Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 6 May 2026
593. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason the number of recipients of invalidity pension has fallen since 2020 and increased by only 1% between 2015 and 2014, at a time when the number in receipt of other social protection payments such as carer's allowance and disability allowance have increased; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33320/26]
View answerMy Department provides a suite of income supports for those unable to work due to illness or disability. These include insurance-based schemes, based on Pay Related Social Insurance contributions, and means-tested social assistance schemes.
Eligibility for these schemes is not dependent on the type or category of illness or disability. Rather, 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.
There are currently over 232,500 recipients of disability income support payments, with estimated expenditure of €3.44 billion in 2026.
Disability Allowance is a payment for people who are aged between 16 and 66 with an injury, disease or disability that has continued, or may be expected to continue, for at least one year and, as a result of this disability, the person is substantially restricted in undertaking work that would otherwise be suitable for a person of their age, experience or qualifications. The allowance is subject to a medical assessment, a means test and a habitual residency requirement. Recipient numbers rose from 152,580 in 2020 to 173,124 at the end of 2025.
Invalidity Pension is a weekly payment to people who cannot work because of a long-term illness or disability and are covered by PRSI social insurance contributions. In order to qualify, a 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, be permanently incapable of work. The payment is payable up to age 66 where a person continues to satisfy the eligibility requirements. Recipient numbers have decreased from 59,230 in 2020 to 54,406 at the end of 2025.
Recipient numbers have remained reasonably static over the past 10 years with just over 55,100 recipients at end 2015 and just over 54,400 recipients at the end of 2025. Recipient numbers reached a peak of over 59,200 at the end of 2020. This may be due to the impact of Covid-19. As such, it is not surprising that recipient numbers would have decreased since that peak. Given the nature of the scheme, and the long-term impact on a person's ability to work, which is a requirement to qualify, it is not expected that recipient numbers would increase in line with increases on other schemes.
The Carer’s Allowance scheme is the main scheme by which the Department provides income support to carers. In 2026 the expenditure on the Carer’s Allowance scheme is estimated to be over €1.24 billion. There are currently over 106,800 people in receipt of Carer's Allowance, an increase of almost 17% in the last five years alone.
There have been significant improvements made to the Carer’s Allowance means test in recent years. These changes have impacted positively with many more carers availing of the payment and potentially receiving a higher rate of payment. Last July the amount of weekly earnings disregarded in the means test for Carer’s Allowance was increased to €625 for a single person and €1,250 for a couple.
As part of Budget 2026, I announced further increases to the Carer’s Allowance means test that will be introduced this coming July. The weekly income disregard will increase from €625 to €1,000 for a single person, and from €1,250 to €2,000 for carers who are part of couple.
The increases in July will see more carers qualify for Carer’s Allowance, even those who would be regarded as having a relatively high income. For example, a carer in a two-adult household with an income of approximately €110,000 will retain their full Carer’s Allowance payment and even with an income of €138,000 will retain a partial payment.
The Programme for Government has set out a timeline which commits to significantly further 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.
Every application for the Department's schemes is individually assessed, in line with the provisions specified in the relevant social welfare legislation. In the case of disability related payments, the assessment includes the medical information provided by healthcare providers and the claimant and takes into account the opinion of the Department’s Medical Assessor.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
