Written Answers Nos. 713-734
713. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Social Protection if it is consistent with national policy to cut off disability allowance payments to persons on the basis of their partners' income, given this has the result of creating a state of poverty for the household (details supplied). [63197/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraDisability Allowance is a means-tested social assistance payment for people with a disability who are aged between 16 and 66. In order to be eligible the disability must be expected to last for at least one year and the person must satisfy a habitual residency condition.
Social welfare legislation provides that for means-tested social assistance schemes, all income and assets belonging to the claimant, and his or her spouse or partner where applicable, are assessable for means-testing purposes. The purpose of the means test is to ensure that resources are directed to those with the greatest need for income supports by the State.
In a means test, the Department of Social Protection examines all sources of income and capital. To receive Disability Allowance, household income must be below a certain amount.
If a person’s spouse, civil partner or cohabitant works, their ‘net’ weekly earnings from work as an employee are assessed as follows:
• €20 per day, up to a maximum of €60, from work is deducted from their spouse, civil partner or cohabitant’s average net weekly earnings; and
• 60% of the balance is assessed as weekly means.
Disability Allowance has one of the highest capital disregards operated by the Department of Social Protection. A recipient can have up to €50,000 in savings and still receive the full rate of payment. This is compared to €20,000 for most social welfare payments. A person’s family home is not assessed as means.
The Programme for Government and the new National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025 - 2030 both contain a commitment to reform the Disability Allowance Payment and remove anomalies in the current means test for the payment. There is also a commitment to introduce a permanent Annual Cost of Disability Support Payment with a view to incrementally increasing this payment.
My Department is currently reviewing means testing across all its social assistance schemes. The outcome of this review will be used to inform decisions regarding any further changes to means testing.
My Department is committed to improving outcomes for people with a disability. As a result, a number of improvements were announced in Budget 2026. These include:
• €10 increase in the maximum personal rate of weekly disability payments from January 2026. There will be proportionate increases for people getting a reduced rate.
• Christmas bonus to all persons getting a long-term disability payment to be paid in December 2025.
• People moving from Disability Allowance or Blind Pension to take up work from September 2026 will keep their Fuel Allowance for 5 years.
• People getting Disability Allowance or Blind Pension will be eligible for Back to Work Family Dividend when taking up employment.
• Wage Subsidy Scheme extended to more people who acquire a disability.
• €1.20 increase in the Wage Subsidy Scheme base rate to €7.50 per hour and introducing a middle rate of €8.50 from April 2026.
• €5 increase in Fuel Allowance from €33 to €38 per week from January 2026. This will provide an additional €140 during the annual fuel allowance season.
• Weekly rates of Child Support Payment increased by €16 to €78 for children aged 12 or over, and by €8 to €58 for children under 12, from January 2026.
• 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.
This will build on the progress made over the last number of years where the Government have progressively improved payment rates for disabled people. Over the last five budgets the weekly payment rates for Disability Allowance have increased by €51.
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 appreciate that the person to whom the details supplied refers is in a very difficult situation and so if the Deputy would like to pass the person's details on to me I will certainly have their position examined to see if there are any supports which can be made available.
I trust this clarifies the issue for the Deputy.
714. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Social Protection whether State and employer contributions towards the My Future Fund pension savings scheme will be reckonable as income for the purposes of determining eligibility for any other public services or schemes. [63244/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Programme for Government contains a commitment to introduce the Automatic Enrolment (AE) Retirement Savings System. The aim of introducing AE is to address the pension coverage gap that exists in Ireland and to provide workers with greater comfort and security regarding their retirement income. The new system - to be known as My Future Fund - will commence from 1st January 2026.
The Social Welfare (Consolidated Claims, Payments and Control) Regulations (2007) currently provide for a disregard of contributions to occupational pension schemes, statutory public sector pension schemes, PRSAs and additional voluntary contributions in the means assessment for a range of DSP income support schemes. Similarly, Section 227 of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act (2005) (as amended) provides for the same disregard for the Working Family Payment while Part 4 of Schedule 3 of the Act set out the rules as to the calculation of means in respect of Rent Supplement.
