Written Answers Nos. 693-712
693. Deputy Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin asked the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage if there has been an increase in homeless figures since his Department changed the criteria for tenant in situ scheme specifically confirming the number of persons currently homeless in County Wicklow and County Wexford, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [64007/25]
View answerSupporting individuals and families experiencing or at risk of experiencing homelessness is a priority for my Department and Government.
Increased supply is key to addressing homelessness, meeting need and addressing the challenges in the housing market. Government is fully committed to working with all stakeholders to deliver social, affordable and cost rental homes at scale and to continue accelerating housing supply across all tenures. A record level of investment is being provided for the delivery of housing in 2026, with €5.2bn in Exchequer capital funding complemented by investment through the Land Development Agency (LDA) and lending from the Housing Finance Agency (HFA), bringing the total capital funding for housing in 2026 to over €9 billion. This record level of funding is supporting the delivery of social, affordable and cost rental homes. The 2026 capital funding will be supplemented by over €2 billion in current funding to address housing needs.
Over the last three years, my Department has provided funding for second hand acquisitions for a number of priority categories, including tenant-in-situ. Despite some coverage to the contrary, the eligibility criteria for tenant-in-situ acquisitions in 2025 is largely the same as guidance issued in June 2024 and not substantially different to what was required in 2023. The Government committed €325 million to support a second-hand acquisitions programme in 2025 which was apportioned across all 31 local authorities. Funding for the Second Hand Acquisitions Programme for 2026 will be agreed later this year, with individual allocations notified to local authorities as soon possible thereafter.
This substantial financial investment will support local authorities to acquire second-hand properties for priority categories of need including tenants-in-situ who have been in receipt of supports under HAP or RAS and who had received a Notice of Termination. The other priority categories for second-hand acquisitions are properties that allow persons/families to exit homelessness; one-bedroom properties to deliver on Housing First targets; specific housing required for people with a disability or the elderly and vacant properties under the Buy & Renew scheme.
Delivering Homes, Building Communities commits to maintaining a targeted Second Hand Social Housing Acquisitions Programme to support those households in the most precarious housing situations. The programme will support acquisitions for priority categories of need, including exits from long term homelessness, tenancy sustainment, urgent responses for persons with disabilities, for older persons, for care leavers, and Housing First tenancies. In respect of tenancy sustainment the acquisitions programme will continue to act as a necessary last resort policy tool available to local authorities to help prevent individuals or families falling into homelessness.
My Department currently gathers and publishes data on a monthly basis on the number of homeless persons accommodated in emergency accommodation funded and overseen by local authorities. These reports are based on data provided by local authorities, produced through the Pathway Accommodation & Support System (PASS).
While responsibility for the provision of homeless accommodation and related services rests with individual housing authorities, the administration of homeless services is organised on a regional basis with a lead authority in place for each region. County Wicklow is included in the Mid East region with Kildare County Council as the lead authority. County Wexford is included in the South East region for the purposes of homeless administration, with Waterford City and County Council as lead authority.
The monthly homelessness report includes details of individuals, families and the dependants of these families who accessed emergency accommodation during the relevant count week of the month in question. The report also includes the number of adults in emergency accommodation by age band and region. The most recently published data is in respect of September 2025. The reports are collated on a regional basis and are available on my Department's website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/department-of-housing-local-government-and-heritage/collections/homelessness-data/ and are also published to the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digialisation's open data portal data.gov.ie/.
My Department also publishes quarterly progress reports which are based on quarterly performance reports submitted by the nine regional lead authorities responsible for the administration of homeless services at local level. These quarterly performance reports include information on presentations to homeless services by single adult and family households who entered emergency accommodation. The most recent published data is in respect of Q3 2025 and is available on my Department’s website at the following link: www.gov.ie/en/department-of-housing-local-government-and-heritage/collections/homelessness-data/.
694. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Social Protection if his attention has been drawn to the post budget campaign of an organisation (details supplied); the actions he will take to address these concerns; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62836/25]
View answer700. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Social Protection if his attention has been drawn to the post budget campaign of an organisation (details supplied); the actions he will take to address these concerns; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62835/25]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 694 and 700 together.
