Written Answers Nos. 610-621
610. Deputy Eoin Hayes asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost of a €1 increase in each of the social insurance schemes, social assistance schemes, other weekly schemes and other schemes payments (details supplied), in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45032/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe tables below outline the estimated annual cost of increasing social welfare schemes by €1. Note that rounding may affect totals.
It should be noted that these costings are subject to change in the context of emerging trends and the associated revision of the estimated numbers of recipients.
It should also be noted that these costings include proportionate increases for qualified adults and for those on reduced rates of payment, where relevant.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
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Summary of Total Cost |
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Payment |
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Personal |
Qualified Adult |
Total |
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€m |
€m |
€m |
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Social Insurance Schemes |
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|
|
State Pension (Contributory) |
|
€ 26.37 |
€ 1.68 |
€ 28.05 |
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Bereaved Partner’s or Surviving Civil Partner's (Con) Pension |
Under 66yrs |
€ 1.46 |
|
€ 1.46 |
|
|
Over 66Yrs |
€ 4.93 |
|
€ 4.93 |
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Deserted Wife's Benefit |
Under 66yrs |
€ 0.04 |
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€ 0.04 |
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|
Over 66Yrs |
€ 0.14 |
|
€ 0.14 |
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Invalidity Pension |
|
€ 2.76 |
€ 0.13 |
€ 2.89 |
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Partial Capacity Benefit |
|
€ 0.10 |
€ 0.00 |
€ 0.10 |
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Guardian's Payment (Contributory) |
|
€ 0.07 |
|
€ 0.07 |
|
Death Benefit Pension |
|
€ 0.03 |
|
€ 0.03 |
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Disablement Pension |
|
€ 0.23 |
|
€ 0.23 |
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Illness Benefit |
|
€ 2.66 |
€ 0.07 |
€ 2.73 |
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Injury Benefit |
|
€ 0.01 |
€ 0.00 |
€ 0.02 |
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Incapacity Supplement |
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€ 0.04 |
€ 0.00 |
€ 0.04 |
|
Jobseeker's Benefit |
|
€ 0.66 |
€ 0.07 |
€ 0.73 |
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Jobseeker's Benefit (Self Employed) |
|
€ 0.03 |
€ 0.00 |
€ 0.03 |
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Carer's Benefit |
|
€ 0.24 |
€ - |
€ 0.24 |
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Health and Safety Benefit |
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€ 0.00 |
€ - |
€ 0.00 |
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Maternity & Adoptive Benefit |
|
€ 0.98 |
€ - |
€ 0.98 |
|
Paternity & Parent's Benefit |
|
€ 0.43 |
€ - |
€ 0.43 |
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|
|
|
|
|
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Social Assistance Schemes |
|
|
|
|
|
State Pension (Non Con) |
|
€ 5.21 |
€ 0.10 |
€ 5.31 |
|
Blind Person's Pension |
|
€ 0.04 |
€ 0.00 |
€ 0.05 |
|
Bereaved Partner’s (Non-Con) Pension |
|
€ 0.05 |
|
€ 0.05 |
|
Deserted Wife's Allowance |
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€ 0.00 |
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€ 0.00 |
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One-Parent Family Payment |
|
€ 2.26 |
|
€ 2.26 |
|
Carer's Allowance |
Under 66yrs |
€ 2.75 |
€ - |
€ 2.75 |
|
|
66yrs or Over |
€ 0.09 |
€ - |
€ 0.09 |
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Half Rate Carer's Allowance |
Under 66yrs |
€ 0.75 |
|
€ 0.75 |
|
|
66yrs or Over |
€ 0.50 |
|
€ 0.50 |
|
Guardian's Payment (Non-Contributory) |
|
€ 0.03 |
|
€ 0.03 |
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Jobseeker's Allowance Max Rate |
|
€ 5.55 |
€ 0.69 |
€ 6.24 |
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JA age 18 to 24 |
|
€ 0.83 |
€ 0.05 |
€ 0.87 |
|
Disability Allowance |
|
€ 9.01 |
€ 0.54 |
€ 9.55 |
|
Farm Assist |
|
€ 0.15 |
€ 0.04 |
€ 0.19 |
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Employment Support Schemes (BTWA & BTEA) |
|
€ 0.22 |
€ 0.02 |
€ 0.24 |
|
Employment/Internship Schemes (CE, Tús, RSS etc.) |
|
€ 1.43 |
€ 0.17 |
€ 1.60 |
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Work Placement Experience Programme |
|
€ 0.01 |
€ 0.00 |
€ 0.01 |
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Supplementary Welfare Allowance |
|
€ 0.54 |
€ 0.04 |
€ 0.58 |
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TOTAL |
|
70.62 |
3.62 |
74.23 |
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Cost of €1 Change - Weekly Schemes |
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|
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Total €m |
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Pensioners - Aged 66 years and over |
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State Pension (Contributory), Invalidity Pension (Aged 65), Bereaved Partner’s (Contributory) Pension, Deserted Wife's Benefit, State Pension (Non-Con), Carer's Allowance, Half Rate Carer's Allowance |