It is envisaged that My Future Fund contributions will be disregarded in the same manner and they will not be assessed in determining eligibility for the schemes my Department provides. To this end, amendments to the Social Welfare Consolidation Act are being brought forward at Committee Stage for the Social Welfare and Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System (Amendment) Bill 2025 so as to provide a disregard for AE contributions in respect of Rent Supplement and Working Family Payment. In the case of the other means tested social welfare schemes, these disregard of contributions are made in regulations and the parallel treatment for AE contributions will be provided for through amendments to the secondary legislation that underpin these rules.
I hope this clarifies matters for the Deputy.
715. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Social Protection his views that it is appropriate that officials in his Department infer lack of qualifying disability from blank sections of disability allowance paperwork; and if he has satisfied himself that the systems in place to determine eligibility for the allowance are sufficiently accommodating of transient and conditional manifestations of disability, which are medically well-recognised. [63267/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraDisability 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.
Assessments of medical eligibility for Disability Allowance are based on medical reports and all evidence supplied by the applicant and the applicant’s treating physician. In arriving at their decision on eligibility, a Deciding Officer will review all evidence available, including that provided by the applicant's own doctor. They will also have regard to the opinion of the Department’s medical assessor. The Department’s medical assessors are fully qualified medical practitioners who have experience and specialist training/qualifications in occupational medicine as well as in human disability evaluation.
The medical assessment processes for Disability Allowance is designed to evaluate a wide spectrum of medical conditions. The assessment is not merely based on the diagnosis alone, factors taken into account are the severity, duration, prognosis and functional impact in each individual case.
The medical assessment process involves comprehensive review of all submitted medical information for objective evidence of frequency and severity of exacerbations, the functional limitations during these periods, and the prognosis.
Where symptoms are transient and conditional, applicants may use the provided sections in the Disability Allowance application form (DA1) to describe the variability of their symptoms, explaining how often & for how long, these periods occur, and if required attach additional pages, where a section is left blank the medical assessor gleans this information from the overall evidence submitted.
The medical assessor will give due consideration to the cumulative effect of a fluctuating illness over time, the resulting impact on activities of daily living and capacity for work.
Medical opinions are based on the evidence at the time of application. If a person’s condition changes or deteriorates, they have the right to request a review of their case at any time.
I can confirm that the Department received an application for DA from the person concerned on 16 April 2025. They subsequently withdrew the claim on 22 April 2025. They then requested their claim be reopened on 19 August 2025 and additional information was sought by the Department. Based on the evidence supplied, the application was disallowed on the grounds that the medical qualifying condition was not satisfied.
The person concerned was notified in writing of this decision on 02 October 2025 and was given the right to request a review and/or appeal of this decision.
I can confirm on 28 October 2025, the person concerned submitted a request for an appeal of the decision to Social Welfare Appeals Office (SWAO).
The original decision was upheld and the appeal was disallowed by the SWAO. The person concerned was notified directly by the SWAO regarding their appeal on 31 October 2025.
An Appeals Officer’s decision is final and conclusive in absence of any fresh facts or evidence.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
716. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Social Protection if his Department has prepared guidance for charities and non-profit organisations that are concerned their required contributions to autoenrollment pensions for their staff will place a financial burden that will lead to a reduction of services and staff layoffs; if specific guidance has been prepared; the advice he will offer to those organisations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63281/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Programme for Government contains a commitment to introduce the Automatic Enrolment (AE) Retirement Savings System. The aim of introducing AE is to address the pension coverage gap that exists in Ireland and to provide workers with greater comfort and security regarding their retirement income. The new system - to be known as My Future Fund - will commence from 1 January 2026. The implementation of My Future Fund will pave the way for around 750,000 workers to be brought into a retirement savings scheme for the first time and I look forward to its implementation.
My Department has been engaging with employers, including those in the community and voluntary sector, since the release of the AE 'strawman' public consultation in 2018. Its impending implementation has also been well-flagged since the enactment of the AE Act in 2024. Therefore, employers have been given a substantial lead-in period to budget appropriately for its introduction, including through budget negotiation with a sponsor where appropriate. Additionally, my Department has been proactive in advising other Departments, including the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation about this issue during 2025.
