Written Answers Nos. 141-160
141. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will consider changing the farm assist payment to a credited contribution while in payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33218/25]
View answerThe farm assist scheme was introduced in 1999 to provide income support for low income farmers. It replaced the former smallholder's unemployment assistance payment. In line with the then pre-existing arrangements for unemployment assistance (including smallholders), any income from self-employment was exempt from the class S social insurance charge applied to self-employed workers, regardless of the level of such income.This exemption was abolished in 2007. Since 1st January 2007, those persons receiving farm assist are liable to pay a class S social insurance contribution on their annual self-employed income, provided it is €5,000 or more. These contributions entitle such persons to a number of social insurance benefits, most notably the state pension (contributory).For those earning below €5,000 per annum, the voluntary contributions scheme may be available to them, dependent on meeting the qualifying criteria. This scheme gives an opportunity to persons who were, but are no longer, compulsorily insured under the social insurance system, to pay contributions directly to my Department. Voluntary contributions ensure continuity of social insurance for pension purposes during periods where former contributors are no longer insured as employed or self-employed persons.The credited contribution scheme (“credits”), which relates to employee contributions only, is an integral part of the social insurance system. Credits cover gaps in an employee’s social insurance record where they are not in a position to pay social insurance such as during periods of unemployment, illness, etc.Credits are not available to class S self-employed contributors, including recipients of farm assist. Employees are only insured on a week by week basis while self-employed contributors are insured on an annual basis. This means that self-employed contributors pay a single annual social insurance contribution which entitles them to the full 52 contributions awarded in a year, regardless of when they worked to generate their income, whether in as little as one week or throughout the full year. I am satisfied with the current arrangements whereby class S PRSI is payable from a low level of income of €5,000 per annum and the voluntary contributions scheme is available for those with income below that level. I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
142. Deputy James O'Connor asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will consider extending social welfare benefits to surrogate parents; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33201/25]
View answerMy colleague the Minister for Health has lead responsibility for the Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Act 2024. This legislation encompasses the regulation for the first time of a wide range of practices undertaken in this jurisdiction, including domestic altruistic surrogacy. It also provides for the regulation of future surrogacy arrangements undertaken by Irish residents in other jurisdictions. In addition, the legislation allows for the recognition of parentage arising from past domestic and international surrogacy arrangements.My Department is responsible for the administration and payment of a range of benefits that support parents of newborn and young babies. Entitlement to these benefits follows on from employees having an entitlement to the corresponding leave. The legislation governing the different forms of leave is a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality.The Programme for Government includes a commitment to the introduction of paid surrogacy leave. Officials from my Department, the Department of Children, Disability and Equality, and the Department of Health are in discussions in relation to the possible implications arising from the surrogacy provisions in the Health (Assisted Human Reproduction) Act 2024.I trust this clarifies matters for the Deputy.
143. Deputy John Clendennen asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons over 66 who have qualified for the fuel allowance since the expanded means test for over 66s was introduced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33040/25]
View answerAs announced in Budget 2025, from the 1st January 2025, the Fuel Allowance qualifying conditions for those aged over 70 were extended to those aged over 66 and the means threshold increased to €524 for a single person and €1,048 for a couple.
In December 2024, there were 221,459 recipients aged 66 and over in receipt of Fuel Allowance. Under the new criteria, the number recipients of Fuel Allowance rose to 223,650 aged 66 and over in January 2025. The number of recipients of Fuel Allowance peaked to 225,464 aged 66 and over in March.
144. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Social Protection his plans to improve access to the workforce for people with disabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32382/25]
View answerThe 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.
145. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Social Protection the total number of people who have had the carer’s allowance removed from them in each of the past ten years, and to date in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32429/25]
View answerCarer'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.
The Department periodically reviews claims across its schemes to ensure that recipients and beneficiaries continue to satisfy the eligibility criteria for the scheme. A review can also result from a CA person contacting the Department to updating on changes of their circumstances.