€ 39.13 |
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|
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Working Age - Aged under 66 years |
|
|
|
|
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People With Disabilities |
|
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Invalidity Pension, Disability Allowance, Blind Pension, Incapacity Supplement, Disablement Pension |
€ 12.76 |
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Carers |
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Carer's Allowance, Half Rate Carer's Allowance, Carer's Benefit |
€ 3.73 |
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All Other Rates* |
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Bereaved Partner’s (Contributory), Deserted Wife's Benefit, Death Benefit Pension, Partial Capacity Benefit, Jobseeker's Benefit, Illness Benefit, Health & Safety Benefit, Injury Benefit, Guardian's Payment (Contributory), Jobseeker's Allowance, Pre-Retirement Allowance, Bereaved Partner’s (Non-Con), Deserted Wife's Allowance, Farm Assist, One Parent Family Payment, SWA, Guardian's Payment (Non-Con), Part Time Job Incentive, Maternity/Adoptive/Paternity/Parent's Benefit |
€ 16.72 |
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|
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Employment Supports/Internships |
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Back To Work Allowance, Back To Education Allowance, Community Employment Programme, TÚS, Rural Social Scheme, Jobs Initiative, Work Placement Experience Programme |
€ 1.85 |
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|
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Overall Total - including Pensioners |
€ 74.20 |
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|
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Changes to other Schemes/Payments |
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Total €m |
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€1 change in the monthly rate of Child Benefit |
€ 15.19 |
|
|
|
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€1 change in the rate of Fuel Allowance |
€ 13.17 |
|
|
|
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Change to the duration of the Fuel Allowance - cost of an additional week |
€ 17.85 |
|
|
|
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€1 change in the rate of Qualified Child Increase - age under 12 |
€ 8.78 |
|
|
|
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€1 change in the rate of Qualified Child Increase - age 12 and over |
€ 6.17 |
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|
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€1 change in the rate of Living Alone Allowance (for everyone) |
€ 13.35 |
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- Pensioners only |
€ 11.06 |
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- Other schemes (Invalidity Pension, Disability Allowance, Blind Pension |
€ 2.2 |
611. Deputy Eoin Hayes asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost of equalising the jobseeker rates for under 25s at the increased rate of €279 per week; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45033/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraAge-related rates apply to jobseekers aged 18 to 24 years in receipt of Jobseeker's Allowance. Exemptions apply to those with dependent children; those who were previously in the care of Tusla or living independently; and those in receipt of state housing supports, such as the Housing Assistance Payment.
My priority is on giving young people the best possible chance to participate in the labour market through employment, education and training opportunities which will 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.
Where a young jobseeker participates in any of the many education or training programmes or any of the available employment programmes, including for example CE and Tús, their payment is uprated up to the maximum personal rate of Jobseeker’s Allowance of €254. If they participate on the Work Placement Experience Programme the weekly rate increases up to €369. Age-related rates do not apply to the PRSI-based schemes, Jobseeker's Pay-Related Benefit or Jobseeker's Benefit.
At of 31 May 2026, there are approximately 12,040 people on a reduced rate of €163.70.
The estimated full-year cost of increasing the age-related jobseeker’s rate of €163.70 to equalise the rate with the standard Jobseeker’s Allowance full personal rate of €254 is approximately €56.5 million, based on the 2026 payment rates and the current number of recipients.
To increase the age-related jobseeker’s rate of €163.70 to the proposed rate of €279 is estimated to cost €72.2 million in a full year, based on the 2026 payment rates and the current number of recipients.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
612. Deputy Eoin Hayes asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost of a €5 increase in the weekly living alone allowance payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45034/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraPrimary weekly social welfare payments are intended to enable recipients to meet their basic day-to-day income needs. In addition to these primary payments, my Department also provides a range of other payments on a weekly, monthly, or less frequent basis. These payments are considered secondary in nature with each of them having their own individual qualifying criteria.
