Aisling Dempsey
Ceist:6. Deputy Aisling Dempsey asked the Minister for Social Protection for a report on his attendance at the annual carers’ forum; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46023/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraCare Services
Ceisteanna (6)
Freagraí ó Béal (6 píosaí cainte)
I ask the Minister for Social Protection for a report on his attendance at the annual carers' forum. I note the Minister's earlier reply so I have no difficulty making that more brief because of the answer he gave to the House a moment ago.
I thank Deputy McAuliffe. The annual carers’ forum was held on 7 May this year and I was delighted to attend and speak at the forum. The carers' forum is an important platform within the Department of Social Protection and allows family carers to engage directly with my Department and officials from other Departments to discuss important issues and carers' invaluable role in Irish society. I thank Family Carers Ireland and Care Alliance Ireland for partnering with my Department in organising the forum and contributing to its success. The event brings together family carers, carer organisations and Government officials in structured dialogue and, more importantly, for the sharing of personal lived experiences.
A broad range of issues were addressed, including proposals relating to the carer’s allowance means test and measures aimed at improving access to supports. The workshops also highlighted cross-Government concerns, such as access to respite services, which we discussed earlier, housing and transport. We published a comprehensive note of proceedings on my Department’s website.
We fully recognise the vital contribution of family carers and as a Government, we are committed to supporting them. I am pleased to confirm that, from next month, the weekly income disregard for carer's allowance will increase from €625 to €1,000 for a single person and from €1,250 to €2,000 for carers with a spouse or partner. These are the highest ever increases. They will enable individuals with higher incomes to qualify for carer’s payments. For example, a carer in a two-adult household with an income of approximately €110,000 will retain their full payment and even with an income of €138,000, they will retain a partial payment. Additionally, the annual carer's support grant was paid earlier this month at a rate of €2,000 to over 147,000 carers at a cost of €336 million. We will have further engagement at our annual pre-budget forum on 1 July with the carers groups. These will all inform my priorities for budget 2027, the work for which is under way.
I note this question was transferred to me from Deputy Aisling Dempsey. She has spoken to me about the issue of carers. In the previous election, Family Carer's Ireland campaigned very strongly for abolishing the means test for carers. The commitment was very clear that we would do that over the lifetime of the Government. The increase in the income thresholds has to be acknowledged. As the Minister said, it has increased to €110,000 for a full payment and €138,000 for a partial payment. That very significantly includes the vast majority of people who were in that category and came to us to ask to abolish the means test.
Of course, it is not just about getting access to the payment. It is also about acknowledging that this is real work, it should not be means tested and it should not be linked to the income of your partner. I want to acknowledge that in the first budget that was a very significant amount of money spent that was not spent elsewhere. I acknowledge it was done in terms of carers.
I thank the Deputy. As I reiterated to Deputy Healy, in the Family Carers Ireland State of Caring in Ireland report, it estimated that 68% of families can now access a carer's payment. We have made a very strong commitment in terms of abolishing the means test for the carer's payment during the lifetime of the Government which, as I remind people, is due to go until 2029. There are many other areas and the State of Caring in Ireland report outlines there are many challenges with respite in particular and access to transport. They were articulated very strongly on 7 May at the carer's forum. I took the chance this year and last year to get that shared experience and hear directly from carers.
I particularly want to pay tribute to and thank the young carers' group who were there. There are examples of young carers going to school and college and coming back and taking up caring responsibilities. I really want to look at what we can do to support our young carers, as well as carers as a whole.
I thank the Minister. To return to that point I made, often carers are women. Having spoken to them, I know they feel particularly aggrieved that just because their partner has done an extra five or six hours overtime a week or they have got a pay rise, that in some way means they lose their payment. That underlines the point that this should not be a means tested payment. It should be an acknowledgement for work done on behalf of the State. They are saving the State money. The quicker we move towards the abolition of the means test, the quicker we will be able to resolve that injustice. I acknowledge that the cases of the vast majority of people who would have previously come to my clinic on this issue have been addressed. Those people earning over €140,000 have not yet been addressed but obviously the Government is going to deal with that. I acknowledge the work the Minister has done.
There continues to be anomalies. I am due to receive a report into means testing generally across all of our Department's schemes in the coming weeks and we will be considering that. We obviously have to have means tests in many cases. We have made a commitment in relation to carers, but the kind of situation the Deputy has just described, where the caring spouse of somebody who works hard has to pay the bill for that and gets their allowance reduced, is not fair either. We are going to try to ensure this is as hassle-free as possible. Carers do extraordinary work, but it is very clear from our interaction on 7 May that there is more we can do across government to reduce the burden on carers. In many cases, it is getting out of their way. In many cases, it is facilitating things such as respite and transport. As I said, I want to work with colleagues across government, particularly the Minister, Deputy Foley, and the Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan, at the Departments of children and education, respectively, in respect of young carers and what more we can do for them.
