Martin Daly
Question:101. Deputy Martin Daly asked the Minister for Social Protection for an update on plans to introduce a permanent annual cost of disability support payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32996/25]
View answerSocial Welfare Payments
Questions (101)
Written answers
The Programme for Government commits to introducing a permanent annual Cost of Disability Support Payment with a view to incrementally increasing this payment.Developments in this area will build on progress made in recent years where steps have been taken in recognition of the additional costs associated with having a disability. Over the last four budgets, the Government has progressively improved payment rates and income disregards for disabled people.However, we know that addressing the cost of disability is not a question of income support alone. The delivery of and access to services are also key. The Indecon report on the cost of disability, commissioned and funded by my Department, found that the extra costs of disability are due to a number of factors including higher costs of healthcare, transport, education and other services that arise because of a higher level of dependence on these services by people with disabilities.The Government has prioritised the development of a new National Disability Strategy. This is a whole of government strategy, led by my colleague the Minister for Children, Equality and Youth, with involvement of all Ministers. It's focus is on improving access to services and reducing these extra costs.Further highlighting the cross-departmental nature of these issues and the need for a coordinated approach, the Taoiseach has set up a Disability Programme Office in his own Department. He has also established a dedicated Cabinet Committee on disability with a view to driving and monitoring progress in this area.Our Programme for Government commitments will be advanced over the lifetime of the Government in the context of overall policy and budget demands.
Social Welfare Payments
Questions (102)
Micheál Carrigy
Question:102. Deputy Micheál Carrigy asked the Minister for Social Protection the average processing time for applications for each payment under his Department’s remit; if he plans to introduce new targets and provide additional resources to expedite the turnaround times in processing applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32708/25]
View answerWritten answers
My Department regularly monitors and reviews the processing times for the schemes it administers. The targets are reviewed each year as part of the Estimates process, and also form part of the Public Service Performance Report compiled by the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, alongside other Departmental targets. The Comptroller and Auditor General examined the methodology for the targets in the review of the 2018 accounts and found that the measures used are suitable, relevant, and reliable.The volume of claims received, the average processing time, the performance under the current target, and any operational changes are all considered when a decision is made to revise a target. At present, the Department is meeting or exceeding performance on nearly all of its schemes.This is reflected in the tables, which I will forward onto the Deputy, setting out the information he sought in the question. As shown in that table, and even though there is a continuous year-on-year increase in claim volumes related both to population growth and aging, and due to the impact of events like the war in Ukraine, most schemes are performing at the same level or better, in the case of disability allowance considerably better, than they were in 2024.Processing times and the allocation of resources is kept under constant review and resources are, when necessary, allocated to maintain service levels. The Working Family Payment scheme has, for example, received a significant increase in new claims, and additional resources have been allocated to deal with this higher volume.Similarly our Appeals Service has, related to the overall increase in claim volumes, also experienced an increase in appeals received and additional resources have recently been deployed to reduce backlogs and restore service levels.
|
Scheme |
Average weeks to award in April 2025 |
Average weeks to award in April 2024 |
|
State Pension (Contributory) - Irish |
3 |
4 |
|
Widow(er)'s Contributory Pension |
3 |
3 |
|
State Pension (Non-Contributory) |
10 |
8 |
|
Jobseekers Allowance |
2 |
2 |
|
Jobseekers Benefit |
1 |
1 |
|
Jobseeker’s Pay-Related Benefit |
1 |
N/A |
|
One-Parent Family Payment |
2 |
4 |
|
Supplementary Welfare Allowance |
1 |
1 |
|
Maternity Benefit |
6 |
6 |
|
Paternity Benefit |
6 |
6 |
|
Parent's Benefit |
1 |
1 |
|
Carer's Allowance |
6 |
6 |
|
Carer's Benefit |
5 |
5 |
|
Disability Allowance |
6 |
11 |
|
Invalidity Pension |
6 |
7 |
|
Illness Benefit |
1 |
1 |
|
Occupational Injury Benefit |
1 |
1 |
|
Domiciliary Care Allowance |
5 |
5 |
|
Child Benefit |
1 |
1 |
|
Working Family Payment |
9 |
9 |
|
Household Benefits |
1 |
1 |
Social Welfare Payments
Questions (103)
Colm Burke
Question:103. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection the cost of making fuel allowance universal for everyone over 70; that consideration will be given to implementing this change; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33132/25]
View answerWritten answers
The Fuel Allowance is a payment of €33 per week for 28 weeks. That is a total of €924 each year, available from late September to April, at an estimated cost of €400 million in 2025.The criteria for Fuel Allowance are framed in order to direct the limited resources available to my Department in as targeted a manner as possible. To qualify for the Fuel Allowance payment, a person must satisfy all the qualifying criteria. This ensures that the Fuel Allowance payment is targeted at those who are more vulnerable to fuel poverty, including those reliant on social protection payments for longer periods and who are unlikely to have additional resources of their own. Awarding the Fuel Allowance Payment to all those aged over 70 irrespective of their means or household composition would change the targeted nature of the Fuel Allowance payment.The Household Benefits Package is universally available to those aged 70 and older with one package per household. Based on similar numbers of over 70 households qualifying for the Fuel Allowance payment it is estimated an additional 60,000 households would qualifying for the Fuel Allowance payment at an additional cost of €55.4 million per year.The Programme for Government includes a commitment to examine key ancillary benefits such as the fuel allowance, household benefits package and living alone allowance to support vulnerable groups. This is, in fact, an ongoing activity as part of the Department's budget planning each year. For example there have been a number of expansions under recent budgets to the Fuel Allowance to make it easier for those aged 70 or over to qualify for the payment.In 2023 the over 70s enhanced Fuel Allowance qualifying criteria were introduced. These enhanced measures included an easier means threshold for those aged over 70 and no requirement to be in receipt of a qualifying Social Welfare payment.In addition, for people aged 70 or over, the amount of capital ( that is savings and investments) disregarded in the means test for Fuel Allowance was increased from €20,000 to €50,000. Any future decisions will, of course, have to take account of the overall budgetary context and the availability of financial resources.