The table below shows, by year, the number of persons in receipt of CA and the number whose CA payment was stopped following a review by the Department.
|
Year |
No. of CA recipients |
No. of CA claims terminated |
|
2015 |
63,003 |
342 |
|
2016 |
70,459 |
290 |
|
2017 |
75,264 |
521 |
|
2018 |
79,914 |
444 |
|
2019 |
84,028 |
710 |
|
2020 |
88,906 |
540 |
|
2021 |
90,896 |
490 |
|
2022 |
92,268 |
1,315 |
|
2023 |
95,848 |
1,375 |
|
2024 |
97,985 |
1,484 |
|
to end April 2025 |
99,450 |
486 |
146. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will give a timeline for implementing the Programme for Government commitment to phase out means testing for the carers’ allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33185/25]
View answerThe 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.The estimated 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. Therefore, it is important to manage the changes to 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.
147. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will outline his plans to reform the domiciliary care allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33184/25]
View answerDomiciliary Care Allowance is a monthly non-means tested payment to a parent or guardian for a child aged up to 16 who has a severe disability. The child must require care and attention substantially over and above that required by other children their age.
As of May 2025, there were more than 59,000 families in receipt of Domiciliary Care Allowance in respect of almost 67,000 children. Domiciliary Care Allowance claims have doubled since 2015.
As part of Budget 2025, the payment increased by €20 in January, bringing it to its current rate of €360 per month. This payment has increased by €50.50 per month since January 2023.Further changes to the payment since 2022 have seen the duration of the period of support extended for families of children in hospital and for families of babies who remain in an acute hospital after birth.
It is important to note that the annual Carer's Support Grant was automatically paid to all families in receipt of Domiciliary Care Allowance on 5 June. As part of Budget 2025 the grant was increased to €2,000, the highest rate since its introduction. Families in receipt of Domiciliary Care Allowance may also be eligible for Carer’s Benefit or Carer’s Allowance.
The Programme for Government commits to protecting the Free Travel Pass and examining extending it to children in receipt of Domiciliary Care Allowance. It also contains a commitment to progressively increase the Domiciliary Care Allowance payment. These commitments will be advanced over the lifetime of the Government, having regard to available resources.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
148. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection if he is aware of a cohort of people in the State with five plus years of PRSI contributions who are only entitled to the minimum rate of jobseeker’s pay-related benefit; if he is aware that this group, due to historically favourable circumstances in the housing market may have had the means to purchase a house, pay off a mortgage or accumulate savings and as such fail the means-test or qualify for a reduced rate of jobseeker’s allowance; if he is aware that this group are often women who historically worked part-time in order to do unpaid care work, who often worked for minimum wage their entire career and whose spouse/civil partner/qualified cohabitant’s income means they fail the means-test or qualify for a reduced rate of jobseeker’s allowance; if he is aware of the hardship incurred on these groups as a result of the limitations of jobseeker’s pay-related benefit; if he will consider extending the scheme to include more of those who fall into former group; if he will consider raising the minimum rate of jobseeker’s pay-related benefit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33104/25]
View answerJobseeker's Pay-Related Benefit has replaced Jobseeker's Benefit for people who have become fully unemployed since 31 March 2025 and who meet the statutory conditions for the scheme. On 7 June 2025, some 11,900 Jobseeker's Pay-Related Benefit claims were awarded.The purpose of the Jobseeker's Pay-Related Benefit is to provide a financial cushion when a person loses their employment. It allows them to adjust to a period of uncertainty associated with unemployment. The scheme aims to support a person during this initial period while they seek alternative employment and adjust their outgoings.A person must meet certain PRSI contribution requirements in order to qualify for the Jobseeker's Pay-Related Benefit scheme, and the rate of payment is linked directly to a person's earnings, subject to maximum rates depending on prior contributions. Earnings in the 12 month period 8 weeks prior to a person becoming unemployment are used to calculate the rate of payment.Under the scheme, the weekly rate of payment for a person with at least five years paid PRSI contributions is set at 60% of previous earnings, up to a maximum of €450 for the first three months. After that, the rate will be set at 55% of previous earnings up to a maximum of €375 for the following three months. A further three months will be paid at the rate of 50%, up to a maximum €300 payment.For people who have between two and five years paid contributions, the rate is set at 50% of previous earnings, up to a maximum of €300 per week and for up to six months. The minimum rate of payment for the scheme is €125 per week, compared to €109.50 for Jobseeker's Benefit.A person can apply for the means-tested Jobseeker's Allowance if they do not meet the contribution conditions for Jobseeker's Pay-Related Benefit, exhaust their entitlement to that scheme, or where it would be more financially beneficial for them to do so. Social welfare legislation provides that, for means tested social assistance schemes, all income and capital (such as savings, investments and property other than the family home) belonging to the claimant and his or her spouse/partner, where applicable, are assessable for means assessment purposes. This is the case even if only one of the couple is actually claiming a payment. The purpose of the means test is to ensure those individuals and couples with limited or no income or assets receive the most support from the State, while those with higher levels of income or assets provide for their own needs to a greater extent. Under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme, my department may make Additional Needs Payments to help meet essential expenses that a person cannot pay from their weekly income or other personal and household resources. The payment is available to anyone who needs it and qualifies, whether the person is currently receiving a social welfare payment or working on a low income.I trust this clarifies the matter for the deputy.
149. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Social Protection his plans to expand and build on successful programmes like WorkAbility and Employability to support people with disabilities into employment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33127/25]
View answerThe Government recognises the additional difficulties people with disabilities experience in securing and maintaining employment in the open labour market. This is a key issue in the development of the cross-government National Disability Strategy.
In December 2023, the Department established the WorkAbility programme - it is co-financed with the EU Employment, Inclusion, Skills and Training Programme. It is a five-year programme running from 2024 until 2028.
The aim of the WorkAbility programme is to bring people with disabilities who are not work-ready closer to the labour market through 57 local, regional and national projects. It supports projects that provide progressive pathways into education, training, employment and work experience for participants based on their needs, their abilities and their potential.
In 2024, just over 1,400 people with a disability engaged with these projects. The programme aims to support over 13,000 disabled people progress their training and employment ambitions over its lifetime.
Employability is a service where, through a referral from Intreo, jobseekers with disabilities can work with a Job Coach who provides pre-employment and in-employment support and assistance. The service operates on the basis of voluntary engagement. It also acts as a recruitment advice service for the business community and provides employers with access to a pool of potential employees.
My Department offers a range of other employment supports to people with disabilities such as the recently reformed Wage Subsidy Scheme which supports employers to hire people with disabilities through a subsidy. This scheme is now open to all employers outside the public sector. The minimum hours on the scheme were reduced from 21 to 15.
In July 2024, a new scheme called Work and Access was launched. This scheme offers seven supports to help reduce or remove barriers in the workplace for people with a disability to allow them to get a job or stay in work. Funding is available for supports including communication supports, work equipment, workplace adaptations and training.
The Programme for Government commits to expanding and building on successful schemes like WorkAbility and Employability to support people with disabilities into employment. We will advance that commitment over the lifetime of the Government and in light of available resources.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
150. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 31 of 11 May 2023, if the discussions between his Department and the Department of Public Expenditure on the cost of administering the auto enrolment pensions system have taken place; if they have, the estimated cost to the exchequer of administering the scheme in 2025; the expected progression of that cost in 2026, in subsequent years and the number of years for which an exchequer subvention will be required to cover administration costs until the scheme is self-financing from charges on scheme members; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27768/25]
View answerThe Programme for Government contains a commitment to introduce the Automatic Enrolment (AE) Retirement Savings System. The legislative basis for implementing the new system was enacted last July. To be known by the brand name, 'My Future Fund', I recently announced it will commence from 1st January 2026.Discussions between my Department and the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation on the costings and method of financing the AE system are ongoing.One element of these costs is the State 'top-up'. Under the final design principles of the AE system and its governing legislation, the State will make a contribution to participants' retirement savings accounts at a rate of €1 for every €3 saved by the employee. In estimating the costs of the State contribution, it is assumed that 90% of participants will remain enrolled in the scheme. The full year cost of the State top-up is estimated to be €142 million in 2026. By Year 10, when the full contribution rates have been phased in, the full annual cost is estimated to be €794 million.With regard to the costs associated with the National Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings Authority (NAERSA), which is the statutorily independent body being established to oversee and manage the AE system, it is intended that the Authority will quickly become self-financing from fees charged to the participants.In terms of current costs, a contract was signed on 9th October 2024 with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) for the provision of a managed service to administer the AE system on behalf of the Authority, which will cost in the region of €100 to €150 million over 10 to 15 years. The Authority itself is expected to be formally established in the coming weeks, with an active recruitment campaign ongoing. Annual staffing and corporate costs are expected to be in the region of €10 million per annum.Seed funding, to cover the Authority's costs arising in advance of contribution collection and during the early years of its establishment, will be needed. Under consideration by the two Departments is that the Authority may be financed from a loan or grant, in the region of €20-30 million, to be amortised over the following 10 to 15 years. Thereafter, it is expected that the Authority will be fully self-financing, requiring no funding from the Exchequer.I hope that this clarifies matters for the Deputy.
151. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Social Protection the improvements he is planning in relation to the fuel allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32978/25]
View answerThere have been significant improvements made in recent years to the Fuel Allowance Scheme. These improvements have resulted in many more households qualifying for the payment.
In 2023, the enhanced Fuel Allowance measures for people aged 70 years and over were introduced. Disablement Benefit and Half-rate Carers Allowance payment was disregarded when assessing means for Fuel Allowance purposes. Disablement Benefit also no longer prevents a household from receiving the Fuel Allowance payment.
In 2024, the allowable means for those aged 70 and over was increased to €512 a week for a single person and to €1,024 a week for a couple. Periods spend on Community Employment, Tús or the Rural Social Scheme can now be used to satisfy the 312-day requirement for Fuel Allowance.
Furthermore, when a person signs back on to a Social Welfare payment such as Basic Supplementary Allowance or Jobseekers Allowance the period spent on the course can also be used to satisfy the 312-day requirement.
In Budget 2025, Carer’s Allowance became a qualifying payment for Fuel Allowance, and the enhanced over 70’s Fuel Allowance qualifying conditions were extended to people aged 66 and over.
My Department's schemes such as the Fuel Allowance Scheme are reviewed on an ongoing basis as part of the budget planning process, to consider if improvements can be made to ensure that these benefits continue to target vulnerable cohorts. Any future decisions will, of course, have to take account of the overall budgetary context and the availability of financial resources.
I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
152. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Social Protection to give an update on work his Department is doing to decrease social welfare appeal waiting times; the current average time it takes for an appeal to be decided on; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32277/25]
View answerThe Social Welfare Appeals Office is a service of the Department of Social Protection which is responsible for determining appeals against decisions in relation to social welfare entitlements. Appeals Officers are independent in their decision making functions.As of the end of Quarter1 2025 the average processing time for Social Welfare Appeals is 20.9 weeks.The Chief Appeals Officer has put in place measures to deal with the increase in appeals received during 2024. 20 Appeals Officers were assigned during December 2024 and January 2025 and are making appeal decisions. In addition, The Social Welfare Appeals Regulations 2024 (S.I. No. 744 of 2024) came into effect from Monday, 28 April 2025. These new regulations apply to appeals where both the notice of appeal is received and the decision under appeal is dated on or after this commencement date.The purpose of these updated regulations is to modernise and streamline the social welfare appeals process, providing greater clarity, improved consistency, and more defined timeframes. This is expected to reduce the length of time it takes for appeals to be processed and decided.The key changes that were introduced under the new regulations include:The time limit for lodging an appeal has increased from 21 to 60 days, with provision for the Chief Appeals Officer to accept late appeals up to 180 days in certain circumstances. This will allow customers a longer period to prepare their appeal and gather any additional documentation. A significant proportion of the current appeals processing time can be attributed to time taken by the customer to obtain and submit reports and documentation they wish to rely on.There are now specified response times. The Social Welfare Appeals Office must transmit the notice of appeal to the relevant scheme area within 14 days of receiving the notice of appeal. The scheme area then has 21 days to either revise the decision or provide the necessary documentation to the Appeals Office. An extension to these timelines may apply if for example new medical evidence is received and a further medical opinion needs to be requested. These defined deadlines are designed to reduce delays and improve overall processing efficiency.The new regulations now formalise the requirement for the scheme area within the Department to carry out a review of the initial Deciding Officer’s decision. The Department may revise the decision on receipt of the notice and grounds of appeal. This should in time reduce the number of appeals that require consideration by an Appeals Officer. 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 the provisions set out in primary legislation and regulations. I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
153. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason the commitment to reduce consistent poverty to 2% by 2025 in the Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020-2025 has been so badly missed, with the most recent CSO report showing it is at 5%, up from 3.6% in 2023, and the Child Poverty Monitor reporting that consistent poverty among children is at 8.5%, up from 4.8% in 2023; and what he intends to do to address this serious failing. [32160/25]
View answerThe Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020-2025, is a whole of government strategy with a five-year timeframe which aims to reduce consistent poverty to 2% or less and to make Ireland one of the most socially inclusive countries in the EU.
