Tuesday, 28 Apr 2026

School Meals Programme

Questions (747)

Ciarán Ahern

Question:

747. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Social Protection for an update on the roll out of the hot school meals programme to secondary schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30287/26]

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Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

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.

In Budget 2025, it was announced that the Hot School Meals would be extended to all remaining primary schools in 2025, meaning that approximately 3,700 schools and 682,000 children are now eligible for school meals. This equates to the distribution of up to 3.4 million school meals per week.

The budget for the School Meals Programme for 2026 is €286 million.

My immediate priority is in-depth review of school meal supplier menus and their compliance with the nutritional standards. My Department seconded a CORU-registered dietician for the School Meals Programme who is under the clinical supervision of the Department of Health to carry out this review. The review is underway with the final report due the end of June 2026.

I trust this clarifies the matter.

Departmental Funding

Questions (748, 749, 750)

Johnny Guirke

Question:

748. Deputy Johnny Guirke asked the Minister for Social Protection the amount of funding that has been provided to local Intreo offices, broken down by county for each of the years 2020 to 2025 and to date in 2026, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29693/26]

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Johnny Guirke

Question:

749. Deputy Johnny Guirke asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of Intreo staff that are employed to assist the public in County Meath; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29695/26]

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Johnny Guirke

Question:

750. Deputy Johnny Guirke asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will consider providing an agreed funding allocation to Intreo offices in County Meath for a five-year period instead of the current three year period; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29697/26]

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Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

I propose to take Questions Nos. 748, 749 and 750 together.

I propose to take PQs 748 , 749 , and 750 750 together. The provision of high quality local customer service is a priority for my Department. My Department provides services to the people of County Meath through the Intreo Centre in Navan and two Social Welfare Branch Offices, in Trim and Kells. Intreo Centre services are demand led, and are not subject to annual funding allocations. The number of staff employed in these offices is provided below as requested:

Location	Intreo Office	Community Welfare Staff	Employment Support Staff
Navan Intreo	18	4	8
Trim Branch Office	6	*	0
Kells Branch Office	4	*	0

*There are four Community Welfare Officers in Meath. A walk- in service is available in the Intreo Office in Navan every day during office hours; there is an outreach walk-in service in the Branch Offices in Kells and Trim each Thursday and Friday.

While local face-to-face engagement with people continues to be a cornerstone of social welfare services, it is important to mention that a person does not need to attend in person to make an application for a scheme or payment, or avail of the Community Welfare Services. The MyWelfare online service facilitates customers in applying for a number of schemes, managing their claims and submitting information and documentation directly to their local office for review. The majority of applications for Jobseeker's payments are made online. People may also submit a paper application for a scheme.

Any person who needs to access the Community Welfare Service can also call the National Community Welfare Service freephone number. A person from any location can speak with a Community Welfare Officer over the phone if they do not wish to travel to an office to meet with an officer in person.

My Department also operates a dedicated contact centre which handles all Intreo phone queries. The National Intreo Contact Centre (NICC) is the centralised point of phone contact for Intreo customers. The NICC services three phone lines: the Intreo helpline on 0818 405060, the Community Welfare Service customer helpline on 0818 607080 and the MyWelfare technical support line on 0818625625. It also responds to email queries through the Customer Information Mailbox – info@welfare.ie, and the MyWelfare technical Support Mailbox - support@mywelfare.ie. The NICC is currently staffed by 91.6 staff (whole time equivalent) who answer queries from customers in all counties.

Customers will find information and contact details, including phone numbers and emails, for all DSP schemes and services on the department's www.gov.ie site.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Question No. 749 answered with Question No. 748.

Question No. 750 answered with Question No. 748.

Departmental Data

Questions (751)

Louise O'Reilly

Question:

751. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection the gross expenditure on fuel allowance in each month of 2026 to date, together with the number of recipient households at the end of each month, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29715/26]

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Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

The figures requested by the Deputy are outlined in the table.

2026

January

February

March

Recipients

420,841

419,926

468,283

Expenditure

€103,316,000

€44,609,000

€69,630,000

Recipients of Fuel Allowance can choose to receive their payment weekly or in two lump sums annually. The January expenditure figures in the table above includes a lump sum payment to some customers.