Social Welfare Payments
Questions (104)
Noel McCarthy
Question:104. Deputy Noel McCarthy asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide an update on the Programme for Government commitment to extend the period of a social welfare payment following the death of a dependent from 6 to 12 weeks; the estimated cost of such an extension; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33139/25]
View answerWritten answers
The parties to Government have agreed a number of commitments that are to be achieved over the lifetime of the Government, some of which are relevant to my Department.Deputies can be assured that I am determined to deliver on these commitments and will take the opportunity afforded at budget time each year to progress them as far as possible. Deputies will understand that not everything can be delivered all at once but the commitments we made in forming the Government will be delivered over the full term of the Government.I have already commenced consideration of options for the Social Protection package as part of Budget 2026 including extending the period of payment after death, where on the death of the recipient, qualified adult or child, the benefit in question continues to be paid for a number of weeks.The proposal in the Programme for Government is to extend the period of payment after death from the current 6 weeks to 12 weeks. While in general, across Social Welfare schemes, payment continues for a period of 6 weeks after death, there are some exceptions.In fact some Social Welfare Payments are already paid for a period of 12 weeks after the death of the recipient. In the case of Carer’s Allowance, the payment continues for a period of 12 weeks after the death of the person being cared for and in the case of Domiciliary Care Allowance, payment currently continues for a period of 3 months after the death of the recipient.Like all budget provisions, such a measure is subject to the overall budgetary context and competing priorities, and I will not at this time, so far in advance of the budget, be making any commitments one way or the other.I trust this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
Social Welfare Appeals
Questions (105)
Mark Wall
Question:105. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Social Protection the average processing times for social welfare appeals for each social welfare scheme; the number of successful appeals granted, over the past four years, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33123/25]
View answerWritten answers
The Social Welfare Appeals Office is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements. Appeals Officers are independent in their decision-making functions. In 2023 the average processing time for Social Welfare Appeals was 16 weeks and 11,075 appeals were successful.In 2022 the average processing time for Social Welfare Appeals was 14.9 weeks and 12,654 appeals were successful.In 2021 the average processing time for Social Welfare Appeals was 12.9 weeks with 13,104 appeals were successful. The average processing times for each Social Welfare scheme and the number of successful appeals can be viewed in previous Annual Reports published by the Social Welfare Appeals Office.The annual report for 2024 is just being finalised for presentation to Government. That report including the statistics for 2024 will be submitted to the Oireachtas library in the coming weeks. I can, however, advise that the performance did suffer in 2024 due to the impact of an increased volume of appeals (reflecting an underlying increase in claims to the Department generally), the work involved in implementing a new IT system (where staff had to be diverted to training etc.) and the increased ease of making an appeal online via that system.I am pleased to say that following on from measures taken by the Chief Appeals Officer performance is now improving and there has been a significant reduction in the number of appeals on hand. The measures taken include the appointment of 20 additional staff during December 2024 and January 2025. They have now been appointed as Appeals Officers and are making appeal decisions. The Chief Appeals Officer continues to monitor processing times and every effort is made to reduce the time taken to process an appeal. However, the drive for efficiency must be balanced with the competing demand to ensure that decisions are consistent and made in accordance with fair procedures and the provisions set out in primary legislation and regulations. The breakdown for each Social Welfare scheme requested by the Deputy in tabular form can be provided separately.
Social Welfare Payments
Questions (106)
Mark Wall
Question:106. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of funeral assistance grants paid out over the past five years; the number refused, by county, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33119/25]
View answerWritten answers
Under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme, my Department can make Additional Needs Payments to help meet essential expenses that a person cannot pay from their weekly income.
An application can be made under the Additional Needs Payment scheme for assistance with funeral and burial expenses where there is an inability to pay these costs, in part or in full, by the family of the deceased person without causing hardship.
Payments are made at the discretion of the officers administering the scheme, taking into account the requirements of the legislation, and all the relevant circumstances of the case in order to ensure that the payments target those most in need of assistance.
Table 1 shows the Number of Additional Needs Payments awarded for Funeral and Burial expenses by county from 2020-2024.
Table 2 shows the number of Additional Needs Payments disallowed for Funeral and Burial expenses by county from 2022-2024. Statistics on the number of Additional Needs Payments disallowed are not available for 2020-2021.
