the Department of Social Protection. We also bring in representatives from the Departments of Health and public expenditure in a cross-government initiative so we can assist them. I will be meeting Family Carers Ireland this weekend ahead of the budget to discuss its priorities.
I recently met Family Carers Ireland at its regional meeting in Cork. I know that Members right across this House have met many family carers and associations associated with caring in recent weeks. We should recognise that caring in itself is a hugely valuable contribution to society. I commend the Minister and the Government on the progress they made last year but I do not want us to stop here. Let us use budget 2027 to take another significant step forward by increasing the income disregards again and let us set ourselves the longer-term ambition of moving away from the means test model. Our family carers do an extraordinary job for their loved ones and for our country. They deserve our recognition but, more importantly, they deserve a system that supports them rather than one that puts unnecessary barriers in their way, so I hope, from his contribution this morning, the Minister will continue to support carers in budget 2027. Will he make that journey?
I assure the Deputy we have very strong and ambitious commitments relating to carers in the programme for Government and I will see them through. I also want to ensure that we focus on existing carers but also on young carers. The young carers who attended the carers forum made a huge impression on me in terms of their daily lives, what they are doing for their loved ones while continuing education and work and the pressures of it places on them. I will work with other colleagues in government in terms of specific supports for young carers. I will work with the Minister of State, Deputy Butler, and the Minister for Health on how we mind all carers but particularly that cohort of young carers. I will be engaging with Family Carers Ireland at this weekend. We have ongoing engagement with it. I thank it and Care Alliance Ireland. I also thank the Deputies who really focus on the work of carers. Collectively, we very much appreciate the work they are doing but appreciation will not put lights on in a house. We have to show real cause and this Government is showing real cause.
Social Welfare Payments
Seamus Healy
Question:7. Deputy Seamus Healy asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will increase the annual carer's support grant. [67666/26]
Will the Minister will increase the carer's support grant in the forthcoming budget in two weeks' time?
I acknowledge the Deputy as one who has constantly and consistently championed this issue. As I said, we have consistently improved our support for carers and €2.2 billion will be provided for carer's income supports in 2026. The carer's allowance is the main income support payment for family carers. Over 111,000 people are receiving the payment at an estimated cost of more than €1.4 billion. The carer's support grant is automatically paid to people in receipt of carer's allowance, carer's benefit and domiciliary care allowance. Other carers who are not in receipt of a carer's payment may also be eligible for the grant. A separate grant is paid for each person being cared for. The grant was increased by €150 to €2,000 in June 2025, which is the highest ever level. In June of this year, over 147,000 carers perceived the grant. The grant is not means-tested and is non-taxable. The estimated investment in the grant in 2026 was over €364 million. We are continuing to accept applications for the grant so anyone who may have an entitlement can make an application through his or her local office or through mywelfare.ie. In the context of budget 2027, we are continuing to negotiate our budget with the Department of public expenditure. We will have a package for carers within that programme but we have not finalised our discussions yet. They will be announced on budget day on 6 October.
As the Minister knows, caring is a very onerous responsibility. It is often a 24-7, 365-day-a-year operation. Surveys by carers have shown that 75% of carers receive no respite whatsoever and the grant itself has been eaten up by inflation not to mention the cost of living over the past number of years. If we look at the past number of years from 2021, we can see that there has only been one year of an increase in the carer's support grant and that was €150 in 2025 and was, of course, in advance of the general election in November 2024. There was no increase in the grant in 2026. Family Carers Ireland is looking for an increase of €150, which is a very modest increase that, in fact, does not keep up with inflation and does not take into account the cost of living. It is a very modest request and I ask the Minister to include it in the budget.
We are engaging around it. Given that the carer's support grant is not means-tested and is non-taxable, it is very important signal. That grant has increased by €300 since 2021. If we look at the rates of change in carer's benefit and carer's allowance in January 2022, we can see that carer's allowance was €224 a week in January 2022 and went to €270 and that carer's benefit has gone from €225 to €271. We are also investing considerably in the weekly payment that is given to carers. There have been a lot of changes in the carer's support grant over a number of years and we will continue to focus on it. The current rate is the highest rate ever and I think the highest number of people are in receipt of that payment. What I would say to all Deputies is that there is no closing date for applications for it and if there are people engaging with their offices, who are not getting it, please put them in contact with us. Over 147,000 carers have received the carer's support grant to date in 2026 out of an investment over €364 million. It was paid on 4 June and since that date, over 5,000 people have actually applied and qualified for the grant.
The Minister is not giving away much in his reply. The request by Family Carers Ireland is very modest. It certainly does not keep up with inflation and it certainly does not take the cost-of-living crisis into account. An increase of €150 on €2,000 is not a big request. For a very small amount of money, it does a particular amount of good and gives carers the opportunity to have a slight rest and a recharge of their batteries, so I hope that the Minister would see a way to do that in the budget.