As part of Budget 2026, Fuel Allowance has been extended to recipients of the Working Family Payment. This extension came into effect in March, with arrears paid back to January. This is the reason for the higher expenditure and recipient figures in March.

Social Welfare Payments

Questions (752)

Louise O'Reilly

Question:

752. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated annual cost of increasing the weekly earnings disregard for recipients of the one-parent family payment and jobseeker's transitional payment to €210; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29716/26]

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Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

The earnings disregard for both the One Parent Family Payment and the Jobseeker's Transitional Payment is €165 per week. In addition, 50% of earnings above this figure is also disregarded in the assessment of means. The disregards have been designed to avoid cliff edges, as customers only see their payment reduce as they earn more from employment.

The full year cost of increasing the disregards across the two schemes is difficult to estimate with accuracy given labour market dynamics, wage fluctuations, and flows into, between, and out of schemes as the age of the youngest child reaches 7 and 14. It is also challenging to forecast the number of new claimants who would avail of the payment as a result of the increased disregard.

Based on an analysis of 2024 income data for One Parent Family Payment and Jobseeker's Transitional Payment recipients, the estimated cost of increasing the disregards from €165 to €210 is approximately €15m for the One-Parent Family Payment and €8.5 m for the Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment respectively.

It is also important to note that increases to disregards are introduced in an overall budgetary context, and other measures introduced as part of the budget may also impact on flows into and out of schemes.

Pension Provisions

Questions (753)

Louise O'Reilly

Question:

753. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons who transitioned from disability allowance to State pension (non-contributory) upon reaching pension age in 2025; the estimated annual cost of providing those individuals with the State pension (contributory) instead; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29717/26]

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Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

Disability Allowance is a scheme for people with a disability who are aged between 16 and 66. Upon reaching 66, the State age pensions, individuals may apply for the State Pension Contributory, or the State Pension Non-Contributory.

There were 3,228 recipients on Disability Allowance who transitioned to State Pension Non-Contributory and 4,450 recipients who transitioned to State Pension Contributory in 2025.

Unlike the means assessed State pension non-contributory, any entitlement to State pension contributory is based on the social insurance record of the person concerned, which may include jurisdictions outside Ireland. It is not therefore possible to estimate the cost of providing contributory pensions to any cohort without an examination of their individual contribution records. It is open to anyone in receipt of a non-contributory pension to apply for a contributory pension if they have social insurance contributions and think they might qualify. If a person has an underlying entitlement to State Pension Contributory, they will be awarded the more beneficial rate of payment between it and the State Pension Non-Contributory.

Any future changes to State Pension Contributory would have to be considered in the overall policy and budgetary context, including consideration of the future sustainability of the Social Insurance Fund.

Departmental Data

Questions (754)

Louise O'Reilly

Question:

754. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of additional needs payments awarded to persons aged 18-25 and to persons aged over 66 in each of the years 2022 to 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29718/26]

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Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

The Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme is the safety net within the overall social welfare system in that it provides assistance to eligible people in the State whose means are insufficient to meet their needs and those of their dependents. Under the scheme, my Department may make Additional Needs Payments to help meet essential expenses that a person cannot pay from their weekly income.

Table 1 below shows the number of Additional Needs Payments awarded to persons aged 18-25 and to persons aged over 66, in each of the years 2022 to 2025, based on the age of the recipient at year end.

My Department also publishes quarterly statistics on Additional Needs Payments in the Quarterly Statistics report, which is available on gov.ie.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Table 1 - Additional Needs Payments awarded to persons aged 18-25 and to persons aged over 66, in each of the years 2022 to 2025

Age Category	2022	2023	2024	2025
18 - 25	10,003	9,880	11,959	9,707
Over 66	7,743	7,865	5,337	4,277

Departmental Data

Questions (755, 756)

Louise O'Reilly

Question:

755. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of families with children in third year who received the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance in the 2025-2026 academic year, in tabular form. [29719/26]

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Louise O'Reilly

Question:

756. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost of providing a double back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance payment to all students entering fourth year who received the payment in the previous academic year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29720/26]

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Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

I propose to take Questions Nos. 755 and 756 together.

The Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance (BSCFA) scheme provides a once-off payment to eligible families to assist with the costs of clothing and footwear when children start or return to school each autumn. The scheme operates from June to September each year.

In 2025, over 144,000 families in respect of over 256,000 children benefited from the scheme at a cost of €55.36 million. A total of €60.4m has been allocated for the scheme in 2026. In Budget 2026, I was pleased to secure funding for the 2026 BSCFA scheme to be extended to include children aged 2 and 3 years.

The allowance is paid in respect of eligible children between the ages of 2 and 17 on or before 30 September and eligible children between the ages of 18 and 22 on or before 30 September if returning to full time second level education.

The rates of payment for the scheme in 2026 are €160 for children aged between 2 and 11 years and €285 for children aged 12 and over.

The Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance is awarded based on the age of the child. No information is sought with regard the academic year of the child if they attend school. Therefore, it is not possible to provide a breakdown of applications by academic year. Neither is it possible to provide a costing to all students entering 4th year in 2026.

The table below shows the number of qualified children by age in respect of whom BSCFA was made in 2025.

Age	Number of qualified children
4	15,606
5	16,240
6	17,258
7	17,731
8	18,073
9	18,089
10	18,879
11	19,033
12	19,062
13	19,652
14	19,400
15	19,519
16	18,138
17	16,671
18	2,470
19	148
20	42
21	24
22	10

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Question No. 756 answered with Question No. 755.

Departmental Data

Questions (757)

Louise O'Reilly

Question:

757. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full-year cost of increasing by €1 per week the State pension (contributory and non-contributory); the living alone increase; all primary weekly social welfare payments including, but not limited to, jobseeker's payments, disability allowance, one-parent family payment and carer's payments; and the estimated number of recipients covered in each category, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29721/26]

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Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

The estimated full-year cost of increasing each core weekly social welfare scheme and the Living Alone Increase by €1 per week is €87.55 million, as set out in the table below:

Scheme	Estimated cost (€m)
State Pension (Contributory)	28.05
Bereaved Partner’s or Surviving Civil Partner's (Contributory) Pension Under 66 yrs.	1.51
Bereaved Partner’s or Surviving Civil Partner's (Contributory) Pension 66 yrs. or Over	5.18
Deserted Wife's Benefit Under 66 yrs.	0.06
Deserted Wife's Benefit 66 yrs. or Over	0.12
Invalidity Pension	2.90
Partial Capacity Benefit	0.11
Guardian's Payment (Contributory)	0.07
Death Benefit Pension	0.03
Disablement Pension	0.23
Illness Benefit	2.67
Injury Benefit	0.02
Incapacity Supplement	0.04
Jobseeker's Benefit	0.69
Jobseeker's Benefit (Self Employed)	0.03
Carer's Benefit	0.24
Health and Safety Benefit	0.00
Maternity & Adoptive Benefit	0.98
Paternity & Parent's Benefit	0.43
State Pension (Non-Contributory)	5.31
Blind Person's Pension	0.05
Bereaved Partner’s (Non-Contributory) Pension	0.05
Deserted Wife's Allowance	0.00
One-Parent Family Payment	2.26
Carer's Allowance Under 66 yrs.	2.73
Carer's Allowance 66 yrs. or Over	0.09
Half Rate Carer's Allowance Under 66 yrs.	0.76
Half Rate Carer's Allowance 66 yrs. or Over	0.50
Guardian's Payment (Non-Contributory)	0.03
Jobseeker's Allowance Max Rate	6.47
JA age 18 to 24	0.68
Disability Allowance	9.57
Farm Assist	0.19
Employment Support Schemes (BTWA & BTEA)	0.24
Employment/Internship Schemes (CE, Tús, RSS etc.)	1.60
Work Placement Experience Programme	0.01
Supplementary Welfare Allowance	0.59
Living Alone Increase	13.05
TOTAL	87.55

These costings (not including the Living Alone Increase) are based on 807,149 pension age beneficiaries (recipients and qualified adults) and 720,659 working age beneficiaries of core weekly social welfare schemes.

