Tony McCormack
Ceist:81. Deputy Tony McCormack asked the Minister for Social Protection his main priorities for his Department for the remainder of the year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2861/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraDepartmental Priorities
Ceisteanna (81)
Freagraí scríofa
In line with the Programme for Government commitments, I have number of key priorities with my Department for this year and the remaining lifetime of this Government. These are as follows;
1. Explore a targeted second tier child benefit payment.
2. Ensure there is intensive and appropriate activation measures to help those most distant from the labour market.
3. Explore a permanent annual cost of disability support payment.
4. over the lifetime of this Government and via the annual Budget process, seek to extend the period of payment of a social welfare payment following death from 6 to 12 weeks.
5. Explore options for the extension of Pay Related Benefit to other schemes.
6. Oversee the work of NAERSA and the ongoing implementation of My Future Fund.
7. Explore the option of giving self-employed workers access to Illness Benefit by means of making a higher PRSI contribution.
8. Continue to improve hot-school meals scheme.
9. Publish a consultation paper on a new Working Age Payment seeking views from relevant parties on how it should be structured.
10. Continue to significantly increase the income disregards for Carer’s Allowance in each Budget with a view to phasing out the means test during the lifetime of the Government.
11. Ensure parents who are aged 66+ and caring for children with lifelong disabilities retain the rate at which they are paid their Carer’s Allowance and concurrently receive the State Pension.
12. Examine how we can better support carers who are providing full-time care and attention to more than one person.
13. Explore extending the eligibility of the Free Travel pass to DCA recipients.
14. Carry out a comprehensive review of means tests across the social welfare system.
15. Continue to support successful local programmes such as CE, TÚS and the Rural Social Scheme which do vital work in local communities.
16. Continue the integration of digital services and continue investment in the Digitalisation of Life Events and the Digital Wallet.
17. Work with employers and across Government to improve employment of people with disabilities and ensure that supports for entrepreneurs and enterprise are accessible to all, including people with disabilities with a goal of reaching at least the EU average.
18. Achieve targets for timeliness of claim decisions and appeal decisions.
19. Implement the Department's control policy - produce and publish an annual report on control activity.
20. Organise and host the annual social inclusion forum and the pre-budget forum.
21. Convene and support the Social Inclusion Steering Group, the Labour Market Advisory Council and publish new relevant national strategies to succeed the current Roadmap for Social Inclusion and the current Pathways to Work strategies.
22. Ensure Department holds formal meetings with the community and voluntary pillar.
23. Develop annual budget proposal on basis of evidence - including SILC and ESRI - targeting sectors that are most at risk of poverty.
24. Implement social insurance contribution rate increases as provided for in legislation out to 2030.
Social Welfare Payments
Ceisteanna (82)
Conor D McGuinness
Ceist:82. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Social Protection his plans to increase supports for fishermen and women and the fishing industry after the disastrous quota negotiations recently (details supplied). [2885/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
Sectoral interventions for the fishing sector are a matter for my colleague the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
My department operates a number of income supports which are available to those while working in this sector.
Fish Assist is available to self-employed fishers on a low income under the means-tested Jobseeker's Allowance scheme and is based on the conditions around the Farm Assist scheme. One of the key differences applied to self-employed fishers compared to other self-employed workers on Jobseeker's Allowance is the favourable treatment of income through additional disregards. Under this scheme, gross income derived from self-employment is assessed at 70% and there are additional disregards in respect of dependent children. In addition, secondary benefits, such as Fuel Allowance may be payable from the start of the claim, subject to satisfying the relevant conditions.
A person engaged in shared fishing may be eligible for Jobseeker's Benefit for temporary periods depending on specific circumstances. Persons who pay PRSI at Class P may qualify for Jobseeker’s Benefit for up to a maximum 78 days in any calendar year.
In addition, the Rural Social Scheme provides income support for those engaged in farming and fishing who have an entitlement to specified social welfare payments.
Where an person fully loses or ceases their employment, they may be entitled to support under the new Jobseeker's Pay-Related Benefit scheme or, if self-employed, under the Jobseeker's Benefit (Self-Employed) scheme, depending on the individual's circumstances and their PRSI contribution record.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the deputy.