The Roadmap for Social Inclusion is an overarching statement of Government strategy, which acknowledges the range of sectoral plans already in place that have social inclusion as a core objective, in areas such as education, health, children and childcare, community development and housing.
The Roadmap contains 81 commitments following the mid-term review of the Roadmap which was published in June 2023. The commitments were developed with relevant Departments and agencies to reflect current or planned sectoral strategies and plans.
Progress on achieving the ambition of the Roadmap and its commitments have been reported in annual Progress Reports and Report Cards, which are available on gov.ie.
At the end of March 2025:
• 60 commitments were fully achieved or achieved with ongoing delivery;
• 3 further commitments were in progress on schedule with ongoing delivery; and
• 18 commitments were in progress.
The 2024 Survey of Income and Living Conditions (SILC) was released in March 2025 and showed an increase in consistent poverty from 3.6% in 2023, which is the lowest figure on record, to 5.0% in 2024, consistent poverty in children increased from 4.8% in 2023 to 8.5% in 2024.
While the latest data is disappointing, it is important to recognise that SILC 2024 refers to income in the 2023 calendar year and therefore does not reflect the Government’s full response to poverty in recent years. The significant welfare increases in Budgets 2024 and 2025 and associated cost-of-living measures delivered last year are not reflected in the most recent results.
It takes time to see the impact of our work in the data, and that is why we are also determined to keep making progress, even if that is not always immediately reflective in the statistics.
Looking at the wider trends consistent poverty has reduced in recent years, falling from 8.5% in 2015 to a low of 3.6% in 2024 before seeing an increase to 5% in the latest statistics.
As the current Roadmap for Social Inclusion is due to end at the end of 2025 officials in my Department have commenced work on the development of a successor strategy. A full public consultation launched on April 13th and will run until the 30th of June. I would urge stakeholders to make their voice heard by making a submission to the consultation process.
The SILC data further highlights the importance of employment, in lifting households out of poverty, and officials in my Department are working on the development of a new national employment services strategy to succeed the current Pathways to Work 2021-2025 strategy .
154. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Social Protection his plans to develop a pension solution for foster carers in recognition of the enormous contribution they make to vulnerable children in our society, as committed in the Programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32967/25]
View answerMatters relating to foster care and kinship care are the responsibility of my colleague, the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality.This Government acknowledges the important role that carers, including foster carers, play and remains fully committed to supporting them. The State Pension (Contributory) system provides a range of measures to recognise caring periods outside of paid employment, such as PRSI credits, Homemaking Disregards, and HomeCaring Periods to recognise caring periods of up to 20 years outside of paid employment in the calculation of a payment rate.Foster carers are entitled to benefit from these measures on the same basis as other carers and parents. They may qualify if they are in receipt of Child Benefit. If they are not in receipt of Child Benefit, they can still qualify for Homemaker’s Scheme or HomeCaring Periods provided the caring periods are confirmed by Tusla. Since January 2024, long-term carer's contributions can be awarded to a person who has cared for an incapacitated person for a period of 20 years or more. These contributions are treated the same as paid contributions for State Pension (Contributory) entitlement only and can be used to fill any gaps in a person's contribution record, including satisfying the minimum 520 contributions required for eligibility.Foster carers who have cared for an incapacitated dependent or dependents for over 20 years also benefit from this provision. Officials from my Department have met with representatives of foster carers, Tusla and the Department of Children, Disability and Equality to explain the State pension system and the entitlements available for foster carers.Any further potential changes to the State Pension (Contributory) would have to be be considered having regard to the overall policy and legal contexts underpinning the State pension system.I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
155. Deputy Tony McCormack asked the Minister for Social Protection the means by which his Department is assisting businesses to plan for auto-enrolment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32981/25]
View answer178. Deputy Tony McCormack asked the Minister for Social Protection for an update on the introduction of the automatic enrolment retirement savings system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32980/25]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 155 and 178 together.
The Programme for Government contains a commitment to introduce the Automatic Enrolment (AE) Retirement Savings System. The legislative basis for implementing the new system was enacted last July. I recently announced the system will commence from 1st January 2026.
Implementation of AE is well underway with progress being made across several workstreams. A new public body called the National Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings Authority (NAERSA) is being established under the aegis of the Department of Social Protection to run the new scheme. A number of senior executive positions, including the CEO, as well as the positions of members of NAERSA’s board are on track to be filled by Q3 of this year at the latest.