It is also worth mentioning that, in response to employer feedback, the design of the AE system provides for phasing in of the contribution rates over a decade. Employees will be required to make initial contributions of 1.5% of gross earnings, rising by 1.5 percentage points every three years until it reaches a maximum contribution rate of 6% in Year 10. These contributions will be matched on a ‘one-for-one’ basis by employer contributions, and 'topped-up' by the State at a rate of €1 for every €3 the employee contributes. This phased approach arose as a consequence of the consultation the Department undertook in the design of the system. For community and voluntary organisations (and employers more generally), this approach also gives very clear certainty as to the rates that will be applicable so as to facilitate the gradual absorption of these labour costs over time.
With regard to engagement with employers over the past 18 months, including those in the community and voluntary sector, we have hosted thousands of employers and related professionals through many webinars, conferences and in person stakeholder meetings, with more planned over the remainder of this year and into next. We are also implementing an extensive advertising campaign aimed specifically at employers and have made a wealth of information available through our AE hub at www.gov.ie/autoenrolment and brought this to the attention of all of the representative organisations.
I hope this clarifies matters for the Deputy.
717. Deputy Eoin Hayes asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will provide analysis from his Department on the progress towards achieving Minimum Essential Standard of Living over the past five budgets across all income groups, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63302/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Minimum Essential Standard of Living (MESL) is an assessment of the minimum income needed to live and partake in the social and economic norms of everyday life for various household types. My Department provides funds to the Vincentian MESL Research Centre, to support the MESL research workplan.
One of the benefits of the work of the Vincentian MESL Research Centre is that it provides an analysis of the different levels of income needed for a wide range of household types, including the different costs that arise for households in rural and urban locations.
A comparison of household income compared to the MESL expenditure for different household types calculated by the Vincentian MESL Research Centre can be found in the appendix tables of each annual MESL update.
The primary Social Protection Budget measures that help to raise household income are increases to Primary Scheme rates and increases to the Child Support Payment (CSP). The table below outlines the increases to both the Primary Scheme rates and the CSP in the last five Budgets.
|
Budget |
Primary Scheme Rate increase |
Child Support Payment Increase |
|
2026 |
€10 |
€8 for U12 and €16 for children aged 12 and over |
|
2025 |
€12 |
€4 for U12 and €8 for children aged 12 and over |
|
2024 |
€12 |
€4 for U12 and €4 for children aged 12 and over |
|
2023 |
€12 |
€2 for U12 and €2 for children aged 12 and over |
|
2022 |
€5 |
€2 for U12 and €3 for children aged 12 and over |
718. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Social Protection the current average waiting time for disability allowance and for carer’s allowance applications, by county, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63361/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am pleased to inform the Deputy that the average number of weeks to award a Disability Allowance and Carer's Allowance claims are well inside the average processing time targets for these schemes of 10 weeks. Disability Allowance has remained consistently at 6 weeks throughout the year and the average number of weeks to award a Carer’s Allowance application is currently 5 weeks.
The Department is committed to providing a quality service to all its customers. This includes ensuring that applications are processed and that decisions on entitlement are made as quickly as possible.
Processing times vary across schemes, depending on the differing eligibility criteria. Schemes that require a high level of documentary evidence from the customer, particularly in the case of illness-related schemes, can take longer to process. Similarly, means-tested schemes can also require more detailed investigations and interaction with the customer, thereby lengthening the decision-making process.
As Disability Allowance and Carers Allowance applications are processed centrally on a date of receipt basis, the above information relating to county is not collated, therefore it is not possible to provide breakdowns of average waiting time by individual county.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
719. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Social Protection the average processing time for appeals to the Social Welfare Appeals Office for disability allowance cases, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63362/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe average waiting time for a decision on disability allowance appeals as of end of Quarter 3 2025 is 21 weeks.
The Annual Report of the Chief Appeals Officer is published each year and includes information on average processing times for disability allowance appeals for previous years. The reports for years 2015 to 2024 are available on the Social Welfare Appeals Office website. (News and Publications from the Social Welfare Appeals Office (www.gov.ie).