The Government recognises the significant additional costs that disabled people can face in their daily lives and is committed improving outcomes for disabled people by introducing permanent measures.
The Programme for Government commits to introducing a permanent Annual Cost of Disability Support Payment with a view to incrementally increasing this payment. Our Programme for Government commitments will be advanced over the lifetime of the Government, having regard to the overall policy and budgetary context.
In Budget 2026, I provided for a €1.15 billion package of new social protection measures.
Government has been very clear that there would be no once-off measures in this year’s Budget. We are at the start of a five-year programme for Government and not everything can be done in year one.
However, the Budget package contained significant targeted measures to support disabled people. These measures include:
• A €10 increase in the weekly rates of payment, bringing the personal rates of payment to €254 per week from January.
• A Christmas bonus double payment to all persons getting a long-term disability payment, to be paid in December 2025.
• The highest ever increases in the Child Support Payment – an increase of €16 to €78 for children aged 12 or over, and of €8 to €58 for children under 12.
• A €5 increase in the Fuel Allowance, bring it to €38 per week from January 2026.
• People moving from Disability Allowance or Blind Pension to take up work will be able to retain their Fuel Allowance payment for five years.
• People getting Disability Allowance or Blind Pension who have children will be eligible for Back to Work Family Dividend when taking up employment and moving off those payments.
• Expansion of the Wage Subsidy Scheme to people who acquire a disability while in employment and to those who transfer from Invalidity Pension to Partial Capacity Benefit, and increasing the rates paid from April.
• The Government allocated €3.8 billion to the Department of Children, Disability and Equality for disability services in 2026, including funding for Community Based Specialist Disability Services to ensure people with disabilities receive the right support, at the right time, in the right place. This represents a 20% increase year on year and represents an overall increase since 2020 of €1.8 billion.
The Department of Social Protection package also contained measures aimed at supporting Carers, and recipients of Domiciliary Care Allowance.
• Increase the Earnings Disregard for Carer’s Allowance by €375 to €1,000 for a single person and by €750 to €2,000 for a couple from July 2026.
• The income limit for Carer’s Benefit will increase by €375 to €1,000 per week from July 2026.
• €20 increase in the monthly Domiciliary Care Allowance payment bringing the payment to €380 per month from January.
In addition, the recently published National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025-2030 takes a whole-of-Government approach and includes a commitment to establish a Strategic Focus Network on the Cost of Disability, led by my Department.
The work of this network, which will include people with disabilities and their advocates, will inform the approach we will be taking in delivering on this Programme for Government commitment. Officials in my Department have started to have meetings with stakeholder groups with a view to bringing a proposal to Government in the first half of next year.
My Department provides the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme, for those whose means are insufficient to meet their needs and those of their dependents. Under the scheme, the Department may make an ‘additional needs payment’ to meet essential expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income.
The payment is available to anyone who needs it and qualifies, whether the person is currently on a social welfare payment or in employment. The payment amount will depend on a person’s weekly household income, their outgoings and the type of assistance needed. Payments are made at the discretion of the Community Welfare Officers administering the scheme, considering all the circumstances of the case.
Any person who considers they may have an entitlement to an additional needs payment is encouraged to contact their local community welfare service.
I trust this clarifies the issue for the Deputy.
695. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Social Protection his position on a matter (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63695/25]
View answerFurther to Budget 2026, €28.9 billion will be spent on social welfare in 2026, including over €1.15 billion of new measures targeted to assist households. The measures contained in the Budget are designed to support the most vulnerable in our society with the increased cost of living and there is a particular focus on tackling child poverty with over €320 million in targeted measures to alleviate Child Poverty. This includes the largest ever increase in the Child Support Payments of €8 and €16 per week for children aged under 12 and 12 and over respectively which will benefit those in receipt of Jobseeker’s Benefit and Jobseeker’s Allowance, including those in part-time employment.
