Written Answers Nos. 410-430
410. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Social Protection if he is considering any emergency measures to help people with disabilities and their families to deal with increasing cost of living; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [72863/25]
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 which will be advanced over the lifetime of the Government, having regard to the overall policy and budgetary context. We are at the start of a five-year programme for Government and not everything can be done in year one.
Government had been very clear that there would be no once-off measures in Budget 2026.
In Budget 2026, I provided for a €1.15 billion package of new social protection measures. This contained significant targeted measures to support disabled people, including:
• A €10 increase in the weekly rates of payment, bringing the personal rates of payment to €254 per week from this month.
• A Christmas bonus double payment to all persons getting a long-term disability payment, 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 this month.
• 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 this month.
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.
These measures clearly demonstrate the Governments commitment to support disabled people by introducing permanent changes rather than relying on once-off 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 National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025-2030 my Department will lead a Strategic Focus Network on the Cost of Disability.
The work of this network, which will include disabled people and their advocates, will inform the approach to be taken in delivering on the Programme for Government commitment. I have asked my officials to expedite this work with a view to bringing a proposal to Government in the first half of next year. Officials have held meetings with a number of organisations to discuss the possible structure and content of the Strategic Focus Network on the Cost of Disability.
The Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme is the safety net within the overall social welfare system in that it provides assistance to eligible people in the State whose means are insufficient to meet their needs and those of their dependents.
Under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme, 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.
Payments are made at the discretion of the officers administering the scheme, taking into account the requirements of the legislation and all the relevant circumstances of the case, including the need presented and available resources, in order to ensure that the payments target those most in need of assistance. The payment is available to anyone who needs it and qualifies, whether the person is currently receiving a social welfare payment or working on a low income.
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.
Any person who considers that they may have an entitlement to an Additional Needs Payment or a Heating Supplement is encouraged to contact their local community welfare service. In addition, applications for Additional Needs Payments can be made online via www.mywelfare.ie.
I trust this clarifies the issue for the Deputy.
411. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection if he has plans to expand funding to the CE, RSS and Tús schemes given the rising rates of youth unemployment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68469/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department offers a range of employment schemes and other supports to encourage long-term unemployed people to return to work, while also assisting communities across the country in the provision of vital services. They are targeted at people who have been on an unemployment payment or certain other social welfare payments for a specific period of time.
My Department is committed to supporting and improving the capacity of young people to take up employment, education and training opportunities that can enhance their employment prospects over time, as well as their ability to earn an adequate income to support themselves and their families into the future. My Department’s Intreo Employment Service provides nationwide support to jobseekers through a structured and mandatory engagement process that offers tailored, individualised employment support. Jobseekers deemed most distant from the labour market and those aged under 30 years of age are engaged with more immediately and more frequently.
Under the Reinforced Youth Guarantee (RYG), EU Member States pledge to provide a good quality offer of employment, education, or training to those under the age of 30 within 4 months of becoming unemployed.
The Department’s Pathways to Work 2021-2025 provided a number of commitments to support young people in finding and maintaining employment in support of Ireland’s RYG responsibilities. The successor strategy, is currently being drafted and will be published later this year.
Community Employment (CE) and Tús are employment activation measures designed to provide eligible long-term unemployed people and other disadvantaged persons with an opportunity to engage in useful work within their communities on a temporary, fixed term basis. Rural Social Scheme (RSS) is an income support initiative that provides part-time employment opportunities in community and voluntary organisations for farmers or fishermen who are in receipt of certain social welfare payments and who are underemployed in their primary occupation.
There are currently 19,659 participants on CE, 2,598 participants on the RSS and 4,605 participants on Tús. Government investment in the employment schemes in 2026 will estimated at €574 million.
The OECD in a recently published review of the CE and Tús schemes found a positive impact on the employment and earnings of participants, especially for older participants on CE and younger participants on Tús. The review also found that participants are less likely to rely on disability payments and are more likely to find employment after their participation.
A number of recent changes made to the Tús scheme support younger people in their efforts to integrate into the workforce, as follows:
• Disability Allowance customers aged 18 or over and who are fully unemployed may have immediate access to Tús on a self-referral basis.
• A pilot commenced in November 2024 whereby jobseekers, aged 18-years with a low probability of finding employment may have immediate access to Tús on a self-referral basis.
• Traveller/Roma Jobseeker Allowance customers aged 18 years or older, who are fully unemployed may have immediate access to Tús on a self-referral basis.