I assure the Deputy that we are very much focused on carers. If he thinks I am not giving away much, he should talk to the Minister for public expenditure. We are working hard in this space. In 2026, we invested €2.2 billion in carer's support payments, which is a really solid indication of where we are going on this. We pay the carer's support grant on 4 June every year, or the first Thursday in June every year. Since then, which is maybe less than three months ago, an additional 5,000 people have come into payment. I will ask my Department to do a bit of awareness-building that this grant is available. A lot of people who may be entitled to it may not realise they can draw it down without a means test. We are going to do some work on that. Most of us in this room would be a very effective channel of communicating that availability to people.
We had a discussion earlier. We need to make more information available to people. We have a lot of schemes, and this is one of them. I am pretty sure we will do that.
Social Welfare Code
Eoin Hayes
Question:8. Deputy Eoin Hayes asked the Minister for Social Protection the analysis his Department has carried out on the degree to which income disregards and social welfare payment rates have kept pace with inflation and purchasing power measured against equivalent number of hours worked on minimum wage. [67510/26]
My question is about the payments and income disregards, how they are adjusted over time to keep up with inflation and the changes to the national minimum wage. As the Minister might be aware, and I am sure many advocacy organisations have said to it to him as they have said it to me, the changes to the minimum wage have implied a certain number of hours that someone can work that puts them over the income disregard threshold. Therefore, if the minimum wage goes up, as it has in the last while, which is very welcome, some people who might have got a payment are no longer eligible. I would like to hear the Minister's thinking on that.
Changes to social welfare rates cannot be just based on trends in prices or wages but must take account of a wider range of factors, including household composition, patterns in the consumption of households and developments in services, including, for example, the expansion of free GP care, school meals and free school books. Accordingly, changes to social welfare rates, including means tests, are based on a wide range of inputs used by my Department, most notably CSO data, including the survey of income and living conditions, SILC, the labour force survey, the monthly CPI releases and the CSO earnings and hours in employment surveys. We also take account of ESRI research, analysis from the minimum essential standard of living studies of the Vincentian Partnership, which are funded by the Department, as well as extensive engagement with stakeholder and advocacy groups across the year, but particularly at our pre-budget forum and the annual social inclusion forum. The Department also undertakes social impact assessments using the SWITCH model developed by the ESRI, a model whose development and maintenance is also funded by the Department. These inputs provide a broader perspective and a deeper understanding.
Based on these inputs, several changes to income disregards have been implemented in recent years, including, for example, changes to means thresholds for the lone parent and disability payments. In June of this year, the income disregard for carer’s allowance increased by €375 to €1,000 per week for a single person and by €750 to €2,000 per week for a couple. This increase was far in excess of inflation in 2026. With respect to payment rates, the increase in core rates of €10 per week in 2026 represented an increase of between 3.8% and 4.1% for working-age payments, which was also ahead of inflation. Notably, as we discussed earlier, increases of €8 for those under 12 and €16 for those over 12 in the child support payments represented increases of 16% and 26%, respectively.
We have tried to address many datasets in relation to income adequacy and look at the many supports that are available. We are very focused on this. We will not be found wanting in ensuring that families and welfare are protected from the impact of inflationary measures.
I completely understand. The Minister trots out this line that he is keeping up with inflation or surpassing inflation. However, all the research would suggest - this is something put out by the European Union and the OECD - that the lower income populations have a higher rate of inflation because, as a proportion of their income or their costs, they often have to pick more expensive options. Whether it is pay-as-you-go electricity meters, not buying food in bulk or otherwise, a lot of things are really hard for those people. The Government is making an argument in the run-up to this budget that there should be indexation of tax measures. I think that is worth considering, but if that is true, we should also be looking at the indexation of other things. We should be looking at the indexation of income disregards and things like social protection payments. In particular, older people have been calling for a very long time for pensions to be indexed, but it is not something this Government or any previous Government has seriously taken up. I would like the Minister to consider this. If the Government is making an argument about indexation on one side - on tax - should it be making the same argument on social protection?
As I said, we work hard to keep core social welfare rates ahead of inflation. We cannot just identify them in the context of not looking at the other supports that are available. On fuel allowance, we have increased the rate and the eligibility and, this year, we increased the season by an extra four weeks. That is an additional €1,100 of income for those 410,000 people who qualify, and that is on top of their weekly rate. I have referred to a range of other supports across the morning’s session in this regard. We are investing €28.9 billion in our social protection system in 2026. There were increases in all of the core weekly rates, in addition to the support payments that are paid.