Budget 2026 also provides targeted supports for low income working families by raising the income thresholds for Working Family Payment by €60 per week from January 2026 and extending the benefit of the fuel allowance scheme to families in receipt of the Working Family Payment.
The Jobseeker’s Pay-Related Benefit is a fundamentally new scheme and is being monitored as the first full annual cycle of the scheme progresses. My department is assessing the impact of the scheme and of the pay-related approach to a benefit payment, in terms of economic and behavioural metrics, and will consider any potential changes as the scheme continues to roll out.
The maximum rates available on Jobseeker’s Pay-Related Benefit for those either with five-plus years contributions or contributions of between two and five years, €450 and €300, respectively, remain considerably higher than the personal rates for other working-age social welfare schemes, which will increase to €254 from January 2026. As of end September 2025, the average weekly payment was €394.20 for the initial 13-week period of entitlement for those with five years PRSI contributions.
In addition, Budget 2026 increased the National Minimum wage, which means that people earning the National Minimum wage who become unemployed will benefit from a higher rate of Jobseeker’s Pay-Related Benefit than previously.
Any future changes to the scheme will be considered in a wider policy and budgetary context.
696. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Social Protection to reconsider an application a rent supplement application for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63799/25]
View answerThe Rent Supplement (RS) scheme provides short-term income support to eligible people living in private rented accommodation whose means are insufficient to meet their accommodation costs and who do not have accommodation available to them from any other source. The scheme ensures that for those who were renting, but whose circumstances have changed due to temporary loss of employment, can continue to meet their rental commitments.
According to Departmental records, the person concerned applied for RS on 25/08/2025. This claim was disallowed on the basis that the person concerned was in fulltime employment and did not meet the qualifying criteria for RS. A letter advising them of this outcome issued to them on 10/09/2025.
The Department has since been contacted by the person concerned who advised that they now have a change in her circumstances and that they are no longer employed and are now in receipt if Illness Benefit. The application for the person concerned is now being reconsidered based on the new information provided. The CWO will contact the person concerned should any further information be required on review of their application, alternatively, the CWO will advise the person concerned with the outcome of the decision directly.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
697. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Social Protection if the free travel scheme can be extended to persons with cancer who, due to their condition and treatment, may be able to drive some days and not others, or for an undetermined time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62720/25]
View answerThe Free Travel Scheme is available to all persons aged over 66 and those under age 66 on certain qualified payments, who are living legally and permanently in the State. The scheme permits those who are eligible to travel for free on most CIE public transport services, Local Link, LUAS and services provided by over 70 private transport operators.
As part of Budget 2024, a significant expansion to the Free Travel eligibility criteria was announced. Access to the Free Travel Pass was expanded to support people who are medically certified as unable to drive for a period of 12 months or longer. There is no requirement that a person must be in receipt of a Social Welfare payment in order to qualify for a Free Travel Pass on these medical grounds, provided the other qualifying criteria are met.
Any decision to expand the medical free travel scheme to include people with cancer who are unable to drive for periods shorter than 12 months would require additional funding for the free travel scheme and would have to be considered in the context of overall scheme policy and budgetary negotiations.
I fully understand the financial challenges associated with such a diagnosis and it is important to note that Additional Needs Payments are available through my Department for people who have essential expenses, which they cannot meet from their own resources.
These payments are available through our Community Welfare Officers and include help towards recurring travel costs that cannot be met from the person's own resources and are deemed to be necessary. Every decision is based on consideration of the circumstances of the case, taking account of the nature and extent of the need and of the resources of the person concerned.
Any person who considers that 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. In addition, applications for Additional Needs Payments can be made online via www.mywelfare.ie.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
698. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Social Protection the levels of support available to those impacted by long-Covid following the final extension of the temporary special scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62775/25]
View answerMy Department provides a suite of income supports for those who are unable to work due to an illness or disability. These include contributory payments, based on PRSI contributions, such as illness benefit and invalidity pension, and non-contributory payments, based on a means test, such as disability allowance. Entitlement to these supports is contingent on the extent to which a particular illness or disability impairs or restricts a person’s capacity to work. It is not dependent on the nature of the illness or disability.