Social Welfare Rates
Ceisteanna (7)
Paul McAuliffe
Ceist:7. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will give consideration to changing the living alone allowance in the coming year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46357/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí ó Béal (4 píosaí cainte)
I acknowledge my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Ardagh, and I apologise for my enthusiasm in my first round of questions. I think I submitted too many. I ask the Minister for Social Protection if he will give consideration to changing the living alone allowance. I note his previous reply to Deputy Hayes as well.
I commend the Minister of State, Deputy Ardagh, on her appointment and wish her every success in her new role.
It is acknowledged, as we have done this morning, that those who live alone and are dependent on certain payments from my Department face a higher cost of living than a two-person household. It is for this reason that the living alone increase is available to those in receipt of qualifying payments from my Department. The living alone allowance is a supplementary payment to those who are 66 or over, living alone and in receipt of a State contributory pension, State non-contributory pension, bereaved partner’s contributory pension, bereaved partner's pension under the occupational injuries benefit scheme, incapacity supplement under the occupational injuries benefit scheme or deserted wife's benefit. It is also paid to people aged under 66 who live alone and are in receipt of a disability allowance, invalidity pension, incapacity supplement or blind pension. It is not a stand-alone payment and for this reason it is only available to those in receipt of one of those specified payments.
In total about 260,000 people receive the payment weekly. The current rate of the living alone allowance is €22 a week. It has increased by over 144% since 2019, when it was just €9 per week. The most recent change to the rate was in budget 2022 when it increased by €3, from €19 per week to its current rate of €22 per week. Any future changes to the qualifying criteria or rate of pay for the living alone allowance will have to be considered in the overall budgetary context, including possible increases to primary rates and other supports available. I look forward to input from colleagues, particularly around the qualifying criteria for the living alone allowance as well as the rate of pay. Many anomalies have been highlighted around the qualifying criteria. Deputy McAuliffe referred to one of these earlier and those are the areas I want to see if we can iron out over the course of our budgetary considerations.
The anomalies here are an issue. I know sometimes there might be three individuals sharing a home who are not in any way related to one another, and that can provide some complications. We have been able to resolve this issue in some cases. When we are dealing with anomalies, there is that issue of people sharing a home as to who gets the fuel allowance. If one person gets it, then other people in the home do not. That is something I ask the Minister to examine.
The other thing I would say regarding the living alone allowance is that when the State spends money it inevitably has an impact on inflation. Regarding increasing the living alone allowance, this relates to costs which people already have and are already paying. People have to pay their household bills and so on. It is an area that does not have as much of an inflationary impact as perhaps increases in social welfare payments would. I am not advocating for increases in the payments but I am saying it is something to be conscious of that the living alone allowance itself does not have as much of an inflationary leakage or impact. It is something to consider.
I was wondering there, Deputy.
I want to focus this year on targeted interventions to address those particular cohorts of people who are most at risk of falling into poverty. I want a situation where we can iron out rules within the systems that may be doing that inadvertently and may be driving people in that direction. As I said earlier, there is the situation of somebody who loses their spouse or partner and is immediately faced with the same bills but with half the income. We need to work better in terms of making the living alone allowance available quicker and providing information on it. There is also the fuel allowance. I am also conscious we have not increased the living alone allowance since budget 2022, so we have some way to catch up there. The Deputy and Deputy Séamus McGrath in particular have been consistent in their work on this and I look forward to all colleagues providing input on this because it is something we all get in our constituency clinics on this particular payment.
State Savings Schemes
Ceisteanna (8)
Shay Brennan
Ceist:8. Deputy Shay Brennan asked the Minister for Social Protection for an update on the operation of MyFutureFund - the automatic enrolment retirement savings system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46027/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí ó Béal (6 píosaí cainte)
On behalf of Deputy Brennan, I ask the Minister to provide an update on the operation of MyFutureFund, the automatic enrolment saving scheme.
The programme for Government contained 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. MyFutureFund was commenced on 1 January 2026. All elements of the system are operating as planned. The employer and participant website portals are fully functional and there is a very high level of compliance by employers registering for the scheme and remitting contributions.
Since 1 January, based on analysis of payroll data from Revenue, over 835,000 employees have been automatically enrolled in MyFutureFund. These employees work for approximately 112,750 employers. In addition, more than 9,000 employees have applied to join MyFutureFund voluntarily. Approximately €323 million of contributions have already been collected for investment with the three contracted investment managers. This includes the employer and the State top-ups, meaning contributors have already seen a 133% increase in their fund over and above their personal contribution. In years to come, with these expected investment returns and top-ups, participants should continue to see their funds accumulate to deliver a significant savings pot for their retirement.