This budget will be very much focused on how we can target exactly those people discussed by the Deputy, those who are subject to high inflation in the context of fuel, food, children and supports. However, we cannot just look at the weekly rates. We have to look at the other range of supports that we fund, even within our own Department in the context of school meals. In other Departments, there is the example of the free school books scheme. Where the costs are, we have tried to make interventions to assist people.
There is also the context of housing. We know that poverty is increasing when we take housing into account. I do not lay that at the Minister’s door, and I believe it is a whole-of-government problem. The Minister said that he increased the fuel allowance by four weeks this year, and that was a welcome and needed measure. However, it is important for people to understand that it was actually a restoration. Fuel allowance was for 32 weeks before the austerity era. That is core to this whole problem: we do not look at indexation. The back-of-the-envelope calculations that I have done for social protection payments show they were worth more to people before austerity. We still have not closed the book on austerity, and what those payments would look like.
I absolutely welcome the change to the means test for carers. However, the disability allowance and blind pension have not been changed in several years. The jobseeker’s transition payment takes account of the minimum wage changes, which puts certain lone parents out of qualifying for the payment because of income disregards. The wage subsidy scheme is also not keeping up with the minimum wage in terms of the number of people it can employ. Therefore, there are real issues relating to indexation. I would encourage the Minister to finally close the book on austerity.
Core rates have increased for all payments, including disability allowance. Core rates in budget 2026 increased by 4.1%, and by 4.8% for some payments. Second, in the so-called noughties, what the Deputy calls pre-austerity, there were no hot school meals going to every primary school in the country. A minimum of 500,000 children are now receiving hot school meals every year. That is an investment of nearly €300 million. It is a cost reduction for families that otherwise would be paying for meals. Every family is getting it. That universality is important because in any given school, you do not know what is happening with any given child. That is why we went for the universal model. As for the free school books scheme, ten years ago, families would have paid for everything regarding books and school equipment when going back to school. That is now paid for centrally from the Department of Education. There are the weekly rates, but there are also other interventions that are reducing the burden of cost on families, in particular, low-income families.
Budget 2027
Seamus Healy
Question:9. Deputy Seamus Healy asked the Minister for Social Protection to review the carer’s allowance and carer’s benefit with a view to the abolition of the means test in budget 2027. [67662/26]
I ask the Minister to honour in budget 2027, in two weeks time, the commitment made to abolish the means test for carer’s allowance.
Carer’s allowance is the main income support for carers. Some 111,000 people are receiving the payment, with an estimated investment of over €1.4 billion this year. Carer's benefit is a weekly social insurance-based payment for those who leave the workforce or reduce their working hours to provide full-time care. At the end of August, there were 5,136 recipients of carer's benefit, with an investment of over €76 million this year.
The programme for Government commits to significantly increasing the income disregards for carer’s allowance, with a commitment to phasing out the means test during the lifetime of this Government. It is not possible to do everything we might like to do in one year. Each year, I have to balance the value of any individual measure, no matter how much I support it, against other equally merited measures. However, as the Deputy will agree, the process of addressing the means test for carer’s allowance is well under way.
As part of budget 2026, and with effect from July, we increased the weekly income disregard by 60% from €625 to €1,000 from €625 for a single person and from €1,250 to €2,000 for carers who are part of a couple. These disregards are now by far the highest in the social welfare system. The changes mean that a carer in a two-adult household with an income of €110,000 can retain their full carer’s allowance payment or can receive a partial payment where the household income is up to €138,000. One consequence of this change is that virtually everyone on an existing payment on the scheme is receiving the maximum weekly rate.
In line with the carer’s allowance income disregard for a single person, the earnings limit for carer’s benefit was also increased in July to €1,000 per week. As discussed earlier, we are involved with budget negotiations. This is a very solid programme for Government commitment which I have made considerable progress on. I am determined to see it through.
In the run-up to general election in 2024, every party in this House, including Fianna Fáil, made a commitment to abolish the means test for carers. It was not to be abolished over the lifetime of the Government or in two, three or four years. The commitment was to abolish the means test. That commitment was broken last year. From what the Minister said, it sounds as if we will have a similar situation this year. The fact is that, as the Minister is aware, the 500,000 carers we have save the State something like €20 billion per year. They are paid a very low hourly rate. Broken down, it amounts to €1.60 per hour. A survey shows that 75% of carers get no respite, 49% suffer from severe loneliness and 32% suffer from very bad mental health. There were increases in the income limits in this year's budget, and they are welcome, but they do not solve the problem. The moneys needed to do this are not significant. Both the Parliamentary Budget Office and Family Carers Ireland indicate that the sum involved is less than €400 million. I suggest that the Minister should honour the commitment in the forthcoming budget.
