Tony McCormack
Question:81. Deputy Tony McCormack asked the Minister for Social Protection his main priorities for his Department for the remainder of the year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2861/26]
View answerThursday, 15 January 2026
Questions (81)
Written answers
In line with the Programme for Government commitments, I have number of key priorities with my Department for this year and the remaining lifetime of this Government. These are as follows;
1. Explore a targeted second tier child benefit payment.
2. Ensure there is intensive and appropriate activation measures to help those most distant from the labour market.
3. Explore a permanent annual cost of disability support payment.
4. over the lifetime of this Government and via the annual Budget process, seek to extend the period of payment of a social welfare payment following death from 6 to 12 weeks.
5. Explore options for the extension of Pay Related Benefit to other schemes.
6. Oversee the work of NAERSA and the ongoing implementation of My Future Fund.
7. Explore the option of giving self-employed workers access to Illness Benefit by means of making a higher PRSI contribution.
8. Continue to improve hot-school meals scheme.
9. Publish a consultation paper on a new Working Age Payment seeking views from relevant parties on how it should be structured.
10. Continue to significantly increase 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.
11. Ensure parents who are aged 66+ and caring for children with lifelong disabilities retain the rate at which they are paid their Carer’s Allowance and concurrently receive the State Pension.
12. Examine how we can better support carers who are providing full-time care and attention to more than one person.
13. Explore extending the eligibility of the Free Travel pass to DCA recipients.
14. Carry out a comprehensive review of means tests across the social welfare system.
15. Continue to support successful local programmes such as CE, TÚS and the Rural Social Scheme which do vital work in local communities.
16. Continue the integration of digital services and continue investment in the Digitalisation of Life Events and the Digital Wallet.
17. Work with employers and across Government to improve employment of people with disabilities and ensure that supports for entrepreneurs and enterprise are accessible to all, including people with disabilities with a goal of reaching at least the EU average.
18. Achieve targets for timeliness of claim decisions and appeal decisions.
19. Implement the Department's control policy - produce and publish an annual report on control activity.
20. Organise and host the annual social inclusion forum and the pre-budget forum.
21. Convene and support the Social Inclusion Steering Group, the Labour Market Advisory Council and publish new relevant national strategies to succeed the current Roadmap for Social Inclusion and the current Pathways to Work strategies.
22. Ensure Department holds formal meetings with the community and voluntary pillar.
23. Develop annual budget proposal on basis of evidence - including SILC and ESRI - targeting sectors that are most at risk of poverty.
24. Implement social insurance contribution rate increases as provided for in legislation out to 2030.