Fuel Poverty
Ceisteanna (83)
Pa Daly
Ceist:83. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Social Protection the measures he is taking to address energy poverty; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2679/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The Government is committed to protecting vulnerable households from the impact of energy costs through a combination of financial supports, energy efficiency awareness initiatives and investment in programmes to improve the energy efficiency of the housing stock. In this regard as part of Budget 2026 the Government has provided significant targeted support to those people who most require help with their energy costs.
With regard to income supports my Department provides a range of schemes to assist with energy costs. These include -
• The Fuel Allowance which was increased by €5 from January 2026, is a weekly payment of €38 for 28 weeks, giving a total per recipient of €1,064 each year from October to April. This will support over 460,000 households with their energy costs, at an estimated cost of €486 million in 2026.
• Electricity or gas allowances under the Household Benefits scheme, at an estimated cost in 2026 of €230.5 million.
• 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.
• Additional Needs Payments are available to help meet essential expenses that a person cannot pay from their weekly income or other personal and household resources.
Budget 2026 also provided for a €10 increase in the maximum weekly rate of all State Pensions from January 2026, with proportionate increases for qualified adults and people getting a reduced rate.
A 100% Christmas bonus was also paid to over 1.47 million long-term social welfare recipients the week beginning 1 December 2025.
Social Welfare Payments
Ceisteanna (84)
Colm Burke
Ceist:84. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection to confirm whether he engages with the Minister for Health when increases to social protection payments are occurring, particularly with regard to medical card thresholds and payments to older people in order that welcome increases in social protection payments would not have the unintended consequence of disqualifying a person for a medical card as a result of increased means; whether he has done so in light of recent increases; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2713/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
On Tuesday 7th October 2025, I announced a €1.15 billion package of new social protection measures for Budget 2026.
This package included increases of €10 across social welfare schemes from January 2026, with proportionate increases for those on reduced rates, as well as for Qualified Adults.
My Department engages with officials in other Departments, including the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation as necessary as part of the Budget negotiations, which is a whole of Government process.
The means test for medical cards is the responsibility of the Minister for Health.
Final Government decisions on changes to Social Protection schemes are based on a variety of factors, including analyses based on demographic changes and macroeconomic factors such as inflation. All of this must be considered within the context of the resources that are available and are made by Government holistically in conjunction with changes to taxes, schemes and services delivered in other Departments, including the Department of Health.
Social Welfare Code
Ceisteanna (85)
Claire Kerrane
Ceist:85. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will re-examine the report by the Child Maintenance Review Group, and the failure to find consensus on the establishment of a statutory child maintenance service; if he will examine this matter more broadly; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2687/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The Report of the Child Maintenance Review Group was published in 2022. The Government accepted the Group's recommendations in relation to the social welfare system.
The Social Welfare and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act of 2024 provided for changes to the social welfare means test to exclude child maintenance payments from assessment in all means-tested payments from my Department. As a result, the full amount of child maintenance a person receives is no longer assessed in the means test for any social welfare payment, including secondary payments such as fuel allowance and the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance.
In addition, regulations were signed which removed the "efforts to seek maintenance" requirement. This means that applicants for One-Parent Family Payment and Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment are no longer required to make efforts to seek maintenance from their child’s other parent.
There was no consensus among the review Group members regarding the establishment of a Child Maintenance Agency. The group was chaired by a former Circuit Court Judge and included legal, policy, academic professionals and officials.
It is important to note that the social welfare changes introduced following the report’s recommendations had the effect of decoupling issues relating to child maintenance from the social welfare system.
Matters of family law, including child maintenance, come under the remit of the Department of Justice. I understand that it is working on the introduction of an on-line Child Maintenance Calculator, which is being designed to help parents agree an amount of child maintenance payable for their children. The intention to help parents to make their own arrangements directly, or with help from a solicitor or a family mediation service.
Official Engagements
Ceisteanna (86)
Thomas Gould
Ceist:86. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Social Protection the last date he met the ESRI and the agenda of the meeting. [2793/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
My Department conducts an annual research programme, subject to the availability of funding, to deliver analytical and thematic research on poverty and social inclusion. This research is aimed at supporting my Department in designing and implementing effective supports and policies aimed at reducing poverty and improving social inclusion, in line with the Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020-2025.
Following an open competition, the current programme was awarded to the Economic, Research and Social Institute (ESRI) in 2024 under a three-year contract to 2027.