The time taken to process appeals includes all aspects of the appeal process. The appeal contentions and any additional documentation is 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. 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 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.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the deputy.
720. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will address concerns raised in correspondence (details supplied) regarding the impact of the withdrawal of support payments on persons with a disability; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63368/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe 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.
Not all of the matters covered in the details supplied relate to my Department. For example, the one-off electricity credits provided over the past few years are a matter for my colleagues the Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment.
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 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.
721. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Social Protection his views on whether a revision of categories of PRSI contributions in respect of those who pay class K contributions is necessary, given the propensity for no material benefit to arise when a class K employee ceases employment before the statutory retirement age; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63412/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe PRSI rate applicable for social insurance contributions paid at class K is 4.2%. Contributions at this class do not give rise to a right to any benefits available under the Social Insurance Fund.
There are two subclasses of class K. Subclass K1 applies to specific public office holders, such as the President, the Attorney General, the judiciary and members of the Houses of the Oireachtas, with an income of over €5,200 a year. Prior to 2011, these public office holders were not liable for social insurance contributions as their terms of employment protected them against contingencies such as illness, breaks in employment and old age. However, the PRSI class K charge on these public office holders was brought in Budget 2011 as a solidarity measure to contribute to social insurance at a time when extensive curtailment of social insurance entitlements to private sector employees was introduced.
The other subclass, K9, applies to the additional income of three categories of contributors.
• Pre-1995 civil and public servants who pay PRSI at a lower/modified rate (referred to as modified rate contributors) who have either or both self-employed earned and unearned income.
• Employed contributors who have unearned self-employed income only.
Occupational pensioners who are under State pensionable age (currently 66 years) who have unearned self-employed income only.
Self-employed earned income may be, for example, from a profession or trade. Self-employed unearned income may be, for example, rental or investment income. The Class K charges on the specified income of these categories of contributors were introduced in 2013 and 2014 to broaden the social insurance base without providing additional entitlement to social insurance benefits.
It should be noted that class K contributors may establish entitlement to social insurance benefits based on income(s) other than what is applicable under this class. For example, employees pay class A PRSI on their employment income which entitles them to all of the social insurance benefits available.
I am satisfied with the current PRSI categorisation of people whose income is liable to the class K charge. Such contributors, very likely, have access to social insurance benefits through PRSI contributions made on their other incomes or in the case of public office holders, their employment terms protect them against contingencies such as illness, breaks in employment and old age.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
722. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Social Protection the total legal costs in defending judicial reviews of planning decisions involving his Department and/or agencies within the aegis of his Department for each of the years 2020 to 2024 and to date in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63628/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraLitigation is dealt with on behalf of the Department by the Attorney General’s Office, the Chief State Solicitor’s Office or the State Claims Agency who engage lawyers to act for my Department where necessary. The legal costs arising in such litigation are not managed by my Department. Separately, there have been no judicial reviews of planning decisions commenced against officials in my Department in each of the years 2020 to 2024 or to date in 2025.
The information requested from agencies under the aegis of my Department is an operational matter for the agencies themselves. I have referred the Deputy’s question to the Agencies and they have responded that there have been no judicial reviews of planning decisions commenced against those agencies in each of the years 2020 to 2024 or to date in 2025.
723. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 652 of 12 November 2025, the number of cases where payments have been stopped and details retained by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63655/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn 2024 38 social welfare payments were stopped and 11 payments in 2025 to date. The overall number and details of deportation orders are a matter for the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration and are not retained by my Department.
I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
The Department of Justice regularly notifies my Department with details of persons who are subject to deportation orders. Persons who are subject to a deportation order are ineligible for social assistance payments. They do not satisfy the habitual residence condition as they do not have an unqualified legal right of residence in the State.