The Deputy is very experienced. He knows there is a programme for Government. I hope to be in office for five years, and I will deliver on the commitment. It has to be done on a phased basis. I would love to do it overnight. If did that, however, the Deputy would be criticising me for not doing other things in the Department. We have had record increases. I genuinely think that any payment in respect of which you can have an income of €110,000 and retain the full allowance gives a sense of the direction of travel. In July, the income disregard was increased by 60% for a single person and for a couple. That gives a sense of my determination to drive this through. In addition, the vast majority of existing carers who are receiving a payment are on the maximum rate, which means that we have increased their income as well. I assure the Deputy that we are engaging and working on this in the context of our budget negotiations. We will invest €2.2 billion in supporting carers this year. I very much value their work and the work done on their behalf by Family Carers Ireland, Care Alliance Ireland and, especially, as we said earlier, the young carers' groups. That work is very important.
The Minister's party and every other party in this House made a commitment to the electorate. That commitment has not been honoured. That is a very serious situation because it calls into question people's trust in the democratic process and in politicians. That is serious. The Minister should take what I am saying on board and abolish the means test in the forthcoming budget. There are something like 33,000 carers in receipt of the carer's support grant who are not in receipt of the carer's allowance. That is a significant number. These people do the same work as all other carers. They are under the same pressures as other carers. They feel the same loneliness and have the same lack of respite and mental health difficulties. They should surely be entitled to the carer's allowance. The moneys involved are not significant. The Parliamentary Budget Office has indicated that. This is something which, in the context of the political and democratic processes and in the context of being fair to people, the Minister should introduce in the budget.
Respectfully, I object to the Deputy's assertion that we are not delivering on this. There has been a 60% increase to the income disregard. Somebody on €110,000 can get a full carer's payment. We are working towards the abolition of the means test. I will examine the difference between the number of people receiving the carer's support grant and the number getting the carer's allowance. They may be people who are working and who do not want to get the full payment, but I will examine the position. I reiterate that there has been a 60% increase in the income disregard, which means that somebody on €110,000 can get a full payment. Somebody on €138,000 can get a partial payment. These are not inconsiderable payments, but I want to get to a stage where we abolish the means test in order to acknowledge the work of carers. I absolutely acknowledge it. I also want to make sure that as we expand it, we protect existing carers. I have to try to allocate my budget in a way that protects existing carers and expands the scheme. I assure the Deputy that if I get five years in this Department - and well before then - by the time we get to the next election, the Deputy and I will be able and say that the means test has been abolished.
Fuel Poverty
Richard Boyd Barrett
Question:10. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Social Protection in view of a recent report (details supplied) that shows that more than 60% of those in fuel poverty are not in receipt of fuel allowance, the measures he will take to address this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67336/26]
It is shocking and shameful that in one of the richest countries in the world, one in seven households cannot afford to heat their homes or pay their energy bills. Some 400,000 households went without heating during the past 12 months. Many of those who are struggling with that - it is 64%, according to the ESRI - do not get any assistance at all because they are over the threshold for the fuel allowance. Will the Minister do anything about that to help people who are getting no assistance and who cannot pay their energy bills?
Fuel allowance eligibility encompasses 23 qualifying schemes, demonstrating the comprehensive nature of the supports available to eligible households. In addition to these qualifying schemes, people over the age 66 do not need to be in receipt of a payment from the Department of Social Protection to qualify for fuel allowance, subject to the means test. According to the most recent CSO data, there are just over 1.8 million households in Ireland. Of these, 463,910 are currently eligible for the fuel allowance scheme. That is 26% of all households nationwide.
The report the Deputy is referring to is the Energy Poverty and Affordability in Ireland report. While the report does recommend broadening the eligibility requirement, it highlights that the fuel allowance is a well-targeted policy instrument in our effort to combat energy poverty. It also highlights that the allowance is effective in reducing the likelihood of people experiencing energy poverty. The figures used in the report are based on survey on income and living conditions, SILC, data from 2024. In the two years since, we have expanded the fuel allowance system to include the nearly 50,000 families who were brought into scheme this year by means of the extension of the fuel allowance to recipients of the working family payment. In addition, in the period since the 2024 SILC survey, the allowable means for fuel allowance was increased in 2025 and in 2026 for those aged 66 and over. The allowable means for those aged 66 and over now stands at €534 per week for a single person and up to €1,068 per week for a couple. The amount of savings and investments that are disregarded was also increased for those aged 66 and over, from €20,000 to €50,000. All of these - the rate measures and the one off payments that were made - have resulted in a significant investment in respect of dealing with fuel poverty, but I absolutely acknowledge and am very aware of the challenge that exists. We continue to negotiate our budget package on fuel. Energy is very much at the heart of that package.
