Written Answers Nos. 577-595
577. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Social Protection if there are any allowances, other than the carer's allowance, which require the recipient to work at least 35 hours per week; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32969/26]
View answerThe key role of the Department of Social Protection is to provide income supports where an income need may arise due to, for example, unemployment, illness, disability or caring responsibilities.
The main income supports for family carers provided by my department are Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Benefit, Domiciliary Care Allowance and the Carer’s Support Grant. Spending on these payments is expected to amount to over €2.2 billion in 2026.
Carer’s Allowance is a payment for people who are providing full-time care to someone who needs significant support due to age, disability or illness, including mental illness. The main objective of this payment is to provide an income support for people whose ability to earn is reduced because they provide full-time care, it is not a payment for caring itself.
To qualify, for Carer's Allowance, Carer's Benefit or the Carer's Support Grant, the carer must provide full-time care and attention to a person who is so incapacitated that they require this level of care for at least 12 months.
A carer is considered to be providing full-time care and attention to a relevant person, where the number of hours providing such care is not less than 35 hours in a period of seven consecutive days, and care is provided on any five days, whether consecutive or not, within a period of seven consecutive days.
Eligibility for Carer’s Allowance does not require a recipient to work for more than 35 hours as the Deputy suggests. The 35-hour rule refers to time spent caring, usually in the home of the person being cared for, and not to remunerative employment. Carer's Allowance is an income support and not a payment for caring.
While these payments are based on the provision of full-time care and attention by the carer, they do allow carers to engage in work, training or education up to 18.5 hours per week. This threshold was increased from 15 hours as part of Budget 2020 following feedback from carers and carer's organisations who found the 15 hours too restrictive. In effect, this allows carers to participate in these activities for half of a full-time working week. During this time, adequate provision must be made for the care of the relevant person.
Both the full-time care and attention requirement and the 18.5-hour threshold are contained in the respective legislative provisions of the Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Benefit and Carer’s Support Grant schemes.
In setting the relevant working hours thresholds, it is essential to balance the needs of the carer and the needs of the person receiving care.
I am satisfied that the 18.5-hour rule represents a reasonable balance between meeting the requirement for providing full-time care for the care recipient and the needs of the carer to engage in employment, education or training, supporting a carer’s continued connection to the workforce and broader social inclusion.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
578. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Social Protection if assistance can be provided regarding a disability allowance application (details supplied). [32973/26]
View answerDisability Allowance 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 condition.
I confirm that my Department received an application for DA from the person concerned on 27 February 2026. Based on the evidence supplied in support of this application, their application for DA was disallowed on the grounds that the weekly means of €993.54 exceeded the Statutory limit of €538.60. The means were derived from the person concerned Spouse’s Self Employment.
Social Welfare Legislation provides that the means test takes account of the income and assets of the person (and spouse/partner if applicable) applying to the relevant scheme. Income and assets include income from employment, self-employment, occupational pensions, maintenance payments as well as property owned (other than the family home) and capital such as savings, shares and other investments.
The person concerned was notified of the decision on 13 April 2026, and they were given the right to a review or an appeal.
With regards to what other supports are available: Invalidity Pension (IP) is payable to an insured person who satisfies certain Pay Related Social Insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions and who is permanently incapable of work due to an illness or incapacity and for no other reason. Claimants must have at least 260 (5 years) paid PRSI contributions (class A, E, H or S) since entering social insurance and 48 contributions paid or credited in the last or second last complete contribution year before the relevant date of their Invalidity Pension claim.
Based on the contributions recorded for the individual there may be an entitlement to IP. Eligibility for IP can only be established on receipt of a completed application form and documentary evidence from the customer in relation to their medical condition.
I have asked my officials to send an IP application form out to the person concerned for them to complete and return if they wish to apply for this payment. Alternatively, the person concerned can submit an application for IP on their MyWelfare account.
I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
579. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the Department's estimated proportion of an average household electricity and natural gas bill currently covered by the €1.15 per day allowance, using the most recent available national data sources; and if he will outline the methodology used to derive this estimate. [33019/26]
View answer580. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated proportion of an average household electricity and natural gas bill covered by the allowance at the time of its introduction in 2013, and the equivalent estimated proportion in 2026; and if he will outline the basis for these estimates [33020/26]
View answer581. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether his Department has utilised or considered data from the Central Statistics Office, Commission for Regulation of Utilities, or Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland in assessing the adequacy of the electricity and gas allowance; and if so, to provide details. [33021/26]
View answer582. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether the electricity and natural gas allowance has been subject to a Value for Money or policy evaluation review since 2013, in line with the Public Spending Code; and if so, to provide the date and outcome of any such review. [33023/26]
View answer583. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the policy rationale for maintaining a flat-rate cash allowance introduced in 2013 without periodic recalibration, and whether alternative models, including indexed or usage-based supports, have been formally assessed. [33024/26]
View answer586. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether any specific proposals have been developed to revise the structure of the electricity and gas allowance, including seasonal weighting or indexation to energy prices; and if so, to outline the status of such proposals. [33027/26]
View answer587. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether a formal review of the electricity and natural gas allowance will be completed in advance of Budget 2027, and if he will provide a defined timeline and scope for that review. [33028/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 579, 580, 581, 582, 583, 586 and 587 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.