Overall, I recognise that these employment, activation and income support programmes enable participants to make a significant contribution to their communities whilst up-skilling themselves for prospective future employment, as appropriate. I wish to re-iterate that my Department keeps all aspects of these programmes under ongoing review to ensure they continue to deliver the best outcomes for participants and communities.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
413. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection if he plans to shift provision of the hot school meals scheme to non-profits (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68468/25]
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.
My department provides the funding for the meals directly to the school. All schools are responsible for choosing their school meals supplier on the open market, in a fair and transparent manner in accordance with public procurement rules. These rules clearly define the successful tenderers responsibilities and obligations, including adherence to the nutritional standards.
The School Meals Programme is open to all registered Food Business Operators.
I can confirm there are currently eleven meals on wheels organisations supplying forty schools in the programme. My officials in this Department have been working with officials in the Department of Rural and Community Development and the Gaeltacht and they have compiled a list of supports available to local community organisations who may wish to expand their operation into the school meals area. This information has been supplied to some rural schools and a range of other community organisations.
I trust this clarifies the matter.
414. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection his plans for a cost of disability package; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [73016/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe 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.
415. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection if he intends to increase and benchmark the fuel allowance to restore purchasing power at 2020 levels; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [73017/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Programme for Government includes a commitment to examine key ancillary benefits such as the Fuel Allowance, Household Benefits Package and Living Alone Increase to support vulnerable groups. This is an ongoing activity as part of the Department's budget planning each year and I will continue, as part of the budget planning process, to consider if improvements can be made to ensure that these benefits continue to target vulnerable groups.
However, any future decision to benchmark the Fuel Allowance scheme, will of course, have to take account of the availability of financial resources.
As part of Budget 2026, I announced a €5 increase to the weekly rate of Fuel Allowance payable. This increased the weekly rate payable from €33 to €38 a week or €1,064 a Fuel Allowance season. This will support over 460,000 households including pensioner households who most require Government support with their energy costs.
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. The supports provided by the Government are cross Departmental and, in this regard, my Department is represented on the Energy Poverty Action Group, with the overall strategy to combat Fuel Poverty and Energy Poverty under the remit of the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications.
I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
416. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Social Protection the measures being taken to reduce waiting times for appeals within the social welfare appeals office; his plans to improve communication with appellants during the appeals process, including the provision of timely updates on the status of their appeal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1782/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Social Welfare Appeals Office is committed to providing a quality service to all its customers. This includes ensuring that appeal applications are processed and appeal decisions are made as quickly as possible.
In 2024, the Department’s Deciding Officers and Designated Persons made almost 3.4 million decisions. Of these, 174,000 claims were disallowed or rejected (representing 5% of all decisions). 40,684 appeals were registered in 2025 which represents just over 1% of the overall total decisions and contrasts with appeal volumes of just over 20,000 in previous years.
The increase in appeal volumes is believed to be attributable to two factors - first demographic factors leading to higher demand for pensions, disability and carer's payments and second the introduction of a simple to use online appeals process.
Recognising that neither of these two factors is likely to change, the Chief Appeals Officer has put in place measures to deal with the increase in appeals registered and considerable progress has since been made with over 52,000 appeals finalised in 2025, compared to 28,702 finalised in 2024. This represents an increase of over 80%. As a result, pending appeals volumes have been more than halved from over 22,000 in January 2024 to about 9,500 currently and are continuing to fall.
Inevitably as the office clears a backlog reported processing times increase. Nevertheless, the average time to process an appeal at the end of 2025 of 21.2 weeks which is lower than the average of 23.5 weeks for 2024. Processing times are continuing to fall.
New Social Welfare Appeals Regulations (S.I. No. 744 of 2024) came into effect from Monday, 28 April 2025. The purpose of these regulations is to modernise and streamline the social welfare appeals process, providing greater clarity, improved consistency, and more defined timeframes. It is expected that this will further reduce the number of appeals on hand and the length of time it takes for appeals to be processed and decided.
An Appeals Modernisation Project to develop and implement a new appeals business process, including the manner in which the appeals process interacts with the Department was completed in 2025. The project’s purpose is to streamline and enhance the end-to-end appeals process for the customer. The new system provides online capabilities to provide a more efficient and streamlined service for people availing of services and functionality on MyWelfare for making appeals. This change supports the end-to-end electronic processing of appeals. It provides a secure, comprehensive, online appeals service for customers. It is improving the customer experience by offering an additional online channel, facilitating 24/7 access to view their current appeal status which has helped improve communications with appellants during the appeals process.