Any of the improvements made since 2024 have been wiped out by Trump's warmongering and the profiteering of energy companies. The situation is set to get worse. The proof of that is that more than 500,000 households are currently in arrears on either their gas or electricity bills and that a massive chunk of people, in the region of 60%, who are suffering and will struggle even more this winter than last are not eligible for the fuel allowance.
Last night, the Government made the shameful decision to vote down our proposal which would have given €500 to every single household and more to those with a disability by taking €1 billion from the billionaire owners of data centres who are getting electricity at half the price of people who are struggling. It voted that down. Does the Minister know what the energy gap, as it is known, is? That is the gap that would take everyone out of energy poverty. It is €480. If the Government is not going to do what we asked last night, will it at least extend eligibility for the fuel allowance to those who need help?
Eligibility for fuel allowance has been extended and has changed extensively over the past number of years. We introduced 50,000 new families into it. It is the first time fuel allowance has been extended to those on working incomes. It is something I want to continue that those in lower-paid jobs get support. Almost €557 million is being invested in the fuel allowance scheme and we are negotiating in the context of budget 2027 a very significant energy package across Government. The fuel allowance will form part of that. I note the Deputy’s proposal, and other proposals on how we can target the fuel allowance more to assist people. We engage with families across the country. I thank those in the Money Advice and Budgeting Service, MABS, which engaged with energy companies on people's behalf. The fuel allowance, the Deputy has to admit, is significant and targeted and it is acknowledged as being targeted in the context of the report the Deputy framed his question on.
Yes, but 60% of people suffering energy poverty do not get it and that situation is going to be worse this winter because of Trump’s warmongering - the man for whom the Government rolled out the red carpet in the past week or so. While it seems the Government is not willing to extend the fuel allowance to those who need it, it wants to continue to give €1 billion a year to data centres so that they can get energy at half the price of the people who cannot turn on the heating this winter. It is unbelievable. It shows really twisted priorities. The Government will not help people who will literally be shivering with the cold this winter, afraid to turn on electric heaters, but it will give half-price electricity to the billionaire owners of the data centres. The money is there if the Government wants to at least give the fuel allowance to people over that threshold, although we would go further. It is completely unfair. People are going to suffer real hardship this winter unless the Government does something.
We have invested in this. Since 2020, an additional 100,000 households have qualified for the fuel allowance. As I said, we have gone through the extension of means for older people in particular and since 2020, we have invested €290 million in the fuel allowance. In 2026, we will invest €557 million and, subject to the budget negotiations, that will continue and grow. I am going to ensure that every Deputy in the House gets the 23 schemes available in terms of the fuel allowance and the supports. Some 100,000 additional households qualified for the fuel allowance in 2026 that did not qualify in 2020. We have extended the fuel allowance and the weekly rate of payment. We have made it easier in terms of means for older people who are most at risk of fuel poverty to get access to it as well. That is the trend and path of expansion I will continue and I am determined to negotiate a package in the context of budget 2027.
Care Services
Aisling Dempsey
Question:11. Deputy Aisling Dempsey asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of additional persons who have qualified for carer’s allowance since the increase in the weekly income disregard took effect in July 2026 nationally and in Meath West. [67566/26]
I ask the Minister about the number of additional persons who have qualified for the carer's allowance since the increase in the weekly income disregard that took effect nationally in July 2026, and more particularly, in Meath West.
The carer's allowance is a means-tested social assistance payment for people who are providing full-time care and attention to a person who requires such care. There are a number of qualifying conditions for carer’s allowance. These include conditions relating to the care recipient's need for full-time care and attention, the provision of that care by the applicant, the applicant’s employment or education circumstances, residency requirements and satisfaction of the means test.
As part of budget 2026, I announced significant improvements to the carer's allowance means test, which took effect from 2 July 2026. The weekly income disregard increased by 60%, from €625 to €1,000 for a single person and from €1,250 to €2,000 for carers who are part of a couple. The Department does not hold the detailed data on the income of each individual household in the State that would allow it to identify the number of additional people who qualified specifically as a result of the increase in the income disregard. Furthermore, statistics on carer's allowance recipients' are not compiled on a constituency basis and, therefore, I cannot give direct information for Meath West. Information is, however, available on the direct impact of the changes on existing recipients.
Following the increase in the income disregard in July 2026, approximately 2,700 carer's allowance recipients benefited from an increase in the weekly rate of payment. The overall number of people receiving carer's allowance at the end of August 2026 was 110,808. That compared to 97,985 in December 2024, and 104,522 in 2025. Much of that can be attributed to the increase in the means disregard. However, we also have to have an eye to the demographic and care changes in the State. The total number of recipients reflects new claims coming into payment and also claims which are completed or ceased where caring responsibilities may end. Recipient numbers are continuing to increase due to broader demographic and social factors. I assure the Deputy we recognise the invaluable contribution being made by family carers.