The Living Alone Increase (LAI) is one of those secondary payments. It is not a scheme or a stand-alone payment, but it is a supplement to a primary social protection payment of €22 per week made to people aged 66 years or over, who are in receipt of certain social welfare payments and who are living alone.
For those aged 66 or over, payments eligible for the Living Alone Increase include State Pension (Contributory), State Pension (Non-Contributory), Bereaved Partner’s (Contributory) Pension, Bereaved Partner's Pension under the Occupational Injuries Benefit Scheme, Incapacity Supplement under the Occupational Injuries Benefit Scheme and Deserted Wife's Benefit. The Living Alone Increase is also paid to people aged under 66 who live alone and are in receipt of Disability Allowance, Invalidity Pension, Incapacity Supplement or Blind Pension.
At the end of May 2026 there were 259,300 recipients of the Living Alone Increase. Based on that number, an increase of €5 per week, bringing the rate of payment to €27, would cost an estimated additional €67.42 million for the year 2027.
These figures are based on the number of recipients at the end of May 2026 and do not include projected increases in the number of recipients in future years.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
613. Deputy Eoin Hayes asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost of extending paternity leave by two weeks; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45035/26]
Amharc ar fhreagra614. Deputy Eoin Hayes asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost of extending parental leave by two weeks; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45036/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 613 and 614 together.
The Department for Children, Disability and Equality has policy and legal responsibility for all family leaves, including any extension to the period of leave under the various schemes. My Department has responsibility for the associated benefits.
Extending Paternity Benefit by two weeks, from its current two week entitlement to four weeks is estimated to cost an additional €17.3 million per year with a total new estimated annual cost of providing four weeks leave of over €34.7 million.
Extending Parent’s Benefit by two weeks per parent could result in an additional annual cost of over €27 million.
It should be noted that these costings have been calculated using 2026 expenditure estimates. They are based on estimated recipient numbers and take up and are therefore subject to change.
Any changes to these schemes would have to be considered in a budgetary context having regard to overall improvements to social welfare schemes and the sustainability of the Social Insurance Fund.
615. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Social Protection to urgently examine an alleged Covid-19 overpayment in respect of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45037/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) was introduced in 2020 to provide support to people who had lost their employment due to the public health restrictions introduced in response to the Covid-19 Pandemic. Under Section 68L (1) (d) of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 (as amended), PUP is not payable where a person is engaged in insurable employment.
My Department has conducted an extensive analysis of Pandemic Unemployment Payments in the period since 5th August 2020 and has cross checked payments against payroll records from employers submitted to the Revenue Commissioners. The information available to my Department indicates that the person concerned was in receipt of an employment income for 7 weeks whilst concurrently in receipt of PUP. This resulted in a net PUP overpayment of €700. Please note that this overpayment is not in relation to the COVID 19 enhanced illness benefit scheme.
It was initially proposed that the person concerned repay a weekly amount of €40 but no repayments have been made to date. The person concerned has received communication from my Department advising of the various repayment options available, including paying online through the person's verified MyGovID account.
The person concerned can negotiate a repayment amount suitable to their current situation by contacting my Department’s Central Debt Unit to discuss their options. The phone number is 0719672591 and the email address is centraldebt@welfare.ie
I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
616. Deputy Joe Cooney asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will review the 18.5 hours limit for carers who are undertaking postgraduate education and advanced professional upskilling; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45043/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe main income supports for family carers provided by my Department are Carer’s Allowance, Carer’s Benefit, Domiciliary Care Allowance and the Carer’s Support Grant. Spending on these payments is expected to amount to over €2.2 billion in 2026.
To qualify for Carer's Allowance, Carer's Benefit or the Carer's Support Grant, the carer must provide full-time care and attention to a person who is so incapacitated that they require this level of full-time care for at least 12 months.
A carer is considered to be providing full-time care and attention to a relevant person, where the number of hours providing such care is not less than 35 hours in a period of seven consecutive days, and care is provided on any five days, whether consecutive or not, within a period of seven consecutive days.
While these payments are based on the provision of full-time care and attention by the carer, they do allow carers to engage in work, training or education up to 18.5 hours per week as set out in legislation. This threshold was increased from 15 hours as part of Budget 2020 following feedback from carers and carer's organisations who found the 15 hours too restrictive. In effect, this allows carers to participate in these activities for half of a full-time working week. During this time, adequate provision must be made for the care of the relevant person.
In setting the relevant working hours thresholds, it is essential to balance the needs of the carer and the needs of the person receiving care.