Any person who considers they may have an entitlement to an Additional Needs Payment is encouraged to contact their local community welfare service. There is a National Community Welfare Contact Centre in place - 0818-607080 - which will direct callers to the appropriate office.
Funeral assistance grants 2020-2025
I trust this clarifies the matter for the deputy.
Table 1 – Additional Needs Payments for Funeral and Burial expenses awarded by county from 2020-2024
|
County |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 |
|
Carlow |
35 |
23 |
32 |
38 |
41 |
|
Cavan |
39 |
23 |
46 |
47 |
47 |
|
Clare |
43 |
45 |
37 |
68 |
51 |
|
Cork |
234 |
245 |
216 |
268 |
261 |
|
Donegal |
89 |
69 |
93 |
89 |
88 |
|
Dublin |
1,050 |
873 |
969 |
929 |
909 |
|
Galway |
78 |
56 |
57 |
93 |
75 |
|
Kerry |
60 |
42 |
50 |
67 |
71 |
|
Kildare |
109 |
98 |
114 |
102 |
122 |
|
Kilkenny |
38 |
55 |
47 |
54 |
39 |
|
Laois |
71 |
41 |
54 |
59 |
45 |
|
Leitrim |
16 |
15 |
21 |
20 |
16 |
|
Limerick |
91 |
91 |
88 |
140 |
120 |
|
Longford |
32 |
45 |
46 |
45 |
41 |
|
Louth |
105 |
102 |
104 |
123 |
117 |
|
Mayo |
63 |
38 |
46 |
50 |
57 |
|
Meath |
70 |
90 |
68 |
111 |
89 |
|
Monaghan |
38 |
23 |
33 |
43 |
23 |
|
Offaly |
48 |
56 |
73 |
66 |
46 |
|
Roscommon |
37 |
41 |
37 |
51 |
26 |
|
Sligo |
35 |
36 |
23 |
29 |
30 |
|
Tipperary |
106 |
78 |
83 |
95 |
104 |
|
Waterford |
58 |
59 |
51 |
71 |
58 |
|
Westmeath |
61 |
80 |
65 |
68 |
68 |
|
Wexford |
41 |
43 |
63 |
77 |
83 |
|
Wicklow |
131 |
78 |
67 |
75 |
72 |
|
Unspecified |
|
|
|
3 |
|
|
Grand Total |
2,778 |
2,445 |
2,583 |
2,881 |
2,699 |
Table 2 - Additional Needs Payments disallowed for Funeral and Burial expenses from 2022-2024
|
County |
2022 |
2023 |
2024 |
|
Carlow |
4 |
14 |
19 |
|
Cavan |
17 |
11 |
14 |
|
Clare |
30 |
32 |
16 |
|
Cork |
60 |
71 |
69 |
|
Donegal |
30 |
42 |
39 |
|
Dublin |
205 |
251 |
284 |
|
Galway |
32 |
53 |
38 |
|
Kerry |
27 |
27 |
40 |
|
Kildare |
32 |
37 |
55 |
|
Kilkenny |
10 |
13 |
20 |
|
Laois |
7 |
7 |
13 |
|
Leitrim |
6 |
8 |
10 |
|
Limerick |
29 |
57 |
47 |
|
Longford |
14 |
9 |
9 |
|
Louth |
30 |
27 |
40 |
|
Mayo |
29 |
35 |
30 |
|
Meath |
22 |
16 |
28 |
|
Monaghan |
2 |
7 |
8 |
|
Offaly |
10 |
20 |
31 |
|
Roscommon |
8 |
9 |
15 |
|
Sligo |
11 |
16 |
22 |
|
Tipperary |
15 |
34 |
36 |
|
Waterford |
20 |
26 |
31 |
|
Westmeath |
27 |
24 |
16 |
|
Wexford |
30 |
34 |
47 |
|
Wicklow |
17 |
24 |
21 |
|
Unspecified |
4 |
4 |
4 |
|
Grand Total |
728 |
908 |
1,002 |
Social Welfare Benefits
Questions (107, 134)
Darren O'Rourke
Question:107. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Social Protection if he recognises the anomaly in the social welfare system which means that people in receipt of widow’s pension, and who are working, are penalised if they become ill and can no longer work, because they cannot claim illness benefit for example; if he intends to address this anomaly; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32743/25]
View answer
Richard O'Donoghue
Question:134. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Social Protection if consideration will be given to entitling persons on widows’ pension to claim illness benefit when off sick; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33211/25]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 107 and 134 together.