I thank the Minister for his response. It is unfortunate that we cannot get the figures but I totally understand the reasons behind that. There has been a significant increase in the number of applications and I am glad to see that. It is a positive and important development for the families across Meath West and nationally who are caring for older people or people with disabilities. I do not want to reduce any of them to numbers or money but we have to recognise - and I know the Minister does - that they are saving the State a huge amount of money by providing vital care for their loved ones. I really feel we are recognising that and we are going to deliver on our commitment in the programme for Government to completely abolish the means test. In the past couple of years we have made significant steps.
Will there be another national social media or media campaign to highlight to the busiest people in our society, these carers who are potentially holding down part-time work and fulfilling other responsibilities, the progress we have made here? I encourage the Minister to keep up the good work in this area.
I thank the Deputy. That is a very good suggestion. When we complete our budget negotiations, it would be useful to remind people that a single person working as a carer can have an income of up to €1,000 per week and a couple, €2,000, and still be in receipt of a full carer’s payment. In the context of the carer's support grant, I made the point earlier to Deputy Healy that we paid the annual grant as always on the first Thursday of June. It was a record amount this year. In the two or three months since June, an additional 5,000 payments have been made. I had a conversation with Deputy Hayes earlier about awareness-building generally around the accessibility of the social protection system. That is something I am going to be focused on in the winter and as soon as we have clarity around what the budget rates for 2027 will be.
In the context of changing means but also demographic and social changes and the implementation on the ground of more community-based care, there is a lot more interest in the carer’s allowance. We will provide people with that necessary information.
Energy Prices
Aindrias Moynihan
Question:12. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Social Protection the measures being considered around the electricity allowance provided under the Household Benefits Package; if he will consider increasing the value of this allowance in line with rising unit costs for electricity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67565/26]
The free electricity allowance remains fixed at €20 a year; exactly the same level since 2013, yet electricity prices have increased substantially in that period, reducing the real value of the support.
This is affecting not only older people but also those who have disabilities and those who are living alone. It is part of the programme for Government to review the household benefits package. What plans does the Minister have to increase the free electricity allowance in order that it better reflects the energy costs households are facing?
Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as an gceist thábhachtach seo. Mar is eol dó, the household benefits package is available to those who are aged 70 and over, regardless of means or household composition. It is also available as a supplementary allowance to those in receipt of about 15 different social protection payments. In total, 561,000 households benefit from the payment. We will invest €317 million this year on household benefit, of which about €231 million is allocated in respect of energy costs. It is an important support to households with energy costs.
When acknowledging the increase in energy costs, we must also acknowledge the volatility in those costs. For example, the price of oil has fluctuated from $60 a barrel in December 2025 to $138 a barrel last April. It fell back to $68 a barrel in July and is now back up to over $100 a barrel. I need to ensure that any measures I take in that context are targeted and timely and that they hit those who directly need them. Also, we have looked at targeted measures in recent budgets. Looking at the household benefits, we also have to look at the changes in fuel allowance payment, which now support over 463,000 households, over 100,000 more households in recent years.
The fuel allowance has been utilised to respond to spikes in energy costs. We have been able to extend the season. During the course of the period to which the Deputy refers, there were also the one-off payments. We are looking at the fuel allowance and the household benefits in the context of the forthcoming budget package. I also direct the attention of the House to the information campaign we launched last week at the ploughing concerning the eligibility for household benefits and, particularly for those over the age of 70, that it is not means tested. There has been huge interest in that campaign, both at our stand at the ploughing, but also through phone calls and engagements. What we have found in terms of the interest, is that the majority of those contacting us are on the payment. I encourage all Deputies to bring the attention of their constituents to that campaign through my Department's social media channels and through their own information.
I acknowledge the headway made on the broader household package. I welcome the fact that it is being examined. In particular, I draw the Minister's attention to the electricity allowance. When the allowance was set in 2013 it had the capacity to buy 1,526 units of electricity per year. Today, that same €420 payment covers no more than 450 units of electricity. That is more than a 70% reduction in the capacity of the allowance, which is impacting not only on pensioners but also on people with disabilities and people living alone - people who would have higher energy costs and more challenging household bills. The allowance is frozen, the electricity bills are not and older people, people with disabilities and people living alone are paying the price in the meantime. Do the officials recognise the electricity aspect of the allowance? Can there be a particular focus on it in any review?