724. Deputy Brian Brennan asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will consider an addition fuel payment for polio survivors (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63706/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Fuel Allowance Scheme is means tested and assists pensioners and other welfare dependent householders with meeting the cost of their heating needs during the winter season. The Fuel Allowance is a payment of €33 per week for 28 weeks giving a total per recipient of €924 each year from October to April at an estimated cost of €400 million in 2025. As part of Budget 2026 I was delighted to announced that the weekly rate of Fuel Allowance will increase by €5 to €38 a week from January 2026. This equates to €1,064 in a fuel season.
Fuel Allowance is not the only support provided by my Department, direct support towards energy costs is also provided to qualifying low-income households, through schemes such as the Household Benefits Package as wells as through Additional Needs Payments.
The Household Benefits Package is universally available to those aged 70 and older, and those between 66 and 70, must meet certain qualifying criteria. The Household Benefits comprises the Electricity/Gas Allowance of €35 per month and the Free Television Licence Scheme which is worth €160 per year with a total value per year of €580. Over 532,000 households are in receipt of the Electricity/Gas element of the Household Benefits package at an estimated cost of €224 million in 2025.
Additional Needs Payments as part of the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme, are provided to people who have essential expenses, which they cannot meet from their own resources, including people who face difficulties in meeting fuel bills.
Furthermore, under the scheme, a Heating Supplement may be paid to assist people that have exceptional heating costs due to ill health, infirmity or a medical condition and are unable to meet those costs out of household income. Heating Supplement is not restricted to the fuel season and can be paid throughout the full year.
Significant supports are available from my Department especially to those who require help towards their heating cost due to a medical condition. Any introduction of an additional fuel payment for polio survivors would needed to be considered in the wider budgetary context.
Separately, 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 can be made online via www.mywelfare.ie.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
725. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Social Protection for clarity in relation to employees who currently have private pension arrangements or AVC’s in place which are not directly coming out of their wages; if these employees have a choice whether or not to enrol in the auto-Enrolment My Future Fund; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63709/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe introduction of a pensions auto-enrolment system is a Programme for Government commitment, and one of my key priorities. The aim of introducing an AE system is to address the pension coverage gap that exists in Ireland, and to help provide for better retirement incomes for workers. The new system will be called 'My Future Fund' and it will commence from the 1st January 2026.
Current and new employees aged between 23 and 60 years of age and earning €20,000 or above per annum (across all employments) who are not already in an approved supplementary pension scheme paid through payroll will be automatically enrolled into the new retirement savings system. Those employees who currently have private pension arrangements or AVC’s in place which are not directly coming out of their wages will be automatically enrolled provided they meet the eligibility criteria. That is because there will not be evidence of contributions to a pension in the payroll data reported by their employer to Revenue. However, they may opt out after six months mandatory participation if they wish during a two month opt out window in months seven and eight, and receive a full refund of their personal contributions.
Separately, NAERSA is working with the Pensions Authority to develop exemption standards for pension schemes. These may include those schemes and PRSAs where contributions are made outside of payroll. When those standards are agreed I will promulgate them through Regulation. This may allow people to seek reviews of enrolment determinations made by NAERSA, and receive refunds where such reviews are upheld.
Finally, it is worth noting that there is no downside for an employee being auto-enrolled in My Future Fund. For every €3 contributed by an employee, this will be matched by their employer, and the State will top it up with €1. In other words, every €3 contributed by an employee automatically becomes €7 which is then invested to grow over time. Additionally, the fees in My Future Fund will be kept low and transparent, thereby ensuring value for money for participants.
726. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection the financial supports available to parents caring for adult children suffering from severe drug addiction and related mental health issues, who are not living with them, but who are caring for them to the extent that they are unable to work full time, and are providing them with significant financial support; the level of funding his Department provided for this purpose; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63725/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe main income supports to 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.
To qualify for these payments, the applicant must provide full-time care and attention to a person in need of such care. The person being cared for must be so incapacitated as to require full-time care and attention and be likely to require this level of care and attention for at least 12 months.
Eligibility for the carer income supports provided by my Department, including Carer’s Allowance, is not dependent on the nature of the illness or disability of the person being cared for. What matters is the level of full-time care and attention required and provided by the applicant.