Illness benefit is the primary short term income support provided by my Department to those who are unable to work due to illness of any type and who are covered by social insurance. Eligibility for illness benefit depends on the person’s PRSI record and class. People must have made the required number of contributions under PRSI classes A, E, H or P to qualify.Widow’s/widower’s/surviving civil partner’s pension (contributory) is a weekly social insurance payment to those who have lost their spouse or civil partner and are covered by social insurance.There is a general principle of one person, one payment, which applies across the social welfare system. Given the contingency-based nature of this system, it can happen that a person may experience more than one contingency at the same time but, generally, they can receive only one payment. This principle is common to social security systems across the world. Illness benefit and the widow’s/widower’s/surviving civil partner’s pension (contributory) are, generally, not payable concurrently.However, if a person is getting a reduced rate of widow’s/widower’s/surviving civil partner’s pension (contributory), they may also get a reduced rate of illness benefit, so that the combined amount of both payments is not greater than the maximum rate of illness benefit to which they would otherwise be entitled. With regard to additional supports, my Department also provides an additional needs payment under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme to help meet essential expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. This includes certain supplements to assist with ongoing or recurring costs that cannot be met from a person’s own resources and are deemed to be necessary.My Department will continue to keep its range of supports under review to ensure that they meet their overall objectives. Any changes to the current system, including those referred to in the Deputy's question, would need to be considered in an overall policy and budgetary context, and taking account of social insurance contribution rates and the overall sustainability of the Social Insurance Fund.I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
School Meals Programme
Questions (108)
Mark Wall
Question:108. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Social Protection the amount allocated to the school meal holiday programme; the number of schools taking part, by county, in tabular form; the funding allocated in each county; if he will update the House on whether the scheme will be further rolled out; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33121/25]
View answerWritten answers
The objective of the School Meals Programme is to provide regular, nutritious food to children to support them in taking full advantage of the education provided to them. The programme is an important component of policies to encourage school attendance and extra educational achievement.As part of the 2025 budget this also includes expenditure of €1.3 million for a Holiday Hunger pilot project to support some 68,000 of our most vulnerable children with complex special educational needs and those at greatest risk of educational disadvantage. This is a key initiative as part of the Government priority to combat holiday hunger. It will also alleviate the costs for schools associated with running a summer programme.In the table below is the number of schools in each county that are availing of the Holiday Hunger programme and the funding per county.As this programme is a pilot, it will be reviewed in the 3rd quarter of 2025.I trust this clarifies the matter.
|
County |
Number of Schools |
Funding per County |
|
Carlow |
12 |
€15,972.00 |
|
Cavan |
18 |
€17,364.00 |
|
Clare |
26 |
€26,106.00 |
|
Cork |
90 |
€102,267.00 |
|
Donegal |
54 |
€58,347.00 |
|
Dublin |
166 |
€154,695.00 |
|
Galway |
52 |
€52,762.50 |
|
Kerry |
53 |
€65,100.00 |
|
Kildare |
20 |
€19,686.00 |
|
Kilkenny |
22 |
€17,832.00 |
Social Welfare Schemes
Questions (109)
Peter 'Chap' Cleere
Question:109. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Social Protection for an update on the expansion of the wage subsidy scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32899/25]
View answerWritten answers
The Wage Subsidy Scheme is a key disability employment support. It aims to encourage employers to offer substantial and sustainable employment to people with disabilities through a subsidy.Last year, my Department published a review of the Wage Subsidy Scheme following a public consultation.The review made six recommendations, including to reduce the minimum required hours of the scheme, to regularly review the subsidy rate, and to remove terms such as ‘productivity deficit’ from the scheme to better align the scheme with the social model of disability. An additional €3.7 million has been allocated to implement the review’s recommendations.The scheme now includes employers in the community and voluntary sector and commercial state-sponsored sector. This change will expand the pool of potential jobs and opportunities for people with disabilities.The scheme has also been expanded to employers who employ somebody returning to work in receipt of Partial Capacity Benefit. This change will allow employees to keep their job if they acquire a disability.In April 2024, the minimum hours for the scheme were reduced from 21 to 15 hours. This will help make sure employees are offered substantial work while also making the scheme more accessible.The final recommendation was to promote and increase awareness of the scheme in order to encourage a greater uptake among employers. Earlier this month, I formally launched the reformed scheme together with the Taoiseach, Minister Foley and Minister of State Naughton. We are also now running a media campaign to raise awareness of this very beneficial scheme for employers and employees.I hope that the implementation of the recommendations of the review will result in an expansion of the scheme to new employers and new sectors and that there will be an increase in the number of employees on the scheme.I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Departmental Strategies
Questions (110)
Barry Heneghan
Question:110. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will provide details on any specific cross-departmental mechanisms in place to ensure that the lived experience of people with disabilities, as highlighted during the Social Inclusion Forum and related consultations, is reflected in the design and implementation of the next roadmap for social inclusion; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33151/25]
View answerWritten answers
The Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020-2025 is a whole of Government strategy with the ambitious aim of reducing consistent poverty to 2 per cent or less and to make Ireland one of the most socially inclusive member states in the EU. The Roadmap was published in January 2020 and contains seven high level goals, with 81 commitments. Goal five of the Roadmap is "Supporting People with Disabilities." This goal aims to improve social inclusion for people with disabilities by reducing poverty rates, improving employment outcomes and delivering better services. It draws on work across Government Departments to achieve this ambition, including implementation of the National Disability Inclusion Strategy and Comprehensive Employment Strategy for People with Disabilities, and recommendations in the Make Work Pay and Cost of Disability reports. Since the publication of the Roadmap in 2020, consistent poverty for people unable to work due to permanent sickness/disability has reduced from 21.3% in 2018 to 19% in 2024. Additionally, at an EU level the at-risk-of-poverty-or-social-exclusion rate for people with disabilities has reduced from 38.2% in 2018 to 30.1% in 2024. While these are higher than other groups, I welcome the progress made to date, and note that the 2024 data is based on 2023 incomes, therefore not taking account of Budget 2024 or Budget 2025 measures.One of the key approaches for reducing consistent poverty is to support those who can work into employment, whether that be part time or full time employment. With this in mind, we have seen the employment rate for people with disabilities increase to 53.3% as reported in Census 2022. While recognising that questions on disability changed in Census 2022, this compares with 36.5% reported in Census 2016.Work has commenced in my Department on the development of the successor to the Roadmap for Social Inclusion. A public consultation on the development of the successor strategy was launched in April and remains open until the end of June. I want to hear the views of all interested parties, including from people with disabilities and the organisations representing them. I very much welcome all comments, ideas and suggestions on how to improve social inclusion and reduce poverty for those most impacted.Discussions on the development of the new strategy also took place at the 2025 Social Inclusion Forum, which took place in 8 May. It was attended by people experiencing poverty/social exclusion and representative organisations, including people with disabilities. It included five workshops on key areas, including supporting people with disabilities, with facilitators from the community and voluntary sector, and presentations from expert practitioners.These discussions will also feed into the development of the new strategy. My Department will also prepare and publish a conference report, which will encapsulate the breadth of the discussions and contributions throughout the day. This report will be published and circulated to other Government Departments to inform their contributions to the new strategy. Government is fully committed to ensuring that no-one in Ireland is left behind, and with this in mind it is my intention to publish the new strategy in the first half of 2026.