A contract was signed on 9th October 2024 with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) for the provision of a managed service to operate the administration of the AE system.
Separately, the evaluation of responses to the tendering exercise for three investment management firms, who will invest the contributions of participants, has recently been completed. It is expected that contracts will be awarded to the preferred bidders by the end of Q2 or early Q3.
Parallel to these workstreams, a three-phased communications strategy continues to be rolled out, with the current focus being on awareness raising with employers. Over 10,000 employers and related professionals in HR and payroll have been directly reached through webinars, conferences and in person stakeholder meetings. In addition, employers have been targeted through radio, digital audio and print ads, pointing them to the automatic enrolment website hub (www.gov.ie/autoenrolment), which contains an array of employer-focused resources. The second phase of the strategy commences this summer with the launch of an advertising campaign on multiple media platforms, which will include an employer-specific aspect to the campaign.
I trust this clarifies matters for the Deputy.
156. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection if he is aware that employers are not obligated to make pension contributions during unpaid maternity leave unless stipulated in the employment contract; if he is aware of the hardship this incurs on new mothers and parents later in life; if he plans to address the issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33105/25]
View answerMy Department has no role in setting the rules for payment of contributions under occupational pension schemes or pension products or for contractual terms in respect of unpaid maternity leave.
During a period of qualifying maternity absence, occupational pension schemes are required to ensure that a member:
• continues in membership of the scheme, and
• continues to accrue rights under the scheme,
during any period of qualifying maternity absence in the same manner as if she were at work and being paid normally during that period.
There is no obligation to pay an employee or provide them with pension benefits during any period of maternity absence which is not a qualifying maternity absence.
Nothing in the Pensions Act, 1990 (as amended) prevents an occupational pension scheme from providing special, more favourable treatment for women in connection with pregnancy or childbirth or makes unlawful any act done in compliance with the Maternity Protection Acts 1994 to 2022 or the Adoptive Leave Acts, 1995 and 2005.
Scheme rules can also provide for members to purchase additional service for periods where there is a break in reckonable service.
Therefore, the rules of the occupational pension scheme and the contract of employment will determine whether contributions are payable in respect of periods of unpaid maternity leave.
Where a person is a contributor to a personal pension product such as a PRSA or makes Additional Voluntary Contributions in their own right and not through their employer, it may be possible for the person to continue to make individual contributions during any periods of unpaid leave subject to any Revenue rules that apply in relation to tax relief.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
157. Deputy Aisling Dempsey asked the Minister for Social Protection his plans to extend social welfare payments, benefits and allowances to foster carers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33129/25]
View answerThe Government is very aware of the key role that carers, including foster carers, play in Irish society and the challenges they face. We are fully committed to supporting all carers.The Department of Social Protection provides a comprehensive package of income supports.While foster care policy falls under the Minister for Department for Children, Disability and Equality, foster carers may still qualify for social welfare income supports if they meet the eligibility criteria.Foster Care Allowance, paid by Túsla, is not considered as means when assessing eligibility for social welfare payments.People receiving Foster Care Allowance are now be eligible for the Back-to-School Clothing and Footwear Allowance, provided they meet the qualifying conditions for the payment. An estimated 2,300 children are expected to benefit from this. Applications for this scheme are now open until 30 September.The current State Pension Contributory system provides measures including PRSI credits, Homemaking Disregards and HomeCaring Periods to recognise caring periods of up to 20 years outside of paid employment in the calculation of a payment rate. Foster carers are entitled to the benefits of the Homemaker’s Scheme or HomeCaring Periods, and they may also be entitled to long-term carer’s contributions where they meet the criteria and 20-year threshold.Officials from my Department have met with Foster Carer Representatives and provided detailed explanations on State pension system and the related contributions and the options open to them.I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
158. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Social Protection if he is aware of the growing difficulties faced by community and voluntary organisations across County Tipperary in maintaining essential services due to the chronic inability to fill vacancies on community employment (CE) schemes; the urgent measures being taken to address the recruitment crisis and ensure the sustainability of these vital community supports; if he has engaged with his colleague in the Department of Social Protection on the matter; the measures he can implement to support CE schemes that cannot fill vacancies where communities risk losing vital services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26221/25]
View answerThe objective of Community Employment (CE) scheme is to enhance the employability of disadvantaged and long-term unemployed persons by providing work experience and training opportunities for them within their local communities on a temporary fixed term basis.In addition to providing eligible people with valuable occupational experience and training as a stepping-stone to employment in the open-labour market, schemes such as CE also support important and, in many cases essential, local community services.The OECD in a recently published review of the CE and Tús schemes found a positive impact on the employment and earnings of participants, especially for older participants on CE and younger participants on Tús. The review also found that participants are less likely to rely on disability payments and are more likely to find employment after their participation.CE projects are in diverse areas and include the development, regeneration and enhancement of community spaces, environmental maintenance, early years, and after-school supports, heritage, arts, culture, tourism, sport, recycling and repair of equipment, visitation, friendly call, and befriending programmes for older people.There are currently 19,693 participants and 1,223 Supervisors on 810 CE schemes. Government investment in CE will amount to nearly €370 million in 2025.Given the strong labour market performance, the reduction in the number of unemployed people on the Live Register has impacted on the availability of potential candidates to participate on these schemes. A number of changes have been made in recent times to support CE sponsors in their recruitment and retention of participants. These changes include:
• A provision to allow CE participants who reach 60 years of age to remain in CE until they reach state pension age (66).