My department does not hold data requested by the Deputy and therefore cannot provide an estimate of the proportion of an average household electricity and natural gas bill currently covered by the €1.15 per day allowance. .
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.
Any decision to enhance the Household Benefits Package, 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.
I trust this clarifies the position.
584. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether his Department has undertaken any comparative analysis between increases in Fuel Allowance and the static electricity/gas allowance, including whether one scheme is intended to compensate for the other; and if he will provide details. [33025/26]
View answer585. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether an impact assessment has been conducted on recipients of the Household Benefits Package who do not qualify for Fuel Allowance, and the extent to which these households may face a gap in energy support. [33026/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 584 and 585 together.
My Department has not undertaken any comparative analysis between increases in Fuel Allowance and the static electricity/gas allowance or an impact assessment on recipients of the Household Benefits Package who do not qualify for Fuel Allowance and the extent to which these households may face an energy gap.
The Household Benefits and Fuel Allowance Schemes are separate to each other and one scheme is not intended to compensate for the other.
The qualifying criteria for both schemes are also not readily integrated. Some households can automatically qualify for the Household Benefits package such as those aged over 70 and those in receipt of Carers Allowance. Also, the vast majority households do not have to satisfy a means test to receive the Household Benefits package. This is not the case for the Fuel Allowance payment.
Fuel Allowance is a targeted payment and the criteria for Fuel Allowance are framed in order to direct the limited resources available to the Department in as targeted a manner as possible, this ensures that the Fuel Allowance payment is targeted at those who are more vulnerable to fuel poverty, including those reliant on social protection payments for longer periods and who are unlikely to have additional resources of their own.
The targeted nature of the Fuel Allowance payment means that those who need extra support receive it. In this regard, over 266,000 household receive both the Household Benefits Package and the Fuel Allowance Payment.
While the criteria for Fuel Allowance is designed to ensure that those who require the support the most receive it, there will always be exceptional cases. It is for this reason that my Department may make Additional Needs Payments to help meet essential expenses that a person cannot pay from their weekly income or other personal and household resources. These payments are available through our Community Welfare Officers
I trust this clarifies the position.
588. Deputy Brian Brennan asked the Minister for Social Protection if assistance can be offered to the processing of an ARP application for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33040/26]
View answerThe Accommodation Recognition Payment (ARP) was introduced to recognise the contribution of members of the public who have opened their homes to provide accommodation to Temporary Protection Beneficiaries displaced by the war in Ukraine. The scheme is provided for under Part 2 of the Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2022 and is administered by the Department of Social Protection on behalf of the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration.
The ARP is a goodwill payment that recognises the generosity of private hosts. The payment is not intended to substitute rent, and it is not available where there is a rental agreement in place between the host providing accommodation and the guest.
Changes to the scheme’s eligibility criteria were introduced under Part 3 of the Residential Tenancies (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2026. From 3 March 2026, new applications for properties that have been registered with the Residential Tenancies Board (RTB) at any time since 4 March 2022 no longer meet the scheme’s eligibility criteria. Tenants in rental properties are also no longer eligible to make new applications for the scheme. Advance notice of the change was communicated in the weeks prior to the introduction of the legislation via the Department’s websites and through its network of support organisations assisting with the Ukraine response.
According to the information available, the property which the Deputy refers to continued to be registered with the RTB on or after 4 March 2022 and therefore does not meet the scheme’s criteria. If the person concerned provides evidence that the RTB registration ended on the date the tenancy ended, the application will be re-examined.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
589. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will consider increasing the means-test threshold for the supplementary welfare allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33075/26]
View answerThe 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.
Means tests are a central part of any social welfare system in ensuring that limited resources are targeted at those who are most in need.
The means assessment rules for Supplementary Welfare Allowance reflect the role of the scheme as a support of ‘last resort’.