The Chief Appeals Officer continues to monitor the number of appeals on hand and the appeal processing times, and every effort is made to reduce the time taken to process an appeal. However, the drive for efficiency must be balanced with the competing demand to ensure that decisions are consistent and made in accordance with the provisions set out in primary legislation and regulations.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the deputy
417. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason for proposing restrictions on investment options for self-directed PRSAs and the objectives these changes are intended to achieve. [2921/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra418. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Social Protection if the proposed changes to PRSA investment options are linked to compliance with EU directives or domestic policy priorities; and to outline the relevant requirements. [2922/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra419. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Social Protection the evidence or analysis that has informed the decision to review or restrict investment options for self-directed PRSAs. [2923/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra420. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Social Protection the assessment that has been carried out on the potential impact of the proposed changes on the pension market, including saver choice and competition among providers. [2924/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra421. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Social Protection if an analysis has been conducted on the potential effect of the proposed restrictions on investment options for self-directed PRSAs on housing supply, particularly in relation to residential property investment by pension schemes. [2925/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra422. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Social Protection if modelling or forecasting has been undertaken to estimate the number of rental units that could be lost annually as a result of the proposed restrictions on investment options for self-directed PRSAs, and to provide details of that analysis. [2926/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra423. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Social Protection if his Department has considered the potential impact of the proposed restrictions on investment options for self-directed PRSAs on small business owners and self-employed individuals who rely on self-directed pensions for flexibility and control. [2927/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra424. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Social Protection the engagement that has taken place with representative bodies for pensions in Ireland regarding the proposed changes to PRSA investment options. [2928/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra425. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Social Protection if a public consultation process will be undertaken before any legislative changes are introduced for restrictions on investment options for self-directed PRSAs; and the timeline and process for that consultation. [2929/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra426. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Social Protection if his Department has engaged with stakeholders in the housing sector to assess the potential implications of the proposed restrictions on investment options for self-directed PRSAs changes for housing supply and affordability. [2930/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 417 to 426, inclusive, together.
Section 10(1) of the Pensions Act 1990 sets out the functions of the Pensions Authority, the independent regulator of occupational pension schemes and PRSAs in Ireland, which include advising me on all matters in relation to pensions generally.
The Pensions Authority decided to conduct a public consultation from 30 September 2025 to 17 November 2025 seeking views on the regulation of Personal Retirement Savings Account (PRSA) investments. In its consultation, the Authority sets out its concerns about the difference between the investment rules of PRSAs and occupational pension schemes and its belief that these rules should be more aligned. In particular, the rules for occupational pension schemes require that pension saving investments are invested in a prudent manner and predominately in regulated markets.
Following the transposition of the EU IORP II Directive into Irish law in 2021, other than a five-year derogation for pre-existing one member arrangements (schemes established solely for one member, who has discretion over how the assets are invested), investment rules apply to all pension schemes regardless of size. In the Authority’s view, it is difficult to justify not extending such safeguarding measures to contributors of all pension saving products, including PRSAs.
As the Deputy will appreciate, this consultation is being conducted by the independent regulator and my Department has had no direct involvement in the consultation process nor are then any proposals currently before the Department for analysis.
My Department and I will await the outcome of the Authority's findings following the consultation and any advice that may be provided to me for my consideration on the investment rules applicable to PRSAs, before making any decisions.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
427. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will seek a review of the means-testing arrangements affecting farm families where one parent is a full-time unpaid carer and the sole farm income marginally exceeds thresholds, despite high costs associated with third-level education and caring responsibilities; and if measures will be considered to alleviate this hardship; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [66666/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra428. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Social Protection the current means-testing system for farm households to ensure that depreciation of machinery and equipment is properly accounted for when assessing farm income; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [66665/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 427 and 428 together.
My Department provides a number of income supports available to small scale farmers.
Farm Assist is a statutory means-tested income support specifically for farmers on low incomes. There are approximately 3,200 claims in payment at present. The Government has provided almost €44 million for the scheme in 2026.
The Farm Assist scheme is similar to Jobseeker's Allowance in a number of ways, such as the retention of secondary benefits and access to activation programmes where a person may want to take up off-farm employment or is seeking educational or training opportunities.
However, the means test is more generous on Farm Assist. For example, under Jobseeker's, self-employed income is assessed at 100%; this is reduced to 70% under Farm Assist. Child disregards apply under Farm Assist which do not exist for Jobseeker's. In addition, account is taken of any exceptional circumstances to ensure that the assessment for the scheme reflects the current situation, income and costs accurately.