I assure the Deputy that we are very focused on all energy costs and on electricity in particular. That is why we have looked at the fuel allowance in particular for the older age cohort in terms of expanding eligibility for it. The allowable means for those aged 66 and over for the fuel allowance is now €534 per week for a single person and €1,068 for a couple. In particular, we have increased the disregard of savings and investments from €20,000 to €50,000 for those aged 66 and over to encourage more eligibility for fuel allowance, which is paid through the fuel allowance season, which for the information of the House, will begin next week, at a time of peak usage. Looking at the energy side of the household benefits, we have increased the resources relating to the fuel allowance. Also, during the period we are discussing, we had the single energy payments and other supports. I am very focused. The fuel allowance payment has been identified as targeted at those most vulnerable to energy shocks. Within the capacity of the fuel allowance, we have the ability to respond in a dynamic fashion, as we did this year, by extending it for four weeks at a time of unexpected high energy prices.
Making improvements to the overall burden of fuel costs is positive, and the fact that there will be different measures to do that. I want to draw the Minister's attention in particular to the electricity aspect of it because the allowance that was there provided people with the capacity to buy a certain amount of electricity and its value has eroded over time. I will briefly stay focused on the electricity aspect of it. Could that be increased? Could it be linked with a certain number of units of electricity such that people who are on the allowance would have the peace of mind of knowing that if there is an increase or a reduction in the price of electricity in future, they would be somewhat protected because the allowance would cover a certain number of units rather than being at a fixed euro value? That value has eroded significantly in the past ten years or more by 70%.
I see why the Deputy wants to isolate the electricity part in the context of the household benefits package, but we cannot isolate it without looking at the other changes that have been made in the context of additional payments. I focused on the fuel announcement, particularly for the cohort that applied for household benefits - the change in income and in savings and investments, which will allow people to qualify for the fuel allowance. That is why we have 100,000 more people qualifying for the fuel allowance since 2020, never mind since 2013. In the context of the fuel allowance, people are not directed towards one form of energy. This is important to me and the Department. Through the fuel allowance, people have the flexibility to decide their own fuel and their own source of fuel. They are not directed towards any particular kind of fuel. As I said, we are constantly focused on how we can address energy challenges, and looking at the various challenges that exist. The expansion and flexibility of the fuel allowance programme is my best initiative and tool at a time of such volatility in the energy market.
Disability Issues
Mark Wall
Question:13. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Social Protection if he plans to include a cost-of-disability payment given the high cost of disability faced by disabled people. [67648/26]
Does the Minister plan to introduce a cost of disability payment in the forthcoming budget in light of the high costs faced by people with disabilities?
The Government very much recognises the additional costs that disabled people face in their daily lives and we are committed to improving outcomes for disabled people by introducing permanent measures. This is why, as part of the programme for Government, we have included a commitment to introduce a permanent annual cost-of-disability payment. To that end, the national human rights strategy for disabled people was developed with significant input from disability groups and advocates. It included a commitment to a strategic focus network summit on the cost of disability. A public consultation process on how a cost-of-disability payment can best be delivered was launched on 20 February and ran for six weeks. It received over 1,100 submissions and culminated with a summit at the Aviva Stadium on 13 May. That summit was attended by the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste, the Minister for children, the Minister of State with responsibility for disability, the Minister of State at the Department of Transport and me.
Arising from the lived experiences shared at the summit, I presented to the delivery and monitoring committee, which is chaired by the Taoiseach, in the middle of July. That meeting as also attended by a number of colleagues and representatives. We will publish the presentation as soon as possible. It is clear that a whole-of-government approach is important in addressing costs. As well as income support, we have to improve delivery and access to key services. One of the themes of the day was that transport is a major challenge.
With particular reference to the cost-of-disability payment, we are currently addressing that in the context of budget discussions. The consultation feedback is that disability groups predominantly want a cost-of-disability payment paid at a basic rate to all qualified recipients. There is a high demand for a graduated payment made as a supplement to some people based on the nature of disability and the costs arising.
However, the main demand was that disabled people and their advocates would be involved in codesign of any detailed scheme, and we are working towards a model in that regard.
I thank the Minister. I know he will share with us the amount he will give in the budget in the further reply. He will be aware of the additional costs for those people living with a disability. The Indecon report puts that cost at between €9,000 and €12,000 per year. Indeed, when we were at our Joint Oireachtas Committee on Autism, we saw a number of reports that the cost could be anything up to €30,000 per year. It is a substantial amount for anybody living with a disability. I welcome that the Minister has given a commitment that he is seriously considering a payment.
What the people who are living with disabilities and their advocates want to know is that, in budget 2027, the Government will finally recognise the urgent need for a cost-of-disability payment. I hope the Minister will confirm that all of his conversations with those in the Department of Finance and elsewhere will result in that payment, once and for all. The Disability Federation of Ireland is looking for €55 per week. Will the Minister confirm that that amount will be forthcoming?