Every application for my Department's schemes is individually assessed, in line with the provisions specified in the relevant social welfare legislation. Assessment is based on the medical information provided by healthcare providers and the claimant and taking into account the opinion of the Department’s Medical Assessor.
Illness benefit is a short-term social insurance scheme. It is available for up to two years for people who have the required social insurance contributions. A GP must submit a Certificate of Incapacity to Work to my Department.
Invalidity pension is a longer-term social insurance scheme, based on PRSI contributions and medical condition. In order to qualify, the person must have been incapable of work for at least 12 months and be likely to be incapable of work for at least another 12 months; or must be permanently incapable of work.
Disability allowance is a longer-term social assistance scheme for people who are aged between 16 and 66. In order to qualify, the person must satisfy a habitual residency condition, a means test and meet the medical requirement. The medical requirement for disability allowance is that the person's disability must be expected to last for at least one year, and the disability must substantially restrict the person’s ability to work.
An additional needs payment under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme may also be available to people 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.
With specific reference to employees in the health services affected by long-COVID, the Temporary Scheme of Paid Leave for Public Health Service Employees provides targeted sectoral support. This Temporary Scheme is a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation. The scheme has been extended a number of times, most recently to conclude on 31 December 2025. Any employee of the public health sector remaining unwell after that date may utilise the full provisions of the Public Service Sick Leave Scheme which will provide further support.
I trust this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
699. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason for the decision to reject a disability allowance application for a person (details supplied), who had previously been in receipt of the allowance but had it withdrawn on the basis of means testing; the reason, upon reapplying, the individual was refused on medical grounds despite having lifelong and well-documented disabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62828/25]
View answerDisability Allowance (DA) is a weekly allowance paid to people with a specified disability who are aged 16 or over and under the age of 66. This disability must be expected to last for at least one year and the allowance is subject to a medical assessment, a means test and the habitual residency conditions.
To qualify for DA, a person must be considered to be substantially restricted in undertaking employment suitable to his/her age, qualifications and experience. The condition must be expected to last for at least 12 months.
I can confirm that, having previously been in receipt of DA up to June 2021, the Department received a new application for DA from the person concerned on 07 October 2024. Based on the evidence supplied in support of this person’s application, this application for DA was refused, for failing to supply sufficient information to determine their means. In addition, their application, based upon all the evidence submitted, was refused on medical grounds as it was not found that they were substantially restricted in taking up employment.
The person concerned was notified in writing of this decision on 29 October 2024 and was also notified of their right to request a review of this decision or to appeal it to the Social Welfare Appeals Office (SWAO).
Following a review, the person concerned satisfied the means criteria for DA but was deemed not medical eligible. The person concerned was notified in writing of the review decisions on 25 November 2024 and 16 January 2025.
An appeal was lodged with the SWAO. The SWAO notified the DA section that the original decision was upheld and the appeal was disallowed. The person concerned was notified directly by the SWAO regarding their appeal on 14 March 2025.
An Appeals Officer’s decision is final and conclusive in absence of any fresh facts or evidence. It is open to the person in question to reapply for DA.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
701. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Social Protection to consider extending children’s allowance payments to a full year following the death of a child; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62860/25]
View answerChild Benefit is a monthly payment made to families with children up to the age of 16 years. Currently, the payment continues to be paid in respect of children until their 19th birthday where they are in full-time education or have a disability.
The death of a child is always a tragedy and the difficulties that parents and families experience as a result cannot be over-stated.
Whilst the Department is appreciative of the difficulties families face in such circumstances, currently there is no provision to pay Child Benefit after the death of a child. The Child Benefit payment ceases once the Department is notified of the death.
The Department recognises the need for a transition period during which people can grieve and plan for a life following the death of a family member. If a person is in receipt of a primary social welfare payment which includes a Child Support Payment and, tragically, that child dies, the Child Support Payment will continue for six weeks after the child's death.