In the case of capital assets, such as farm machinery and equipment, the capital cost is not allowed as an expense. Instead, an allowance is made for the depreciation of these assets in accordance with guidelines which are available on the Government's website.
Legislation provides for a disregard in the means test for Farm Assist for income from a range of agri-environmental schemes, whereby the first €5,000, increased from €2,540 from January 2023, of such income is disregard in full, with 50% of the balance assessed as means. A Review into the means test disregards for Farm Assist completed in 2021 recommended that the list of agri-environmental schemes that qualify for the disregard should be significantly increased. The list has been expanded since then from 4 schemes to 29 schemes.
I am committed to working with my colleague, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, to keeping this disregard under review in the context of Ireland's CAP Strategic Plan 2023-2027.
Farm Assist claimants can move to the Rural Social Scheme, which provides a supplementary income for low-income farmers aged 25 years or over.
The Government acknowledges the valuable role that family carers play and remains fully committed to supporting carers in that role. This is recognised in the Programme for Government. My Department provides a range of income supports for carers, including Carer's Allowance, Carer's Benefit, Domiciliary Care Allowance, and the annual Carer's Support Grant.
There have been significant improvements made recently to the carer supports provided. As part of Budget 2026, I announced a range of measures to support family carers, which take effect this year. This includes a €10 increase in the weekly personal rate of Carer's Benefit and Carer's Allowance, increases to the Child Support Payment, and a €20 increase to the monthly Domiciliary Care Allowance payment, from January 2026.
From July, there will be a further very significant 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 from €625 to €1,000, after tax.
The Deputy is welcome to bring individual cases to my attention so that they can be examined to determine the appropriate support for the particular circumstances.
429. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Social Protection the progress made to date on the introduction of a permanent annual cost of disability support payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2938/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra430. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will introduce any immediate financial measures to address the increased cost of living faced by people in receipt of disability allowance; the step he intends to take to reduce the gap between current disability allowance income supports and the at-risk-of-poverty threshold; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2939/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra431. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Social Protection if his Department has completed any updated analysis on the additional, recurring costs faced by people with disabilities; if he will publish the evidence base informing future disability-related income supports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2940/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra432. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Social Protection his plans to review the core rate of disability allowance in light of inflation, increased living costs, and the findings of the Cost of Disability Report; the timeline for any such review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2941/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra436. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will introduce an emergency winter payment for people with disabilities in 2026, in light of the withdrawal of once-off supports such as the €400 disability support grant and energy credits in Budget 2026; if he has assessed the impact of these withdrawn supports on people with disabilities who may now be up to €1,400 worse off; and if he will reinstate targeted energy credits for those at heightened risk of energy poverty, pending the introduction of a permanent Cost of Disability payment in 2027; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3137/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra446. Deputy Eoin Hayes asked the Minister for Social Protection the details of all analysis his Department has carried out on the introduction of a permanent cost of disability support payment; and to provide an update on the progress his Department has made on introduction of such a payment. [3314/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 429, 430, 431, 432, 436 and 446 together.
The 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.
Over the last five budgets the Government has progressively improved payment rates and income disregards for disabled people. The weekly payment rates for Disability Allowance have increased by €51 in that time. The earnings disregard has increased by almost 38% since Budget 2021 from €120 to €165 currently.
The Programme for Government includes a range of commitments to support disabled people. This includes a commitment to introduce a permanent Annual Cost of Disability Support Payment with a view to incrementally increasing this payment. These commitments will be advanced over the lifetime of the Government, having regard to the overall policy and budgetary context.
Under the National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025-2030 my Department will lead a Strategic Focus Network on the Cost of Disability with the involvement of other relevant Departments and Agencies. I have asked my officials to expedite this work with a view to bringing a proposal to Government in the first half of this year. Officials have held meetings with a number of organisations in relation to this initiative. The views of disabled people and all relevant research, including the Indecon and ESRI reports will be given due consideration as we progress this work.
In Budget 2026, I provided for a €1.15 billion package of new social protection measures. This contained significant targeted measures to support disabled people, including:
• A €10 increase in the weekly rates of payment, bringing the personal rates of payment to €254 per week from this month.
• A Christmas bonus double payment to all persons getting a long-term disability payment, 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 from this month.
• A €5 increase in the Fuel Allowance, bringing it to €38 per week from this month.
• 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.
Wage Subsidy Scheme rates will be increased from April.
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.
I trust this clarifies the issue for the Deputy.