The National Auto-Enrolment Retirement Savings Authority, NAERSA, is the statutory body responsible for the administration of MyFutureFund. It is running a campaign on social media, print, radio and TV highlighting the benefits of MyFutureFund for participants. Alongside this, my Department will continue to work closely with NAERSA to ensure awareness of the scheme, the easy administration for employers, and the benefits of saving for retirement for employees. I thank the staff and board of NAERSA for their exception work on the introduction of MyFutureFund, and all the team within my Department, particularly Mr. Tim Duggan who led the work and is just retiring as assistant secretary. I thank him not just for his work on automatic enrolment but his contribution to the State generally.
I join with the Minister in those comments. The establishment of the auto-enrolment scheme was a very significant measure. It had been spoken about for many years. Provision for people's future retirement is incredibly important and auto-enrolment makes it easier for people to make that decision. There is an opportunity to opt out of the scheme. While we have very significant numbers enrolled in the scheme, we want to make sure those numbers do not decrease as time goes on. I encourage the Minister's Department to do everything it can to communicate the benefits of involvement in this scheme or any other pension scheme. We must ensure that people plan for their future and have that greater degree of financial independence. I ask the Minister about ongoing participation in the scheme and how the Department is monitoring those numbers.
It has been very successful so far. A Revenue analysis shows that 835,000 workers have been automatically enrolled. Over 9,000 have joined the scheme voluntarily and 112,750 employers are involved. Contributions thus far total €323 million. As I have said, the National Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings Authority is running a campaign outlining the benefits of MyFutureFund. That will continue as the opt-out process opens. I know people are under pressure. I am very conscious of that pressure but I made the point during the run-in to the introduction of MyFutureFund that, if you get to the age of 66 and have no retirement plan in place, you will face a massive drop in income. Going from €48,000 or €50,000 a year to €16,500, which is what the State contributory pension provides, is an extraordinary drop. MyFutureFund gives those 835,000-odd people a substantial cushion to alleviate the impact of that drop. That is what it is about. It is about looking to your retirement, when you will not be earning the kind of money you may be earning today, and making provision for that.
I appreciate that. I reiterate my point on ensuring that people remain within the scheme. I was recently at an apprenticeship fair and one of the people encouraging people to take up apprenticeships indicated that, by participating in the workforce earlier, they would be contributing to their pensions for a much longer period than people who went on to third level. The numbers are staggering. Whenever you start paying into your pension, those extra few years make a huge difference. That is the reason the auto-enrolment scheme is so important. It is the reason it will have a real impact over decades. It is also why I want to ensure that we retain as many people as possible within the scheme and that the benefits are communicated.
As I have said, the benefits are very much there. Somebody at the age of 23 may feel they are a long way from the age of 66. Looking around the room, I do not see anybody in that space. I assure the Members I am talking about the age of 66. However, it does happen. You get there very quickly and you do not notice it. We genuinely do have a major gap in pension coverage in this country. It is fine now, when we have four workers for every person over the age of 66, but, by the time we get to 2050, which is not that far away, we will have two workers for every such person. I reiterate that the State pension will continue to be the bedrock of our pensions system but we also have to ensure that people have adequate income provision for their retirement years. That is what MyFutureFund is about. We are the last country in the OECD to do this. That is not something to be proud of but it has allowed us to learn from systems across the OECD and from mistakes that were made. We have tried to ensure that our system is user-friendly and that it supports participants and delivers the outcomes we want. The figure of 835,000 enrolees has shown that to be right.
Employment Schemes
Ceisteanna (9)
Malcolm Byrne
Ceist:9. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide an update on the wage subsidy scheme, and any incentives to support employers taking on employees with intellectual disabilities. [46367/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí ó Béal (6 píosaí cainte)
On behalf of Deputy Malcolm Byrne, I ask the Minister to give us an update on the workings of the wage subsidy scheme and any other initiatives that are available to employers and those who have intellectual disabilities and need employment. I believe there is scope to improve the wage subsidy scheme, to include others and to encourage employers to participate more fully.
I thank Deputy McGuinness for raising this matter. Supporting disabled people and reducing the disability employment gap are key priorities for me. The wage subsidy scheme is the key disability employment support provided by my Department. It aims to encourage employers to offer substantial and sustainable employment to disabled people through a subsidy.
In 2024, the Department published a review of the wage subsidy scheme following a public consultation. We aimed to make the scheme more accessible and more flexible. As a result, the minimum hours were reduced from 21 hours per week to 15 and the scheme was expanded to the community and voluntary sector and the non-commercial semi-State sector. In addition, we changed the language of the scheme to align with the social model of disability.