Where appropriate, the Department also provides Additional Needs Payments as part of the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme, to help meet essential expenses that a person cannot pay from their weekly income or other personal and household resources.
An application can also be made under the scheme for assistance with funeral and burial expenses by the person who takes responsibility for those funeral arrangements, and where there is an inability to pay these costs, in part or in full, by the applicant and/or the family of the deceased person without causing hardship.
Both the Child Support Payment and Additional Needs Payment are targeted measures designed to assist customers experiencing financial difficulty. In contrast, Child Benefit is a universal payment which is not dependant on means or PRSI contributions.
The Department regularly reviews all of its schemes in order to ensure that they are still delivering on their policy aims and objectives. Any changes to Child Benefit would have to be considered in a wider policy and budgetary context.
I trust this clarifies the position for the deputy.
702. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Social Protection the way in which employment and income-support policies will be aligned with Pillar Two (Employment), including measurable targets for workforce participation, employer engagement, and reduction in disability-related poverty under the National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People. [62873/25]
View answerThe Government launched the National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025-2030 on the 3rd of September this year.
The strategy adopts a whole-of-Government approach to advancing the implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Individual Government Departments and State Agencies are responsible for planning and delivering the commitments that come under their remit across five key Pillars:
• Inclusive Learning and Education
• Employment
• Independent Living and Active Participation in Society
• Wellbeing and Health
• Transport and Mobility
The Department of Social Protection is co-lead on Pillar 2 - Employment, with the Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment. This pillar is focused on improving access to the workplace for disabled people.
The First Programme Plan of Actions 2025 -2026 is currently being developed. It is due to be published in the coming weeks. It will set out how the key priority actions under each commitment will be delivered on, by whom, the timeframe for delivery, and relevant Key Performance Indicators. Reporting or updating on Programme Plans will be carried out every six months.
Oversight of delivery will be undertaken by the Cabinet Committee on Disability, supported by the relevant Senior Officials Group and the Disability Unit in the Department of the Taoiseach. The Joint Oireachtas Committee on Disability Matters will function as part of the broader political and democratic oversight of progress. A Delivery and Monitoring Committee will be established with representation from Disabled Persons’ Organisations and other disability stakeholders.
At the heart of this approach is that at all stages, the views and opinions of disabled persons, their organisations, and other relevant stakeholders will be central to delivery.
I trust this clarifies the issue for the Deputy.
703. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of pending appeals in respect of jobseeker’s allowance; and the average waiting time for a decision. [62968/25]
View answerThe number of Jobseeker's Allowance appeals currently awaiting decision as of end of Quarter 3 2025 is 2,661 appeals.
The time taken to process appeals includes all aspects of the appeal process. The appeal contentions and any additional documentation are referred back to the relevant scheme area to consider if they can revise their decision. A significant number of appeals are dealt with in this way. Of the 2,661 appeals Jobseeker's Allowance appeals on hand, 48% are currently with the department for consideration of review. Where the first instance decision is not revised in favour of the appellant, the appeal is then considered by the Appeals Officer who may decide the appeal summarily or hold an oral hearing.
The average waiting time for a decision on jobseekers allowance appeals at Quarter 3 2025 is 25 weeks. The Chief Appeals Officer continues to monitor the number of appeals on hand and appeal processing times, and every effort is made to reduce the time taken to process an appeal. Considerable progress has been made with a total of 44,307 appeals across all schemes finalised by the end of October 2025. This is a 96% increase in productivity on the 22,610 dealt with at end of October 2024. As a result, pending appeals volumes have been more than halved from over 22,000 in January this year to about 11,000 currently and are continuing to fall.
It should also be noted, that an appellant may have recourse to supplementary welfare allowance pending the outcome of their appeal.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the deputy.
704. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will consider increasing the means test threshold for the disability allowance in line with the changes made to carer's allowance in Budget 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62992/25]
View answerOver the last five budgets the Government has progressively improved payment rates and income disregards for disabled people. The weekly payment rates for Disability Allowance have increased by €51 in that time. From January 2026 the maximum personal rate of payment will be €254 per week.