• Some flexibility granted to CE sponsors to retain existing participants for extended periods in cases where a replacement cannot be recruited immediately.
• Changes to eligibility criteria extending CE eligibility to the adult dependents of those in receipt of Jobseeker’s Allowance.
• A new pilot scheme to extend CE eligibility to those over 50 years of age in receipt of credits or a combination of credits & Jobseekers Benefit.I can assure the Deputy that the eligibility criteria, the duration timelines for participation and the referral process for CE continues to be kept under active review by my Department.
159. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection the steps he will take to address the massive rise in consistent poverty among children; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33028/25]
View answer175. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Social Protection his views on a report on child poverty (details supplied); and if he will outline the actions he is taking to address the concerns raised. [33122/25]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 159 and 175 together.
The Government welcomes the publication of the fourth Child Poverty Monitor by the Children’s Right Alliance.While the latest SILC 2024 data contained in the Child Poverty Monitor, which saw Child Poverty rise from 4.8% in SILC 2023 to 8.5% in SILC 2024, is very disappointing, it is important to recognise that they do not reflect the Government’s full response to child poverty in recent years.In 2023, the year in which the SILC income data was collected, the Government had not yet brought in free school meals for all primary schools, or free schoolbooks at second level. These supports will make a difference to children in poverty and will be reflected in poverty figures in future.Similarly, the significant increases in social welfare contained in Budget 2024 and the associated cost of living measures worth over €2.3 billion were not included in the SILC statistics.The Government' determination to reduce child poverty is reflected in the establishment of the Child Poverty and Well-being Programme Office in the Department of the Taoiseach in 2023. This coincided with the time period during which the latest SILC figures were collected.It takes time to see the impact of our work in the data, and that is why we are also determined to keep making progress, even if that is not always immediately reflective in the statistics. We are determined and committed to see this commitment through.Government is clear that we need to target support where they are needed most, and I am particularly concerned about what is happening to families on the lowest incomes. That is why we increased the Child Support Payment significantly in Budget 2025, and the threshold for Working Family Payment.Budget 2025 also included lump sum payments to those in receipt of the Child Support Payment and Working Family Payment.Government is committed to setting an ambitious national Child Poverty target under the Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020-2025 and this was reiterated in the Programme for Government.The Department of the Taoiseach has recently convened a series of meetings with key stakeholders on the development of a new national child poverty target and the range of measures required to achieve same and I expect to be in a position to submit a recommendation on the setting of a new target to Government in the near future.
160. Deputy Noel McCarthy asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide a breakdown of the number of families that have benefitted from the newborn baby grant since its introduction; his Department’s plans to revise the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33149/25]
View answerA newborn or adopted child grant of €280 was announced in Budget 2025 to be paid to families of babies born or children with a date of placement on or after 1st December 2024. This grant is paid in addition to their regular first month’s Child Benefit payment of €140.
The newborn baby or adopted child grant is paid automatically with Child Benefit payments, there is no additional application for the grant. There are no plans to review the newborn baby or adopted child grant currently.
As at 3rd June 2025, a total of 19,429 customers have received the grant in respect of 19,750 children.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