Nice try, Deputy. The budget negotiations are ongoing. It is very important, and I very much recognise that the estimates of costs that are there. The first payment will not address all of those. The key issue will be to introduce the permanent disability payment. It will grow, as many other social protection payments have done, but we will begin the work on how we deliver that payment through codesign, partnership and as far as we can with the disabled persons organisations. There are many differing views as to how the payment should be delivered. My first job is to get it introduced and start the process immediately in terms of delivery and how that works. We will revert to the groups and to the submissions as to how we can best do that in a shared way.
In the context of the figures the Deputy mentioned, such as from the Indecon report, we will not be able to get that level in the first year of the payment but I am very aware of the cost. Like many other social protection payments, this payment will increase in the years to come once we have it introduced and the budget for it ring-fenced.
I welcome that the Minister has confirmed that there will be a permanent payment. It is important that those who have disabilities can look forward to having something they not only need, but will also help them with the cost-of-living crisis.
I mentioned the heating supplement previously - there is a further question on it that we will not get to - and how there were only 700 people in receipt of it out of 170,000 or more people on the caring supplement. These are the issues that people are facing day in, day out. It is an issue I have asked so as to publicised it again.
On the cost-of-disability payment, we obviously welcome the fact there will be a permanent payment. More importantly, we welcome the continued dialogue with those advocacy groups. It is most important that they get a say in exactly how and when that payment will be delivered and the cost of it. The co-operation with advocacy groups is something we would all welcome in this House. Long may that continue with among Departments.
On the heating supplement, we had a very productive meeting with the Irish Cancer Society yesterday on how we could work with it. I am certainly happy to work with other groups in promoting the heating supplement. As the Deputy said, there is a low uptake. We will engage on that. Generally, we have not finalised our budget at all yet. I know I have the support of the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, as the three leaders of the Government, in introducing this. We will be negotiating very hard over the course of the next ten days in the context of getting it introduced and set up as a permanent payment rather than one that is set from budget to budget and depends on whatever are the priorities of the day.
The most important thing for me is to then get it delivered. There are many differing views. We received 1,000 submissions and there were many hundreds of different views as to how it should be delivered. That will be the discussion we will have with the various organisations. That codesign piece is very important.
We have now reached the end of the allocated time, but the next Minister has not arrived, so I will allow Deputy Shane Moynihan to ask one question before the Minister arrives.
Social Welfare Payments
Shane Moynihan
Question:14. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Social Protection the analysis and consideration that has been given to introducing a second-tier child benefit payment for households, as a taxable payment. [67532/26]
I appreciate this opportunity from the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach.
We have just completed a public consultation on a second-tier of payment. It concluded on 12 June and we received submissions from representative bodies, advocacy organisations and service providers. We are currently finalising the analysis of that consultation.
On 8 September, the ESRI published its sixth annual report on poverty, income inequality and living standards. The report proposes a version of a second-tier child benefit as a possible mechanism. It was a very different proposal from the one considered by the ESRI in 2025. We are currently looking at that proposal and the differences. However, we acted in budget 2026 by introducing record child support payment increases for over-12s and under-12s and by improving the availability of the fuel allowance for those on the working family payment, which ensured that 50,000 families who previously would not have had access to the fuel allowance would receive it. As the Deputy knows, the working family payment is aligned to the number of children in a family.
We are considering the consultation. We are looking at the ESRI's revised proposals. As we discussed earlier, I will engage with colleagues from across the House through the joint Oireachtas committee on this during the course of the next budget. I can give the Deputy a guarantee that we will have a considerable child poverty package in the context of budget 2027. We are negotiating that as we speak.
I thank the Minister. I do not for a second doubt his personal commitment, or that of the Taoiseach, to dealing with child poverty. When I look at the taxable payment that has been recommended by the ESRI, it has a lot of things going for it: its effectiveness; it could take up to 20,000 children out of poverty; it could eventually subsume the child support payment; and it could tackle a lot more of the children who are in poverty at the moment. It is simpler to introduce and it is much easier to understand as well.
In the round, as the Minister carries out that engagement with colleagues across the House and, I am sure, the ESRI on those proposals, I encourage him to consider that as a possibility for doing what we all want, namely, to really make a dent in the journey of bringing down child poverty in this country.
We will engage with the ESRI. It was a very different model from the one it proposed previously. We also want to engage with the ESRI on details on income thresholds and what means test it would have in mind. There is quite a lot of work to be done in this space. We want to incorporate the feedback from the consultation process and engage with Members of the Oireachtas on their views in this space.