The earnings disregard has increased by almost 38% since Budget 2021 from €120 to €165 currently. This enables those in receipt of Disability Allowance to earn more without having a negative impact on their means tested payment. It means that people can earn up to €165 per week and keep their payment in full and can earn up to €517.60 per week and keep a small portion of their payment.
Any further changes will have to be considered in a budgetary context.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
705. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will review the age cut-off of seven for the one-parent family payment, in light of the continued care and financial needs of one-parent households; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62993/25]
View answerBetween 2012 and 2015 a reform of lone parent supports reduced the qualifying age for One-Parent Family Payment from 18 to 7 years and introduced the Jobseekers Transitional payment for lone parents whose youngest child is aged 7 to 13 years inclusive.
Both One-Parent Family Payment and Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment are comprised of the same weekly personal rate and a Child Support Payment for each child in the household. Neither payment requires the customer to demonstrate that they are seeking employment; however, it is a requirement for recipients of Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment to engage with the Department's Intreo service. There is no such requirement for recipients of One-Parent Family Payment. This policy seeks to increase lone parents access to education and employment supports and encourage engagement with the workforce as their child ages.
Research on the impact of the reforms has shown a positive effect. ESRI analysis of the reduction of the qualifying age for One-Parent Family Payment from 18 years to 7 years found that the reforms led to an increase in the average hours worked of lone parents of between two and five hours per week, and lone parents impacted by the policy were 13 percentage points more likely to be working. In addition, they found an increase in household income of between 9% and 12%, and an increase of between 23% and 29% in earnings from employment. Finally, the policy was associated with a 10–14 percentage point reduction in the poverty rate of lone parents.
Extending One-Parent Family Payment beyond the seventh birthday of the child would have the effect of delaying the interaction of affected customers with the Department’s Intreo services. The primary aim of the current system is to reduce long-term welfare dependency, and associated poverty, among lone parents, and to improve their access to education, training, and employment support services. Improved access to these services will enhance their skills-set and job-readiness, thereby assisting with their transition into the workforce, and with their subsequent attainment of financial independence.
For these reasons, I have no proposals to change the position at this time.
706. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Social Protection if jobseekers benefit payments for the month of August will be awarded to a substitute teacher (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63015/25]
View answerThe person concerned applied for Jobseekers Benefit on 29/7/2025. Further information in relation to this application was requested. The information was not received and the claim was closed.
The person concerned reapplied for Jobseekers Benefit on the 5/9/2025 and was awarded Jobseekers Benefit on the 16/09/2025.
The person concerned then requested payment for the period from 28/7/2025 to the 5/9/2025. This was initially disallowed. This disallowance was appealed and on review was allowed by a Deciding Officer.
Payment including arrears have now issued to the person concerned.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
707. Deputy George Lawlor asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of vacancies which arose at principal officer level for the years 2022, 2023, 2024 and to date in 2025 in his Department and agencies under the aegis of his Department; the number of these vacancies filled between internal and external methods; the number of vacancies each year at principal officer level filled by mobility; the number of internal competitions for principal officer grade run by his Department since 2010; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63032/25]
View answerPlease see below a table detailing Principal vacancies filled by year since 2022 in the Department of Social Protection by internal promotion, open competitions and civil service mobility. A number of lateral moves also took place within DSP that are not included in the figures below.
|
Year |
Internal |
Open |
Mobility |
|
2022 |
2 |
3 |
2 |
|
2023 |
8 |
3 |
|
|
2024 |
5 |
2 |
1 |
|
2025 |
2 |
1 |
|
An internal Head of Internal Audit competition at Principal level was held in DSP in 2017. In 2010, 2011, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2022 and 2024 internal generalist Principal competitions were held.
The Pensions Authority had three Principal vacancies arising in the years 2022, 2023, 2024 and to date in 2025. All these vacancies were advertised externally, therefore all Principal vacancies were filled by external competition. The Pensions Authority is a public sector body and does not have access to the Civil Service mobility scheme. The Authority’s policy is to fill permanent vacancies at Assistant Principal Officer grade and above through open public competition, so no such vacancies were filled by internal competition.