I have not met the ESRI officially since assuming office as Minister for Social Protection. However, my officials meet with researchers from the ESRI on a regular basis to review progress on commissioned studies, discuss forthcoming publications, consider methodological issues and agree priorities for future research.
In-person meetings between my Department's officials and ESRI researchers were held on 13th August 2025 in my Department and, prior to that, on 18th September 2024 in the ESRI's offices. These in-person meetings are supplemented by regular online meetings and email communication.
Social Welfare Payments
Ceisteanna (87)
Cormac Devlin
Ceist:87. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Social Protection the progress being made on introducing a new working age payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2593/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The Programme for Government commits that any new Working Age Payment will ensure that individuals will always see an increase in income when they work or take on additional hours. It will do this by addressing inconsistencies and anomalies in the current Jobseekers Allowance Scheme which may discourage people from taking up employment.
My Department is currently examining a new Working Age Payment and hopes to issue a public consultation on the issue in the coming months.
Social Welfare Payments
Ceisteanna (88)
Catherine Callaghan
Ceist:88. Deputy Catherine Callaghan asked the Minister for Social Protection the timeline for the introduction of the permanent annual cost of disability support payment, as committed to in the programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2831/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The Department of Social Protection provides a range of income support payments for disabled people. There are currently approximately 231,000 recipients of disability income support payments, with estimated expenditure of €3.24 billion in 2025.
The Government recognises the many additional costs that disabled people can face in their daily lives and is committed to improving outcomes for disabled people by introducing permanent measures to help them address these costs.
That is why the Programme for Government includes a range of commitments to support disabled people - commitments which have been further developed in The National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025-2030. The strategy adopts a whole-of-Government approach with individual Departments and Agencies responsible for planning and delivering the commitments that come under their remit across five key pillars. The commitment to introduce a permanent Annual Cost of Disability Support Payment sits within this framework as a matter on which my Department is to take the lead. Subject to the overall budgetary context I am determined to include the payment as part of Budget 2027.
Importantly the strategy requires that the delivery of its various commitments should be informed by, and should include, the active input of disabled people and their advocates.
Accordingly, as set out in the strategy, my Department will lead a Strategic Focus Network on the Cost of Disability with the involvement of other relevant Departments and Agencies.
The work of this network, which will include disabled people and their advocates, will inform the approach to be taken in addressing the cost of disability. Officials have held bi-lateral meetings with a number of organisations to discuss the structure and content of the Strategic Focus Network with the matter also being discussed at my Department's Disability Consultative Forum, on December 2nd last.
A meeting with the Disabled Persons Organisation's network is being organised and that is expected to take place next Friday, 23rd January.
Given my intention to include a cost of disability for consideration in Budget 2027 I have asked my officials to continue to prioritise this work with a view to bringing a proposal to Government in the first half of this year.
I trust this clarifies the issue for the Deputy.
Social Welfare Payments
Ceisteanna (89)
Peter Roche
Ceist:89. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Social Protection the steps his Department is taking to ensure that recipients of disability allowance who take up part-time employment within the permitted income and hours thresholds are supported rather than penalised during the transition to work; if he is aware of cases where disability allowance has been disallowed despite timely and complete disclosure of earnings, resulting in prolonged loss of income and hardship; the safeguards which exist to prevent such delays, particularly where claimants have ongoing medical and travel costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2737/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
Disability Allowance (DA) 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, means test and the habitual residency conditions.
Recognising that all work is rehabilitative, the DA scheme is structured to encourage recipients to avail of opportunities to engage in either insurable employment or self-employment. The first €165 of weekly earnings is disregarded for the means test, and 50% of the next €210 (€165–€375) is also disregarded. Any income above €375 is fully assessed. It is important to note, there are no restrictions on the number of hours worked.
I can confirm that every opportunity is given to DA recipients to submit requested information to determine their means. DA payments are not disallowed where required information is supplied or contact is maintained with the Department.
Where means exceed the DA limits following these disregards, recipients may retain their Free Travel Pass for five years. A fast-track reinstatement process is also available for those whose employment ceases within 12 months of taking up work.
The Department understands the many pressures faced by people and always seeks to ensure that reviews are processed quickly and efficiently. Each decision made following a review is open to a further review and/or an appeal to the Social Welfare Appeals office. Operational processes, procedures and the organisation of work are continually reviewed to ensure that processing capability is maximized.