Section 179(4) of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 sets out the circumstances in which a relevant person, the person being cared for, shall be regarded as requiring full-time care and attention. These circumstances are where the person has such a disability that they require from another person continual supervision and frequent assistance throughout the day with normal bodily functions or continual supervision to avoid danger to themselves.
A carer is regarded as 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.
However, to support a carer’s continued connection to the workforce and to support broader social inclusion, carers may engage in employment, education or training for up to 18.5 hours per week, while still being regarded as being in a position to provide full-time care and continue to receive their full payment. During this time of employment, education or training, adequate provision must be made for the care of the relevant person.
It is worth noting that Carer’s Allowance is payable where a carer shares the caring duties with another person or with an institution, on a week on/week off basis. Each carer will share the Carer’s Allowance payment and the annual Carer’s Support Grant. It is also not necessary for the carer and the care recipient to live at the same address in order for the carer to qualify for a payment. All the usual qualifying conditions for Carer's Allowance apply to carers availing of these arrangements.
Last month, as part of Budget 2026, I announced a number of measures to support family carers, these include:
• A Christmas Bonus double payment will be paid in December 2025.
• From January 2026 there will be a €10 increase in the maximum rate of Carer's Allowance and Carer's Benefit. There will be proportionate increases for people getting a reduced rate. This is the fifth successive rise in weekly welfare rates which have increased by €51 over the last five years.
• Also in January, there will be a €20 increase to the monthly Domiciliary Care Allowance payment, bringing it to €380. This payment has increased by €70.50 per month since January 2023.
• From July 2026, there will be an increase in the Carer's Allowance income disregard to €1,000 for a single person and €2,000 for a couple. Since June 2022, this amounts to cumulative increases to the disregards of €667.50 and €1,335 respectively, or an increase of just over 200%.
• In line with Carer’s Allowance, the earnings limit for Carer’s Benefit will also increase next year from €625 to €1,000, after tax.
• Where eligible, Carer’s Allowance recipients will benefit from the increase to the Fuel Allowance payment of €5 per week.
• For carers with children the weekly rates of the Child Support Payment will increase by €16 to €78 for children aged 12 and over, and by €8 to €58 for under 12s in January 2026.
The Programme for Government includes a range of commitments in relation the supports provided by my Department to family carers. The Budget 2026 improvements to the various carer income support payments demonstrate the Government’s determination to continue to deliver on these commitments.
I trust this clarifies the issue for the Deputy.
727. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of recipients who are in receipt of Jobseeker's allowance unbroken continuously in excess of 12 months, 24 months and 36 months, in tabular form. [63791/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraEstimates for the number of persons unemployed are published monthly by the CSO in the Monthly Unemployment Estimates, and official employment and unemployment numbers are published quarterly in the Labour Force Survey. The CSO will publish official unemployment numbers in respect of Q3 2025 on Thursday 20th November. The long-term unemployment rate (those unemployed for a year or more) in Q2 2025 stood at 1.1%.
The table below summarises the number of individuals in continuous receipt of Jobseeker's Allowance (JA) for durations 0-12, 13-24, 25-36 or 37+ months. Please note that casual workers are not included in these figures.
Table 1: Count of Individuals in continuous Receipt of Jobseeker's Allowance by Claim Duration
|
Duration |
Number of persons |
|
0-12 months |
52,494 |
|
13-24 months |
7,121 |
|
25-36 months |
3,022 |
|
37 months + |
5,916 |
728. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons on disability allowance and invalidity benefit; and the percentage of the population. [63792/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThere were 172,106 recipients of Disability Allowance in October 2025. The represents 3.2% of the total population, based an estimated 5,458,000 people from CSO's Population and Migration estimates. 4,073,700 people are estimated to be aged between 15 and 74 years old; Disability Allowance represents 4.2% of this target population.