The Citizens Information Bureau filled one Principal vacancy in 2022 and one in 2024 by open competition.
708. Deputy Joanna Byrne asked the Minister for Social Protection the schools across County Louth that operated a breakfast club for the academic school year 2024-2025 ; and the number of children in each school who received meals through each breakfast club, in tabular form. [63041/25]
View answer710. Deputy Joanna Byrne asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of schools in County Louth that have applied for the school meals scheme to date in the current academic school year 2025-2026. [63043/25]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 708 and 710 together.
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.
Following the Budget 2025 announcement all primary schools are now eligible for the Hot School Meals Scheme, meaning that approximately 3,700 schools and organisations and 682,000 children are now be eligible for the School Meals Programme.
It is important to note that the 2025/2026 academic school year started a few weeks ago and applications continue to be received and processed. The table below gives the current position of the Louth schools for 2024/25 and 2025/26 to date.
|
School Year |
2024/25 |
2025/26 |
|
Schools Receiving Breakfast Club |
25 |
10 |
|
Pupils benefitting |
7,918 |
2,783 |
|
Schools receiving School Meals |
64 |
35 |
|
Pupils benefitting |
17,562 |
8,358 |
SCHOOLS IN COUNTY LOUTH RECEIVING BREAKFAST CLUB AND THE NUMBER OF CHILDREN IN EACH SCHOOL FOR 2024/25
|
School |
Breakfast Club |
|
Ardee Community School |
370 |
|
Bush Post Primary School |
800 |
|
Castletown Rd Convent |
188 |
|
Coláiste Chú Chulainn |
830 |
|
De La Salle College |
741 |
|
Gaelscoil Dhun Dealgan |
212 |
|
Little Partners Creche |
49 |
|
Ó Fiaich College |
289 |
|
Our Lady'S College |
200 |
|
Rathmullan N S |
95 |
|
S N An Tslanaitheora B |
153 |
|
S N An Tslanaitheora C |
136 |
|
S N Naomh Lorcan |
80 |
|
S N San Nioclas |
159 |
|
Scoil Na Mbraithre Sn |
316 |
|
Scoil Oilibhéir Naofa |
365 |
|
Scoil Ui Mhuiri |
661 |
|
St Brighids Special Sch |
93 |
|
St Brigid'S And St Patrick'S National School |
554 |
|
St Louis Secondary School |
492 |
|
St Nicholas Monastery Ns |
154 |
|
St Oliver'S Community College |
600 |
|
St Pauls Senior Ns |
330 |
|
Stepping Stones Community Creche |
22 |
|
Togher Community Project Group Ltd |
29 |
|
Grand Total |
7918 |
I trust this clarifies the matter.
709. Deputy Joanna Byrne asked the Minister for Social Protection the schools who operated school meals scheme across County Louth for the academic school year 2024-2025; and the number of children in each school who received meals through the scheme, in tabular form. [63042/25]
View answerThe 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.
Following the Budget 2025 announcement all primary schools are now eligible for the Hot School Meals Scheme, meaning that approximately 3,700 schools and organisations and 682,000 children are now be eligible for the School Meals Programme.
There was a total of 64 schools in County Louth in receipt of the School Meals Programme in the 2024/25 academic school year. The table below provides a breakdown of the number of children in each school in receipt of the respective meal club under the programme.
children in receipt of the respective meal club
I trust this clarifies the matter.
711. Deputy Joanna Byrne asked the Minister for Social Protection if his Department intends to contact schools that do not apply for the extended school meals scheme in the current academic school year to determine the reasons they have not applied. [63044/25]
View answerThe School Meals Programme is not mandatory for schools. The decision to apply lies with the school principal and board of management. There were some 300 schools who had not expressed an interest to join the programme at the end of the 2024/2025 academic year. My officials have engaged with these schools to ascertain the reasons why. The main reason given was due to a lack of demand from parents for the programme.