The 18.5-hour rule represents a reasonable balance between meeting the requirement for providing full-time care for the care recipient and the needs of the carer to engage in education, training or employment, supporting a carer’s continued connection to the workforce and broader social inclusion.
617. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection if his attention has been drawn to supports or grants for homeowners who have had their property wall and gates damaged by a river bursting its banks; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45099/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy department provides assistance to eligible households in the immediate aftermath of emergency weather events under the Emergency Response Payment. The scheme is normally activated where a severe weather event has caused wide-spread loss and damage to people’s homes.
The purpose of the scheme is to minimise hardship by providing financial support to people whose homes are damaged from flooding and/or severe weather events and who are not able to meet costs for essential needs, household items and in some instances structural repairs to the home.
The payment does not cover outbuildings or external entities not considered essential to returning the home to a habitable condition, for example and not limited to sheds, home offices, garden fences, gates, driveways or garden landscaping.
It does not provide a general compensation payment for damage or losses incurred as a consequence of a weather event, nor does it cover damage or losses that are reasonably expected to be covered by insurance policies.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
618. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Social Protection whether for procurement spend, a purchase order can be raised within his Department's financial management systems without reference to a contract, framework agreement, procurement process or other authorising arrangement; if so, the circumstances in which this may occur [45172/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraA purchase order can be raised without reference to a contract or framework agreement on the Department's financial management system. Purchase orders go through an automated workflow on the financial management system which facilitates their review before being approved by the appropriate structured approval hierarchy.
Miscellaneous payments, such as utility services are processed for payment via the non-purchase route on the financial management system.
619. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Social Protection whether an invoice can be paid by his Department without an associated purchase order having first been raised; if so, the circumstances in which this may occur; the number and value of payments made during quarter one of 2026 which were not associated with a purchase order; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45190/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department can pay an invoice via the non-purchase order route on its financial management system.
Grant payments such as the Enterprise Support Grants, payments to licensed transport providers for the Free Travel Scheme, Branch Managers and other Miscellaneous payments are processed via the non-purchase order route.
The Department does not analyse paid invoices between those processed by purchase order and those processed as non purchase orders.
620. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Social Protection the arrangements with other countries to check if persons in receipt of payments from his Department are not in employment outside this jurisdiction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45254/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department is committed to ensuring that social welfare payments are made only to those who are eligible to receive them. All recipients are legally required to notify the Department of any change in circumstances that may affect their entitlement, including any intention to work or reside outside the State.
Robust control measures are in place across all schemes, including systematic identity and address verification, ongoing eligibility checks, in-person “signing-on” requirements at Intreo Centres, and payment collection at Post Offices for jobseeker schemes and targeted control reviews. Where a person fails to engage with these checks, appropriate follow-up action is taken. Social Welfare Inspectors also undertake residency checks by visiting a claimant’s stated address.
The Department undertakes regular and systematic data-matching with external bodies, including the Revenue Commissioners, in accordance with legislative provisions. Notifications are received from the Department of Justice where a person is no longer entitled to remain in the State; in such cases, any social welfare payments in place are stopped.
The Department also engages in information exchange through EU and bilateral arrangements. These mechanisms allow the Department to verify employment, residence, and social security status across borders. Where concerns arise that a person may be working or residing abroad while claiming a payment here, the Department can seek confirmation from the relevant authorities in the other jurisdiction. These arrangements ensure that individuals working outside this State are not simultaneously receiving payments to which they are not entitled.
In 2025, approximately 716,500 control reviews were carried out across a wide range of schemes. In addition to these routine controls, the Department conducts control surveys on individual schemes. These control surveys have not identified any systemic weaknesses in the control framework, including in relation to payments to individuals residing outside the State.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
621. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Social Protection to review an application for a person (details supplied); if the scheme will be continued; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45260/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Wage Subsidy Scheme provides a financial incentive to employers to increase the employment of people with disabilities. Under the eligibility criteria applicable to the scheme, for an employer to qualify for a payment, applicants must be either a new or an existing employee who is in their current employment for less than 12 months.
My Department has been engaging with the Irish Prison Service, Probation Service and Tosú to agree a protocol on the provision of employment supports to individuals leaving prison. This protocol will be operational in July and will underpin a standardised employment support offering to all individuals exiting custody, assisting them to secure and sustain employment. The protocol will ensure a seamless referral from the in-prison training and employment supports to Intreo employment services. The protocol will apply to all prisons in the State.
An Employer Relations Officer from my Department will contact the employer concerned to offer appropriate support and to work with them in identifying and recruiting suitable candidates to fill any current and future vacancies.