It should be noted that these costings are subject to change in the context of emerging trends and the associated revision of the estimated numbers of recipients for 2026.

It should also be noted that these costings include proportionate increases for qualified adults and for those on reduced rates of payment, where relevant.

Departmental Data

Questions (758)

Maurice Quinlivan

Question:

758. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of applications for supplementary welfare allowance received, per county, per week for each of the years 2025 and 2026 to date, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29780/26]

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Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

Claim application statistics for basic Supplementary Welfare Allowance are set out in the table below. Statistics are collated monthly, on a centralised basis. Statistics on applications by county, or by week, are not maintained, and these figures are not readily available. The figures below are for the country as a whole.

Month and Year	Number of applications
Jan 2025	3,675
Feb 2025	3,599
Mar 2025	3,710
Apr 2025	4,083
May 2025	4,163
Jun 2025	4,106
Jul 2025	4,911
Aug 2025	4,464
Sept 2025	4,516
Oct 2025	4,707
Nov 2025	4,053
Dec 2025	3,590
Jan 2026	3,846
Feb 2026	3,771
Mar 2026	3,919

Departmental Consultations

Questions (759)

Paul Murphy

Question:

759. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide an update on the consultation process in relation to a cost of disability payment. [29066/26]

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Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

Supporting disabled people is a key priority for this Government. That is why the Programme for Government includes a number of commitments to improve the position of disabled people including a commitment to introducing a permanent Annual Cost of Disability Support Payment.

Under the National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025-2030, which was developed with significant input from Disability groups and advocates, it was agreed to establish a Strategic Focus Network Summit on the Cost of Disability. While it is led by my Department, it includes other Government departments in this cross-government endeavour, as well as disabled people and their advocates.

Officials in the Department of Social Protection have held meetings with a number of organisations, including Disabled Persons Organisations, to discuss the possible structure and content of the Strategic Focus Network Summit as well as the possible form of a cost of disability payment.

A public consultation process on how a cost of disability payment can best be delivered was launched on Friday, 20 February 20th and ran for just over six weeks until Tuesday 7 April.

A full range of accessible formats was available to support public participation in the process. These include an Irish Sign Language video, an Easy-to-Read document, a screen-reader friendly Word version, and Braille. Submissions were accepted in writing by email or by post. Submissions could also be made by phone and video submissions including ISL video. The consultation was also promoted with accessible social media, radio, and printed media ads.

I am very pleased that there was an exceptional response with over 1,000 submissions received. 87 submissions were from groups and organisations, with 12 from Disabled Persons’ Organisations and Disabled Persons’ Representative Organisations. Accessible ways to partake were widely used, with almost 60 submissions made over the phone, while 20 were received by post. Seven video submissions were also received. I want to thank all the contributors for taking the time to make a submission and sharing their valuable insights with us.

The submissions have helped inform the agenda for the Summit which I will be hosting in the Aviva Stadium on the 13th May 2026. It is an in-person event with online access also available.

The Strategic Focus Network Summit and the submissions made through the consultation process will help inform the approach to be taken in delivering on the Programme for Government commitment. This whole of government approach is important as addressing these costs is not simply a matter of income supports alone. Improvements in the delivery of, and access to, key services is also needed.

Following the Summit, a briefing paper will be produced outlining the key learnings and any tangible outcomes which will support how the whole of Government delivers in this area going forward and inform the future Action Plans under the strategy. The paper will also feed into the Budget 2027 process.

I trust this clarifies the issue for the Deputy.