Disability Allowance
|
Age Group |
Estimated Population 2025 |
Disability Allowance |
Proportion (%) |
|
Age 0-14 |
1,000,100 |
0 |
0 |
|
Age 15-24 |
696,600 |
31,237 |
4.5 |
|
Age 25-34 |
673,900 |
24,210 |
3.6 |
|
Age 35-44 |
819,600 |
28,045 |
3.4 |
|
Age 45-54 |
777,600 |
38,729 |
5.0 |
|
Age 55-64 |
629,500 |
47,372 |
7.5 |
|
Age 65-74 |
476,500 |
2,513 |
0.5 |
|
Age 75-84 |
288,700 |
0 |
0 |
|
Age 85+ |
96,000 |
0 |
0 |
|
Total |
5,458,500 |
172,106 |
3.2 % |
There were 54,634 For Invalidity Pension recipients in October 2025. This represents 1% of the population, using the most recent data from the CSO's Population and Migration estimates. 4,073,700 people are estimated to be aged between 15 and 74 years old; Invalidity Pension represents 1.3% of this population.
Invalidity Pension
|
Age Group |
Estimated Population 2025 |
Invalidity Pension |
Proportion (%) |
|
Age 0-14 |
1,000,100 |
0 |
0 |
|
Age 15-24 |
696,600 |
0 |
0 |
|
Age 25-34 |
673,900 |
257 |
0 |
|
Age 35-44 |
819,600 |
4,456 |
0.5 |
|
Age 45-54 |
777,600 |
13,510 |
1.7 |
|
Age 55-64 |
629,500 |
33,616 |
5.3 |
|
Age 65-74 |
476,500 |
2,795 |
0.6 |
|
Age 75-84 |
288,700 |
0 |
0 |
|
Age 85+ |
96,000 |
0 |
0 |
|
Total |
5,458,500 |
54,634 |
1.0% |
Annual population estimates are available from the CSO at data.cso.ie/table/pea01.
729. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Social Protection the rights to social welfare a returning emigrant who worked in Ireland for 12 to 13 years before emigrating to the USA has; and the length of time they must be resident in Ireland again before they qualify for social welfare payments. [63813/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraEmigrants who are returning to reside in Ireland have the same entitlement to access social welfare payments as Irish people who already reside in the country. Ireland has a bilateral social security agreement with the United States of America (USA). The main purpose of the bilateral agreements on social security is to protect the pension rights of persons who have paid social insurance contributions in Ireland and have reckonable periods in the other country. If the person has paid contributions both in the USA and in Ireland, the combined record may be considered for certain benefits.
If the returning emigrant does not have an entitlement to a social insurance contribution-based payment but meets all other scheme conditionality including the habitual residency condition, they may have an entitlement to a means tested social assistance payment. The person may also qualify for benefits such as Free Travel and Household Benefits, subject to satisfying those qualifying conditions.
If the Deputy has a particular case in mind, he can bring it to the attention of my Department by emailing ims@welfare.ie
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
730. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will urgently intervene in a case involving difficulties that a primary school (details supplied) is having with his Department’s School Meals Programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63834/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe 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.
As previously stated no new legislation has been introduced nor has the application of the law changed
The recent refinements to the procurement system, which underpins the programme, strengthens it by ensuring consistent standards across all participating schools. They also reflect the combined input of several Government Departments and State agencies, ensuring that schools and providers operate safely and compliantly across areas such as food safety, health and safety, fire safety, and building regulations.
As announced In Budget 2025, the Hot School Meals Scheme was extended to all remaining primary schools meaning that approximately 3,200 schools and 550,000 children are eligible for hot school meals in the 2025 2026 academic school year.
I can confirm that Carrigaholt National School is part of the School Meals programme. The supplier that had been providing meals to the school is no longer doing so. An official from my Department has been in contact with the school to explore the options available. I understand that the school is currently examining the option of cold lunches from a new supplier. My officials will continue to provide support to the school as it seeks to secure a supplier.
I trust this clarifies the matter.
731. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will implement an emergency winter payment for those people with a disability; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63844/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe 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.
• A €20 increase in the rate of Domiciliary Care Allowance bringing the rate to €380 per month.
• 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. The Back to Work Family Dividend is also being extended to this group, where they have children.
• From January, extending the Wage Subsidy Scheme to people who acquire a disability while in employment and increasing the rates paid from April.
• 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 also increase by €375 to €1,000 per week from July 2026.