Social Welfare Payments
Questions (111)
Naoise Ó Muirí
Question:111. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of people who will receive an increase in their carer’s allowance payment when the changes to the means test takes effect in July 2025, by county; if he will outline the overall percentage of carer’s allowance recipients who will now qualify for the maximum weekly payment on foot of the changes in July 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32704/25]
View answerWritten answers
Carer's allowance (CA) is a means-tested social assistance payment made to a person who is habitually resident in the State and who is providing full-time care and attention to a child or an adult who has such a disability that as a result they require that level of care.There have been a number of significant improvements made to the means test for CA in recent years. As part of Budget 2025, the weekly income disregard will increase from €450 to €625 for a single person, and from €900 to €1,250 for Carer’s with a spouse/partner. This amounts to cumulative increases to the disregards of €292.50 and €585 respectively since June 2022.The table below outlines the number of customers in each county who are due to receive an increase in their CA when the changes to the means disregard take effect in July.From July, 99% of existing CA recipients will qualify for the full rate payment.I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
|
County |
Number of Customers (31/05/2025) |
|
CARLOW |
76 |
|
CAVAN |
99 |
|
CLARE |
107 |
|
CORK |
697 |
|
DONEGAL |
147 |
|
DUBLIN |
1,109 |
|
GALWAY |
248 |
|
KERRY |
196 |
|
KILDARE |
312 |
|
KILKENNY |
90 |
|
LAOIS |
127 |
|
LEITRIM |
40 |
|
LIMERICK |
258 |
|
LONGFORD |
41 |
|
LOUTH |
184 |
|
MAYO |
138 |
|
MEATH |
250 |
|
MONAGHAN |
54 |
|
OFFALY |
142 |
|
ROSCOMMON |
75 |
|
SLIGO |
67 |
|
TIPPERARY |
177 |
|
WATERFORD |
138 |
|
WESTMEATH |
136 |
|
WEXFORD |
202 |
|
WICKLOW |
170 |
|
Total |
5,280 |
Social Welfare Payments
Questions (112)
Liam Quaide
Question:112. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Social Protection for an update on plans to introduce a permanent annual cost of disability support payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33110/25]
View answerWritten answers
The Programme for Government commits to introducing a permanent Annual Cost of Disability Support Payment with a view to incrementally increasing this payment.We know that addressing the cost of disability is not a question of income support alone. The delivery of and access to services are also key. The Indecon report on the cost of disability, commissioned and funded by my Department, found that the extra costs of disability are due to a number of factors including higher costs of healthcare, transport, education and other services that arise because of a higher level of dependence on these services by people with disabilities.The Government has prioritised the development of a new National Disability Strategy. This is a whole of government strategy, led by my colleague the Minister for Children, Equality and Youth, with involvement of all Ministers. It that will have a focus on improving access to services and bringing down these extra costs.Further highlighting the cross-departmental nature of these issues and the need for a coordinated approach, the Taoiseach has set up a Disability Programme Office in his own Department. He has also established a dedicated Cabinet Committee on disability with a view to driving and monitoring progress in this area.Our Programme for Government commitments will be advanced over the lifetime of the Government, having regard to the overall policy and budgetary context.I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Child Poverty
Questions (113, 131, 179)
Naoise Ó Cearúil
Question:113. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Social Protection the progress which has been made to examine ways to lift more children in Ireland out of child poverty and the expected timeline for setting a new child poverty target; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33128/25]
View answer
Cathy Bennett
Question:131. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will outline his targets regarding the eradication of child poverty; his efforts to do so; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33203/25]
View answerNaoise Ó Muirí
Question:179. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Social Protection when he expects to bring forward proposals on a new child poverty target; if he will outline his views on the measures which will be most impactful in reducing child poverty; if he has considered the introduction of a targeted child benefit payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32705/25]
View answerWritten answers
I propose to take Questions Nos. 113, 131 and 179 together.