A review of means testing in the social protection system is currently under way in my Department. The purpose of the review of means testing is to look at the different means-tested schemes and to identify any issues in terms of the application of the respective means test.
The outcome of the review will inform decisions regarding any potential changes to means testing. All prospective changes to means testing arrangements will have to be considered in both an overall policy and budgetary context.
I trust this clarifies the position.
590. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Social Protection to examine the case of an individual (details supplied) regarding a State Pension (non-contributory); if a senior official from his Department can engage with the family; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33144/26]
View answerState pension non-contributory is a means-tested payment for people aged 66 and over, habitually residing in the State, who do not qualify for a state pension contributory, or who only qualify for a reduced rate contributory pension based on their social insurance record.
Recipients of state pension non-contributory are obliged to notify the Department of any changes in their circumstances that may affect their pension entitlement. A list of the reportable changes of circumstance is included in the initial notification of pension award and in all subsequent review communications issued.
The person concerned was a recipient of the state pension non-contributory. A schedule of the assets of their estate was received by my Department on 18 August 2023. The schedule was examined by a Deciding Officer and referred to a Social Welfare Inspector who advised the personal representative of the estate of the person concerned on 12 December 2023 that a re-assessment of the means which included previously undisclosed means from capital, indicated that the deceased had been overpaid their State pension.
The Deciding Officer issued a natural justice letter on 06 November 2024 to the deceased’s personal representative and the solicitors representing the estate. The letter outlined the basis of the intended revised decision to raise an overpayment and invited the personal representative, within 21 days, to forward any statement or evidence they wished to make available to the Deciding Officer.
The final decision then issued on 13 February 2025 to the personal representative of the deceased and to the solicitors representing the estate, advising that the person concerned was not entitled to the state pension non-contributory at the rates received during the period the pension was paid. This resulted in an overpayment which is recoverable from the assets of the estate of the person concerned in accordance with Section 335 (b) of the Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act, 2005.
The overpayment was appealed to the Social Welfare Appeals Office, however the Departments decision was upheld. .
It is open to the personal representative of the person concerned or the solicitors representing the estate to repay the overpayment or submit satisfactory proposals.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
591. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Social Protection the current status of an application for the carer's allowance for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33312/26]
View answerCarer's Allowance (CA) is a means-tested social assistance payment made to a person who is habitually resident in the State and who is providing full-time care and attention to a child or an adult who has such a disability that as a result they require that level of care.
I can confirm that an application for CA was received on MyWelfare from the person concerned on 03 March 2026.
The application was examined and CA was awarded from 05 February 2026 and the first payment will issue to their nominated bank account on 07 May 2026. Arrears due will issue shortly.
The person concerned was notified of this decision via My Welfare on 29 April 2026.
I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
592. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of recipients in 2025 and 2026 to date of recipients of illness benefit and invalidity pension. [33319/26]
View answerIllness Benefit is a scheme to support people who cannot work in the short term if they are ill. To qualify for Illness Benefit, you must meet the social insurance (PRSI) conditions, and the illness must be certified by a doctor.
Invalidity Pension is a weekly payment for people permanently unable to work due to long-term illness or disability, based on social insurance contributions (PRSI).
Table 1: Illness Benefit and Invalidity Pension Recipients
|
Month |
Illness Benefit Recipients |
Invalidity Pension Recipients |
|
2025 |
|
|
|
January |
52,465 |
55,697 |
|
February |
52,395 |
55,742 |
|
March |
51,286 |
55,625 |
|
April |
50,802 |
55,399 |
|
May |
51,650 |
55,303 |
|
June |
51,660 |
55,187 |
|
July |
52,548 |
54,915 |
|
August |
52,605 |
54,731 |
|
September |
52,388 |
54,648 |
|
October |
52,556 |
54,634 |
|
November |
52,812 |
54,633 |
|
December |
50,701 |
54,406 |
|
2026 |
|
|
|
January |
52,496 |
54,404 |
|
February |
52,750 |
54,413 |
|
March |
51,744 |
54,324 |
Table 2: Illness Benefit and Invalidity Pension - total unique persons receiving at least one payment by quarter
|
Scheme |
Q1 2025 |
Q2 2025 |
Q3 2025 |
Q4 2025 |
Q1 2026 |
|
Illness Benefit |
109,563 |
105,629 |
108,389 |
112,311 |
109,915 |
|
Invalidity Pension |
57,130 |
56,845 |
56,181 |
55,892 |
55,702 |
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.
594. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason the number of recipients of illness benefit fell between 2015 and 2024 by more than 9%; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33321/26]
View answerIllness Benefit is a scheme to support people than cannot work in the short term because of illness. The Department of Social Protection publishes both the number of recipients of Illness Benefit at the end of the calendar year, and the number of persons with at least one Illness Benefit payment in the quarter. These figures are available in the Annual Statistics Reports and the Quarterly Statistical Reports respectively, accessible through the statistics landing page at gov.ie/dsp/statistics.
The number of recipients of Illness Benefit at the end of the calendar year is shown in Table 1. While this Figure is just over 9% lower at end December 2024 compared to end December 2015, there is a larger seasonality in other years. For example, at end December 2019, the number of recipients was even lower than those at end December 2024. While the Department has not conducted an in-depth analysis, the variation in figures could be due to factors outside any control, such as the severity of the flu season in a particular year. The introduction of statutory sick pay from January 1st 2023 may also have impacted the Illness Benefit figures after this date.
The number of people receiving at least one Illness Benefit payment in the quarter as shown in Table 2 shows a different trend to the end of year numbers in Table 1; there were 21% more people receiving a payment in Q4 2024 compared to Q4 2015.
Table 1: Illness Benefit recipients at the end of the calendar year (excluding Enhanced Illness Benefit for COVID-19 relevant for 2020 and 2021)
|
Year |
Number of recipients end December |
|
2015 |
55,540 |
|
2016 |
54,492 |
|
2017 |
52,809 |
|
2018 |
55,995 |
|
2019 |
49,313 |
|
2020 |
45,270 |
|
2021 |
45,853 |
|
2022 |
59,701 |
|
2023 |
56,346 |
|
2024 |
50,402 |
Table 2: Number of persons receiving at least one Illness Benefit payment in the quarter (including Enhanced Illness Benefit for COVID-19 relevant for 2020 and 2021)
|
Quarter |
Number of persons with at least 1 payment |
|
2015Q1 |
94,917 |
|
2015Q2 |
92,638 |
|
2015Q3 |
91,228 |
|
2015Q4 |
92,031 |
|
2016Q1 |
93,571 |
|
2016Q2 |
91,679 |
|
2016Q3 |
89,940 |
|
2016Q4 |
90,142 |
|
2017Q1 |
94,473 |
|
2017Q2 |
90,688 |
|
2017Q3 |
91,429 |
|
2017Q4 |
89,128 |
|
2018Q1 |
95,876 |
|
2018Q2 |
90,784 |
|
2018Q3 |
91,307 |
|
2018Q4 |
89,274 |
|
2019Q1 |
96,353 |
|
2019Q2 |
87,699 |
|
2019Q3 |
87,460 |
|
2019Q4 |
88,181 |
|
2020Q1 |
98,403 |
|
2020Q2 |
113,632 |
|
2020Q3 |
94,517 |
|
2020Q4 |
109,309 |
|
2021Q1 |
124,303 |
|
2021Q2 |
98,411 |
|
2021Q3 |
119,810 |
|
2021Q4 |
165,871 |
|
2022Q1 |
335,004 |
|
2022Q2 |
174,876 |
|
2022Q3 |
157,433 |
|
2022Q4 |
129,466 |
|
2023Q1 |
122,521 |
|
2023Q2 |
112,670 |
|
2023Q3 |
114,528 |
|
2023Q4 |
120,350 |
|
2024Q1 |
110,929 |
|
2024Q2 |
108,792 |
|
2024Q3 |
110,207 |
|
2024Q4 |
111,017 |
595. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will review the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33330/26]
View answerDisability Allowance (DA) is a weekly payment for people aged 16 to 66 with a disability expected to last at least one year. Eligibility is subject to medical assessment, means test and habitual residence conditions. Applicants must demonstrate that they are substantially restricted in undertaking work that would otherwise be suitable given their age, experience, and qualifications, as a result of their condition.
I can confirm that my Department received an application for DA from the person concerned on 09 December 2025. Based on the evidence supplied their application for DA was disallowed as the medical qualifying criteria for the scheme was not satisfied.
The person concerned was notified in writing of this decision on 23 January 2026 and was advised of their right to request a review and/or appeal of this decision.
The person concerned requested a review of the decision on 25 February 2026.
Following review, the original decision was upheld and the person concerned was notified in writing on 16 March 2026. They were also informed of their right to have the decision reviewed and/or appeal the decision to the Social Welfare Appeals Office.
Further supporting documentation, which included further medical evidence was received from you, on behalf of the person concerned, on 31 March and 03 April 2026.
Following a further review, the original decision was upheld and the person concerned was notified in writing on 01 May 2026. They were also informed of their right to have the decision reviewed and/or appeal the decision to the Social Welfare Appeals Office.
I trust this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