As this is the first academic year that all primary schools will be eligible for the Hot School Meals Programme, and applications continue to currently be received, a full analysis will be conducted in Q1 2026.
I trust this clarifies the matter.
712. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Social Protection if he is aware that while the Government has spoken about sustainable increases and restraint, the reality is that disabled persons are facing a real and substantial loss of income compared with 2025 (details supplied); if he will commit to introducing an emergency winter payment to offset the extra cost of disability, and bring forward a cost of disability payment without further delay; if he will ensure the Department of Social Protection and the Department of Finance deliver fair, adequate supports that reflect the real costs people with disabilities face; and if his Department will conduct a review of how Budget 2026 will impact disabled households over the winter months, when fuel and living costs peak; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63133/25]
View answerThe Government recognises the significant additional costs that disabled people can face in their daily lives and is committed improving outcomes for disabled people by introducing permanent measures.
That is why the Programme for Government includes a range of commitments to support disabled people. Our Programme for Government commitments will be advanced over the lifetime of the Government, having regard to the overall policy and budgetary context.
In Budget 2026, I provided for a €1.15 billion package of new social protection measures.
Government has been very clear that there would be no once-off measures in this year’s Budget. We are at the start of a five-year programme for Government and not everything can be done in year one.
However, my Department's Budget 2026 package contained significant targeted measures to support disabled people. These measures include:
• A €10 increase in the weekly rates of payment, bringing the personal rates of payment to €254 per week from January.
• A Christmas bonus double payment to all persons getting a long-term disability payment, to be paid in December 2025.
• The highest ever increases in the Child Support Payment – an increase of €16 to €78 for children aged 12 or over, and of €8 to €58 for children under 12.
• A €5 increase in the Fuel Allowance, bring it to €38 per week from January 2026.
• People moving from Disability Allowance or Blind Pension to take up work will be able to retain their Fuel Allowance payment for five years.
• People getting Disability Allowance or Blind Pension who have children will be eligible for Back to Work Family Dividend when taking up employment and moving off those payments.
• Expansion of the Wage Subsidy Scheme to people who acquire a disability while in employment and to those who transfer from Invalidity Pension to Partial Capacity Benefit, and increasing the rates paid from April.
The Department of Social Protection package also contained measures aimed at supporting carers, and recipients of Domiciliary Care Allowance.
• Increase the Earnings Disregard for Carer’s Allowance by €375 to €1,000 for a single person and by €750 to €2,000 for a couple from July 2026.
• The income limit for Carer’s Benefit will increase by €375 to €1,000 per week from July 2026.
• €20 increase in the monthly Domiciliary Care Allowance payment bringing the payment to €380 per month from January.
The Government also allocated €3.8 billion to the Department of Children, Disability and Equality for disability services in 2026, including funding for Community Based Specialist Disability Services to ensure people with disabilities receive the right support, at the right time, in the right place. This represents a 20% increase year on year and represents an overall increase since 2020 of €1.8 billion.
The Programme for Government commits to introducing a permanent Annual Cost of Disability Support Payment with a view to incrementally increasing this payment. In addition, under the recently published National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025-2030 my Department will lead a Strategic Focus Network on the Cost of Disability. The First Programme Plan of Actions 2025 - 2026 will be published shortly.
My officials have already held meetings with a number of organisations to discuss the possible structure and content of the Strategic Focus Network on the Cost of Disability. I will be meeting a number of organisations at the next meeting of my Department’s Disability Consultative Forum on 2 December at which the Cost of Disability Strategic Focus Network is the main agenda item.
My Department provides the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme, for those whose means are insufficient to meet their needs and those of their dependents. Under the scheme, the Department may make an ‘additional needs payment’ to meet essential expenditure which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. Any person who considers they may have an entitlement to an additional needs payment is encouraged to contact their local community welfare service.
My Department will publish a social impact assessment of Budget 2026, with distributional analysis of the measures in this Budget.
I trust this clarifies the issue for the Deputy.