Government is keenly aware of welfare issues affecting children, particularly in relation to child poverty and the impact of cost-of-living increases in recent years. These issues formed a critical input into the development of recent Budget packages, which included social welfare packages which were the largest in the history of the State. These measures had a specific focus on helping children and families.Child poverty is a complex, multidimensional issue with the risk of a vicious cycle of lifetime and inter-generational consequences. Some groups of children are significantly more likely to live in poverty – Traveller and Roma families, larger families, and families headed by a person with a disability or who is unemployed. The latest SILC statistics published this year show that consistent poverty for children, which is the most relevant indicator for setting the child poverty target, increased from 4.8% in 2023 to 8.5% in 2024 for the 0-17 age group. 15.3% of children are at risk of poverty and with 8.5% living in consistent poverty, this represents an estimated number of 102, 977 children.It is important to note that these statistics do not take account of Budget 2024, Budget 2025 or any cost-of-living measures that were paid in 2024, as they are based on the 2023 incomes of those surveyed.The Roadmap for Social Inclusion, which includes a chapter on supporting children and families with the goal of reducing child poverty in Ireland and ensuring that all families can participate fully in society. The Roadmap also contains a commitment to set a new national child poverty target and this was reiterated in the Programme for Government. The Department of the Taoiseach has recently convened meetings with several stakeholders to discuss the Child Poverty Target and potential measures that can reduce child poverty. Officials from my Department have attended these meetings and following these discussions I expect to soon submit a proposal to Government on a new national child poverty target and an associated dashboard of indicators to monitor progress to same. While income supports are important, access to affordable and available services (housing, health, childcare, education etc.) plays an equally strong and potentially more sustainable role in addressing child poverty.
Social Welfare Payments
Questions (114)
Joe Neville
Question:114. Deputy Joe Neville asked the Minister for Social Protection the breakdown of job seekers allowance recipients by length of time they have been in receival of the payment, under 1 year, between 1 and 2 years, between 2 and 3 years, between 3 and 4 years and between 4 and 5 years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32948/25]
View answerWritten answers
Jobseeker's Allowance is a means-tested payment made to people who are unemployed. To qualify for Jobseeker's Allowance, claimants must satisfy a means test, be available for full-time workand be fully or partly unemployed (at least 4 days out of work in every 7). The rate of payment depends on income and the outcome of the means assessment, and age; the full weekly personal payment is €244.At the end of May 2025 there were 110,579 persons on the Live Register claiming Jobseeker's Allowance. The duration of those claims is shown in the below table, please note that for statistical reasons persons working casually or part-time are included in the 'under 1 year' category.
|
Claim Duration |
Number of persons |
|
under 1 year |
62,224 |
|
between 1 and 2 years |
16,484 |
|
between 2 and 3 years |
10,172 |
|
between 3 and 4 years |
5,087 |
|
between 4 and 5 years |
2,821 |
Information on unemployed people is published monthly by the CSO in their Live Register release: www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-lr/liveregistermay2025/.
Social Welfare Code
Questions (115)
Martin Daly
Question:115. Deputy Martin Daly asked the Minister for Social Protection how he is ensuring that the social welfare system is progressive and empowers people with a disability to live full and independent lives; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32997/25]
View answerWritten answers
Improving the position of disabled people is a priority for Government. That is why the Programme for Government includes a range of commitments in this area.I know many disabled people face barriers in the workplace and when looking for employment. We want to address those barriers. So, we will expand and build on successful programmes like WorkAbility, EmployAbility, and the new Work and Access programme.We will also review the minimum hours requirement under the Wage Subsidy Scheme for people with disabilities and examine an increase to the payment rate. I recently launched the revised Wage Subsidy Scheme together with the Taoiseach, the Minister Foley and Minister of State Naughton. An additional €3.7 million has been allocated for this scheme. We are also now running a media campaign to raise awareness of this very beneficial scheme for employers and employees.Linked to this is ensuring that there are intensive and appropriate activation measures and employment supports in place to help those most distant from the labour market into the workforce. We are promoting training initiatives to raise awareness and understanding of disabilities amongst Intreo staff.The issues facing disabled people cut across Government and that is why we are working on a new National Disability Strategy. It will include an employment pillar. We will also work with employers and across Government to improve employment of people with disabilities and ensure that supports for entrepreneurs and enterprise are accessible to all, including people with disabilities.The Roadmap for Social Inclusion aims to reduce the number of people in poverty in Ireland and increase social inclusion for the most disadvantaged. Income adequacy and social inclusion for disabled people is a very important challenge and will be included in the upcoming update to the Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020-2025. The public consultation on the successor to the Roadmap for Social Inclusion is open until the end of June 2025 and all submissions are very welcome.I trust this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
Employment Schemes
Questions (116)
Willie O'Dea
Question:116. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection the measures he is taking to support more disabled people into employment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32900/25]
View answerWritten answers
