Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 25 September 2025
101. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost of extending the period of a social welfare payment following the death of a dependent from six to 12 weeks as committed to in the Programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50439/25]
View answerThe Government has agreed a number of commitments that are to be achieved over the lifetime of the Government.
I am currently considering options for the Social Protection package as part of Budget 2026. Consideration and decisions in relation to any Social Protection measures as part of the Budget process will be taken in the context of overall funding available, the economic context and the competing Government priorities.
One of the proposals in the Programme for Government is to extend the period of payment after death from 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.
For Carer’s Allowance, the payment continues for a period of 12 weeks after the death of the person being cared for. In the case of Domiciliary Care Allowance, payment continues for a period of 3 months after the death of the recipient.
A high level estimate of the cost to implement this extension from 6 to 12 weeks across other relevant Social Welfare schemes is being undertaken by my officials but is not yet finalised. This costing will inform budget decisions and will be based on the estimated average number of recipients across all relevant social welfare schemes. It will be subject to change in light of emerging trends, changes in the number of recipients and any projections for future recipient numbers and other relevant data.