The Department continues to keep the range of income and employment supports under review. Any proposed changes to the supports provided must also be considered in an overall budgetary context.
If the Deputy has a particular case in mind, the details can be provided to the Department for examination.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Social Welfare Payments
Ceisteanna (90)
Richard Boyd Barrett
Ceist:90. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Social Protection whether he will streamline approval of exceptional needs payments for core household goods, such as flooring and basic furniture, in order to ensure that tenants are not paying two rents simultaneously while awaiting floors or other basic furniture in a new tenancy. [2891/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
Under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) scheme, my department may make an Additional Needs Payment (ANP) to help meet expenses that an eligible person cannot pay from their weekly income, personal and/or household resources. The ANP scheme is demand led and administered by Community Welfare Officers (CWOs) in the Community Welfare Service (CWS), taking into account the requirements of the legislation and all the relevant circumstances of the case in order to ensure that the payments target those most in need of assistance.
An ANP is specific to an individual or household and cannot be made in advance of accepting an allocation of housing and signing the tenancy agreement. Where a person moves to new unfurnished accommodation and faces increased or exceptional costs including essential household items, an ANP may be considered to help meet these additional costs. A CWO will assess such applications on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the individual or households previous accommodation, financial situation, available resources, the necessity of the expenditure, and the overall suitability of the assistance requested. This ensures that individuals transitioning to new housing are supported where a genuine financial need exists.
Claim processing times are monitored at both a national and local level in the CWS, with targeted interventions available to support and mitigate delays in any area across the Country, where fluctuations in claim loads are observed. This maintains the claim processing timeframes nationwide for ANPs.
Work on hand nationally for ANPs is within the scheme's normal processing levels and fully completed applications, where the required documentation is supplied, are generally processed within ten working days. Where it is clear that a person has an urgent or immediate need, every effort is made to ensure that the claim is processed on the same day. CWOs are very experienced and can generally assess when a case is so urgent that it requires an immediate response.
I trust this clarifies the matter.
Social Welfare Payments
Ceisteanna (91)
Erin McGreehan
Ceist:91. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of people that are in receipt of the kinship caring payment across the country; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2887/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
Guardian's payment is a payment that is available to a person taking care of an orphan.
At the end of December 2025 there were 1,317 Guardian's Payment (Contributory) recipients and 603 Guardian's Payment (Non-Contributory) recipients, in respect of 1,797 and 841 children respectively.
Question No. 92 answered with Question No. 32.
Question No. 93 answered with Question No. 59.
Social Welfare Payments
Ceisteanna (94)
Richard Boyd Barrett
Ceist:94. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Social Protection whether he will streamline approval of exceptional needs payments for core household goods, such as flooring and basic furniture, in order to ensure that social housing allocations are not delayed by lack of floors or other basic furniture in the allocated unit. [2890/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
Under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) scheme, my department may make an Additional Needs Payment (ANP) to help meet expenses that an eligible person cannot pay from their weekly income, personal and/or household resources. The ANP scheme is demand led and administered by Community Welfare Officers (CWOs) in the Community Welfare Service (CWS), taking into account the requirements of the legislation and all the relevant circumstances of the case in order to ensure that the payments target those most in need of assistance.
An ANP is specific to an individual or household and cannot be made in advance of accepting an allocation of housing and signing the tenancy agreement. Where a person accepts an allocation of housing and faces increased or exceptional costs including essential household items, an ANP may be considered to help meet these additional costs. A CWO will assess such applications on a case-by-case basis, taking into account the individual or households previous accommodation, financial situation, available resources, the necessity of the expenditure, and the overall suitability of the assistance requested. This ensures that individuals transitioning to new housing are supported where a genuine financial need exists.
Claim processing times are monitored at both a national and local level in the CWS, with targeted interventions available to support and mitigate delays in any area across the Country, where fluctuations in claim loads are observed. This maintains the claim processing timeframes nationwide for ANPs.
Work on hand nationally for ANPs is within the scheme's normal processing levels and fully completed applications, where the required documentation is supplied, are generally processed within ten working days. Where it is clear that a person has an urgent or immediate need, every effort is made to ensure that the claim is processed on the same day. CWOs are very experienced and can generally assess when a case is so urgent that it requires an immediate response.
I trust this clarifies the matter.
Questions Nos. 95 to 106, inclusive, answered orally.