The Programme for Government prioritises improvements to employment supports to enable more people with disabilities to enter and stay in employment.People with disabilities can access a range of supports through their local Intreo office as Intreo staff can meet with jobseekers to discuss their individual needs, aspirations, and experience, and offer appropriate training and employment opportunities.My Department's Intreo service is a single point of contact for all employment and income supports in the State. Disabled people can access mainstream employment schemes such as Community Employment and Tús as well as referral to tailored supports such as Employability. This is a service that offers a professional job-matching service, on-going support and advice and information on employment supports for people with disabilities. In July 2022, my Department launched Early Engagement. The scheme aims to proactively engage with disabled people in the early stages of disability or illness about options for education, training or employment. Over 30,000 people have been contacted and over 3,700 referrals have been made for further education or employment supports since the scheme launched.In July 2024, my Department launched a new scheme called Work and Access. This scheme offers seven supports to improve access in the workplace for people with a disability. Funding is available for communication supports, work equipment, workplace adaptations and training.In December 2023, my Department established the WorkAbility programme - it is co-financed with the EU Employment, Inclusion, Skills, and Training Programme. This programme aims to support people with disabilities into employment through 57 local, regional and national projects. The programme aims to support over 13,000 disabled people over its lifetime.The Wage Subsidy Scheme supports employers to hire people with disabilities through a subsidy. In August 2024, my Department published a review of the scheme to make it more accessible and flexible to people with disabilities and their employers.As a result, the minimum hours for the scheme were reduced from 21 to 15 hours. The scheme was expanded to those on Partial Capacity Benefit and to the community and voluntary sector. An additional €3.7 million has been allocated to the scheme. I recently launched the launched the revamped scheme together with the Taoiseach, Minister Foley, and Minister of State Naughton. We are also now running a media campaign to raise awareness of this very beneficial scheme for employers and employees.Notwithstanding these improvements, the Government recognises that more needs to be done to support people with disabilities into employment. The Programme for Government commits to examining ways to make it easier to regain Disability Allowance if employment ceases and to expanding successful programmes like WorkAbility.In addition, the Government has prioritised the development of a New National Disability Strategy in a cross-government initiative. A key feature of this strategy will be improving employment outcomes for people with disabilities.I trust that this clarifies the issue for the Deputy.
Social Welfare Payments
Questions (117)
Peter 'Chap' Cleere
Question:117. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of carers in Kilkenny and Carlow that received the carer’s support grant in 2025; how the number of recipients this year compares to 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32898/25]
View answerWritten answers
The Carer’s Support Grant is an annual payment made to carers who get Carer's Allowance, Carer's Benefit or Domiciliary Care Allowance. It can also be paid to certain other carers providing full-time care.In June 2025, a total of 2,720 people in Kilkenny and 2,048 people in Carlow received the Carer's Support Grant. This compares with 2,207 people in Kilkenny and 1,855 people in Carlow in 2020, representing an increase of 23% and 10% respectively.
State Pensions
Questions (118)
Emer Currie
Question:118. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide an update on the commitment to examine what modification can be made to support women who fall outside of existing schemes to qualify for a State pension; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33199/25]
View answerWritten answers
My Department provides State Pension payments through the State Pension (Contributory), which is a contributory based payment based on a person's social insurance record and the State Pension (Non-Contributory) which is means-tested social assistance payment. To receive either a contributory or social assistance payment a person must qualify for that payment in their own right.The State Pension (Contributory) is funded from the Social Insurance Fund through the social insurance contributions paid by workers and employers. The rate of payment reflects the number of social insurance contributions paid over a working life. To qualify for this payment a person requires 520 (equivalent to 10 years) paid contributions. Once a person has met the minimum requirement of 520 paid contributions, the rate of payment at which a person is paid the State Pension (Contributory) is currently calculated using two methods - the Yearly Average (YA) method that has been in place since the introduction of the contributory pension in 1961 and the Total Contributions Approach (TCA) that was introduced in 2018. The most beneficial payment is then awarded to the person. To qualify for a full rate pension under the YA method, a person must have an average of 48 contributions per year since they first entered insurable employment. To qualify for a full rate pension under the TCA method, a person must have 2080 paid and credited contributions (equivalent to 40 years).Regardless of which approach is used, the current State Pension (Contributory) system gives significant recognition and support to those whose work history includes extended periods outside of paid employment, often to raise families or in a full-time caring role. This is done through PRSI credits under both approaches and through Homemaking Disregards under YA and through HomeCaring Periods under TCA.The Homemakers Disregard Scheme was introduced in April 1994 for use in the Yearly Average calculation. This allowed an applicant to apply under the Homemaker's Scheme for those years since April 1994 spent caring for children under age 12 or other dependent relatives to be disregarded in the calculation under the Yearly Average calculation method.HomeCaring Periods were introduced under TCA. Up to 20 years of homecaring periods can be considered and this includes periods prior to 1994. Therefore, those who have a 40 year record of paid and credited social insurance contributions, subject to a maximum of 20 years of credits / homecaring periods, qualify for a maximum State Pension (Contributory) where they satisfy the other qualifying conditions for the scheme. Since January 2024, long-term carers contributions (LTCCs) can be awarded to a person who has cared for an incapacitated person for a period of 20 years (1040 weeks) or more and these contributions can be used towards the calculation of their State Pension (Contributory) entitlement. This is done by