Departmental Reviews

Questions (760, 761, 762, 763, 764, 765, 766, 767, 769)

Ken O'Flynn

Question:

760. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the date on which the current rates and structure of the electricity allowance and natural gas allowance under the household benefits package were last formally reviewed or revised; and the outcome of that review. [29796/26]

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Ken O'Flynn

Question:

761. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether any cost-of-living, inflation or domestic energy price benchmarking formed part of the most recent review of the electricity allowance and natural gas allowance; and if so, to provide details of the methodology used. [29797/26]

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Ken O'Flynn

Question:

762. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the current weekly and daily equivalent monetary value of the electricity allowance and natural gas allowance; and the basis on which these rates were determined. [29798/26]

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Ken O'Flynn

Question:

763. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the equivalent value in today's terms of the electricity and natural gas allowance at the time of the last substantive review when adjusted for inflation and energy price increases; and if she will provide the data sources used for this calculation. [29799/26]

View answer

Ken O'Flynn

Question:

764. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether her Department has conducted any assessment of the adequacy of the electricity allowance and natural gas allowance in meeting current household energy costs; and if so, to provide details of that assessment [29800/26]

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Ken O'Flynn

Question:

765. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated proportion of an average household electricity or gas bill currently covered by the electricity allowance and natural gas allowance; and how this compares to the proportion covered at the time of the last review. [29801/26]

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Ken O'Flynn

Question:

766. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether consideration has been given to revising the structure of the electricity and natural gas allowance to reflect seasonal usage patterns, including higher consumption during winter months; and if so, to outline any proposals. [29802/26]

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Ken O'Flynn

Question:

767. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection if her Department has examined the previous unit-based system of energy support, including winter and non-winter allocations; and whether any comparative analysis has been undertaken with the current allowance structure. [29803/26]

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Ken O'Flynn

Question:

769. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether a further review of the electricity allowance and natural gas allowance is planned in advance of Budget 2027; and if so, the timeline and scope of that review. [29805/26]

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Written answers

Minister for Social Protection

I propose to take Questions Nos. 760, 761, 762, 763, 764, 765, 766, 767 and 769 together.

The Household Benefits Package comprises the electricity or gas allowance, and the free television licence. The Department of Social Protection will spend approximately €317 million this year on the Household Benefits Package.

In Budget 2013 the structure of the electricity and gas allowance was changed from a unit-based allowance to a cash credit which is currently €1.15 per day. The rate was aligned to the best average market rate available for 150 units including standing charges and VAT at the urban rate but not including the Public Service Obligation. The changed structure of the allowance was designed to encourage customers to achieve better savings through greater mobility between energy suppliers who can best meet their individual energy needs.

There has been no review or increase to the gas/electricity element of the Household Benefits Package since the gas/electricity element was changed from a unit-based allowance to a monthly cash allowance in January 2013. The department instead has targeted the limited resources available to it at increases to core Social Welfare payments and also to more targeted payments such as the Fuel Allowance payment.

Since 2013 the weekly rate of payment of Fuel Allowance has increased from €20 to €38, a 90% increase, with the budget for the scheme also increasing significantly during the same period from €228.44 million in 2013 to an estimated expenditure in 2026 of €557.4 million. Also since 2013 weekly core Social Welfare payments such as the Contributory State Pension has increased by 30% from €230.30 to €299.30.

My department does not hold data outlining the equivalent value in today's terms of the electricity and natural gas allowance at the time of the last substantive review when adjusted for inflation and energy price increases. Nor does it hold data on the estimated proportion of an average household electricity or gas bill currently covered by the electricity allowance and natural gas allowance and how this compares to the proportion covered at the time of the last change to the payment.

Any decision to enhance the Household Benefits Package, including any decision to revise the structure of the electricity and natural gas allowance to reflect seasonal usage patterns, is likely to have cost implications and could only be considered while taking account of the overall budgetary context and the availability of financial resources.

The Programme for Government includes a commitment to examine key ancillary benefits such as the Fuel Allowance, Household Benefits Package and Living Alone Increase to support vulnerable groups. This is an ongoing activity as part of the department's budget planning each year and I will continue, as part of the budget planning process, to consider if improvements can be made to ensure that these benefits continue to target vulnerable groups. There is no set timeline or scope when examining key ancillary benefits such as the Household Benefits Package; however, any proposed changes must take account of the overall budgetary context and the availability of financial resources.

I trust this clarifies the position.

Question No. 761 answered with Question No. 760.

Question No. 762 answered with Question No. 760.

Question No. 763 answered with Question No. 760.

Question No. 764 answered with Question No. 760.

Question No. 765 answered with Question No. 760.

Question No. 766 answered with Question No. 760.