Overall, across Disability Allowance, Invalidity Pension, Blind Pension and Domiciliary Care Allowance, over €250 million in additional funding has been made available when comparing the Revised Estimates for these schemes between 2025 and 2026.
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.
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.
I trust this clarifies the issue for the Deputy.
732. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Social Protection to accelerate the delivery of the permanent cost of disability payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63845/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe 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. 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.
I trust this clarifies the issue for the Deputy.
733. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Social Protection to conduct a full review of the effects Budget 2026 will have on those with a disability; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63846/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe 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.
In Budget 2026, I provided for a €1.15 billion package of new social protection measures.
This included a general rate increase of €10 across social welfare schemes from January 2026, with proportionate increases for those on reduced rates and Qualified Adults. This will bring the maximum personal rate of Disability Allowance to €254 per week from January 2026, a 4.1% increase when consumer prices have increased by 2.7% over the 12 months to September 2025, according to data from the Central Statistics Office.
In Budget 2026 we also provided for 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.
In addition, the rate of Fuel Allowance will increase by €5 from €33 to €38 per week from January 2026. This will provide an additional €140 during the annual fuel allowance season which will help to offset the impact of increasing energy costs.
Budget 2026 also contained other significant targeted measures to support disabled people. These measures include:
• A Christmas bonus double payment to all persons getting a long-term disability payment, to be paid in December 2025.
• 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.
These measures build on the progress made in recent years. Over the last five budgets the weekly payment rates for disability and carer's payments have increased by €51. The earnings disregard for Disability Allowance and Blind Pension has increased by almost 38% since Budget 2021 from €120 to €165 currently. A person availing for the Disability Allowance earnings disregard can earn up to €517.60 a week and still keep their entitlement to the minimum rate of payment and their secondary benefits.
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 matter for the Deputy.
734. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the steps he intends to take in relation the continued use by some District Courts of charity donations to allow motorists to avoid convictions for penalty point offences, including in cases of those driving at speeds significantly in excess of speed limits; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [64249/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra739. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the name of each charity which benefited from court poor box donations in penalty point offence cases each year since 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62887/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 734 and 739 together.
As the Deputy will appreciate, the Judiciary are, subject only to the Constitution and the law, independent in the exercise of their judicial functions.
To be of assistance, my officials have made enquiries of the Courts Service regarding the matters raised. As the Deputy may be aware, the court poor box is a non-statutory system used by the judiciary in the District Courts to impose a financial charge on a defendant to be used for a charitable purpose, usually instead of imposing a criminal conviction. The option of paying into the court poor box arises usually where the offence is minor in nature and would not attract a custodial sentence.
The Courts Service publish Annual Reports on the Court Poor Box on the Courts Service website: www.courts.ie/publications/poor-box-2017-2023
My Department is advised by the Courts Service that it is not possible to provide a report of payments to charities relating to specific offences/categories of offence. Therefore it is not possible to provide a report relating to poor box payments in respect of penalty point offences only. Payments made to the court poor box are accounted for by the court office concerned and the accounting procedures are subject to audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General. Generally, charities are the recipients of poor box contributions but the decision is solely at the discretion of the Judge who is independent in the matter of sentencing, as in other matters concerning the exercise of judicial functions.
In relation to next steps to address the use of the poor box in District courts, the Deputy will be aware that the Criminal Justice (Community Sanctions) Bill 2014, which seeks to update the Probation of Offenders Act 1907, will facilitate the effective and efficient use of community sanctions by the courts, and will ensure that the courts have a wide range of appropriate options for dealing with people who have committed minor offences.
Part 5 of the General Scheme of the Bill, as published by my Department, provides for the abolition of the Court Poor Box and the establishment of the Reparation Fund and reparation orders as a form of non-custodial sentence. This is to provide for a fair, equitable and transparent system of reparation, applicable only to minor offences and for the usage of that fund to provide services for the victims of crime.
A policy review of the Scheme of the Criminal Justice (Community Sanctions) Bill 2014, conducted by my Department, recommends that changes reflect developments in Irish penal policy since 2014. My Department is currently considering the policy review and next steps are being considered.