attributing the equivalent of a paid contribution to long-term carers of incapacitated dependents to cover gaps in their contribution record. These long-term carers contributions will be treated the same as paid contributions for State Pension (Contributory) entitlement only and can, where there are gaps in paid contributions, be used to satisfy the minimum 520 qualifying contributions condition. LTCCs are available to those who reach 66 since 1 January 2024 and those already over aged 66 at that date. For those who do not qualify for a State Pension (Contributory), or who only qualify for a reduced rate contributory pension based on their social insurance record, the State Pension (Non-Contributory) is available. This is a means-tested social assistance payment for people aged 66 and over, habitually residing in the State. As with all other social assistance schemes, payments are based on an income need. The means test used plays a critical role in ensuring that the recipient has a verifiable income need and that resources are targeted to those who need them most.Finally, where a person's spouse or partner is in receipt of a State Pension (Contributory), they can also apply for an increase for a Qualified Adult, amounting up to 90% of a full rate State Pension (Contributory). This will be based on the Qualified Adult's means. The Increase for a Qualified Adult will automatically be paid directly to the adult dependant unless the adult dependant chooses to have it paid with the spouse's or partner's payment instead.The combination of these measures means that no person with a viable income need falls outside these schemes.As set out in the Programme for Government, the Department will examine the extent to which the measures already in place are adequate for ensuring that women do not fall outside of the State pension system. To do this the Department will, among other things, consider the trends in social insurance records and payments for women, any other purported barriers to accessing State pension supports for women, and the impact of means testing. This will be done having regard to the overall policy and legal contexts underpinning the State pension system.I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Social Welfare Eligibility
Questions (119)
Cathal Crowe
Question:119. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Social Protection if he expects the Programme for Government pledge to remove the means test requirement for qualification for a carers allowance payment to be introduced in Budget 2026, or to be phased out incrementally over several years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32785/25]
View answerWritten answers
The Programme for Government has clearly set out a timeline which commits to significantly increasing the income disregards for Carer’s Allowance in each Budget with a view to phasing out the means test during the lifetime of the Government.This is a major change to the Carer's Allowance and to the Irish social welfare system generally. It is important that we make progress in a way that is sustainable and which does not unduly limit our scope to support other vulnerable groups in society.In this regard and given that the minimum cost of abolishing the means test is about €600 million per annum but that the cost could run to €3 billion per annum depending on inflow of new claimants, it is important to manage the reduction in the means test in a way that takes account of budgetary resources and balances the achievement of the objective of eliminating the means test with other priorities.It is also important to note that we will continue the process of easing the means test in July, when the weekly income disregard for Carer's Allowance will increase from €450 to €625 for a single person, and from €900 to €1,250 for carers with a spouse/partner. This amounts to cumulative increases to the disregards of €292.50 and €585.00 respectively, or 88%, since June 2022.The increases in July will mean that a carer in a two-adult household with an income of approximately €69,000 will still retain their full Carers payment and even with an income of €97,000 will retain a partial payment.Finally, it is important to note that my department provides non-means-tested supports to carers including Carer’s Benefit, Domiciliary Care Allowance and the annual Carer’s Support Grant of €2,000 which was recently paid to over 138,000 carers on 5 June.I trust this clarifies the issue for the Deputy.
Social Welfare Eligibility
Questions (120)
Michael Murphy
Question:120. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection the plans to review the carer’s allowance as it applies to pensioners who unfairly only qualify for half carers due to that fact that they are already in receipt of another social welfare payment. [31583/25]
View answerWritten answers
Carer's Allowance is the main income support scheme for carers in the community. There are currently over 100,000 carers getting Carer’s Allowance with an estimated scheme expenditure of over €1.24 billion in 2025.Under the single payment per person rule, people who qualify for multiple payments typically receive the higher of the available options. However, as an exception to this rule, and in recognition of the important role of caring, where a person is on a full-time social welfare payment, such as State Pension and also caring for 35 hours or more per week, in addition to their primary payment, they can also receive a payment equivalent to up to half the Carer’s Allowance rate. So, there is no reduction in a person’s payment on moving on to State Pension, rather the person receives an increase with the combined payments.The basic eligibility conditions for Carer’s Allowance apply in that a person must be providing full-time care of no less than 35 hours per week and they must satisfy the means test.A number of significant improvements have been made to the means test for Carer’s Allowance in recent years. Continuing this trend, from July 2025, the weekly income disregard for Carer's Allowance will increase from €450 to €625 for a single person, and from €900 to €1,250 for carers with a spouse or partner. This will make the scheme more accessible to people who previously did not qualify.Like other carers, people in receipt of half-rate Carer’s Allowance and the State Pension received the annual Carer’s Support Grant on June 5th. This payment of €2,000 is the highest ever level of the grant.The Programme for Government includes a commitment to ‘Ensure Parents who are aged 66+ and caring for children with lifelong disabilities retain the rate at which they are paid their Carer’s Allowance and concurrently receive the State Pension’. This commitment will be advanced over the lifetime of the Government in the annual budget context and in light of available resources.I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.