One of the recommendations made was to regularly review the subsidy rate. The national human rights strategy for disabled people also includes a commitment to examine an increase in the subsidy rate. The rate was reviewed in the context of budget 2026. As a result, the number of bands was reduced and the subsidy rates were increased. The base wage subsidy paid to employers who employ disabled people is now €7.50 per hour, an increase from €6.30. Employers who employ 25 or more employees on the wage subsidy scheme can still avail of a grant of €30,000 towards the cost of employing an employment assistance officer. Budget 2026 also provided for the expansion of the scheme to those who acquire a disability while in employment, those who have a progressive or degenerative condition that worsens, and those who transfer from invalidity pension to partial capacity benefit.
We hope these changes encourage more employers to hire more disabled people to increase uptake of the scheme and I am engaging with employer organisations to this end. Later this morning, I will attend the Light the Way event hosted by MrPRICE, one of our leading providers of employment for disabled people that work with the wage subsidy scheme. I have also made administrative changes to the wage subsidy scheme to centralise processing to ensure a more consistent and quicker service for those employers that are in receipt of a subsidy under the scheme.
Does the Minister believe enough is being done to inform employers of the scheme, its benefits and how it assists both employers and those who have an intellectual disability? Does more need to be done to promote the scheme? I come across a lot of people who have intellectual disabilities or acquired disabilities who would like to return to the workforce to do some work and whose health would benefit from being involved in the workforce and working a meaningful number of hours per week. If more was done to promote and expand the scheme, perhaps working with family resource centres and organisations like Talking Heads in Carlow, more employers would take up the scheme. There are plenty of people in the disability sector who would be willing to engage.
I completely agree with the Deputy. Last year, we ran an overall information campaign about the wage subsidy scheme. This involved normal advertising. It led to a very small increase. We met on this issue this week. I intend to target chambers of commerce, which have a very direct connection to local businesses. Many national businesses support and use the programme. I want to see more local businesses involved because local visibility is important. I will certainly expand our outreach to include family resource centres. If any Deputy would like to suggest organisations that have a local reach and that can get us into local businesses, I am more than happy to work with them. We will be engaging. We are setting up meetings with local business organisations. We deal with the employer organisations on this matter. I want to involve organisations that have more local connections to employers and that can engage with them. I acknowledge the many local employers who do excellent work on this. As a Department, we will be running a themed week in October, work and skills week. This will look at the employment vacancies that are available and matching those with disabilities to those vacancies. Any employer that does not engage with the wage subsidy scheme is missing out on a really talented bunch of people.
I encourage the Department to have an open day where employers can come and meet those who have a disability or those with an acquired disability to see how they can match those who want work with their companies. There are many organisations that are now funded to prepare young people in particular but anybody who is disabled or intellectually disabled to encourage them back into the workforce and to give them the tools necessary to contribute to that work. The employers do not see enough of that interaction and enough of what is available to them from this whole disability sector. I refer to the Talking Heads organisation in Carlow and Kilkenny and to those with acquired brain injuries and disabilities. Much more needs to be done to give them the opportunity to come back into the workforce. They have something to contribute.
Again, I do not disagree. We have a designated employment personal adviser in the 62 Intreo offices nationwide for disabled people to meet and discuss employment options. I have changed the work and access scheme. The work and access scheme offers seven different supports to facilitate those with disabilities in the workforce. I changed it to include assistive technology, which is a new thing. In May 2026, there were 1,568 employers supporting 2,621 employees through the wage subsidy scheme. That is not enough. We have the worst disability employment gap in Europe. I am determined to address it and make changes to address it. It will also be a key part of my priorities during the European Presidency, as to how we can learn from Europe. There may be areas that Europe can learn from us in the context of reducing this gap.
Social Welfare Benefits
Ceisteanna (10)
Colm Burke
Ceist:10. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of additional people that will benefit from increases in the carers allowance means test threshold due in July 2026; whether he has engaged with the Minister for Health and her Department to ensure that carers allowance income will not be included under the medical card means test so that those who benefit from the expanded threshold will not be at risk of losing their medical card; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46277/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí ó Béal (6 píosaí cainte)
I very much welcome that a large number of additional people will benefit from increases in the carer's allowance means test threshold, which comes into place on 1 July. Has the Minister engaged with the Minister for Health and her Department to ensure that carer's allowance income will not be included under the medical cards means test, so that those who benefit from the expanded threshold will not be at risk of losing their medical card? I ask him to make a statement on the matter. I have heard from a number of people who have decided not to apply until the issue is clarified.
I thank the Deputy for his question.
The programme for Government contains a commitment to continue to significantly increase the income disregard for carer's allowance across a series of budgets with a view of phasing out the means test over the lifetime of the Government. Budget 2026 has increased the earnings disregard for carer's allowance to €1,000 for a single person and €2,000 for a couple. Those changes will be effective from July this year. These are the largest ever increases in the carer's allowance income disregards and are evidence of our determination to deliver on our commitment to carers.
Since 2022, the disregard will have increased cumulatively by €667.50 per week for a single person and by €1,335 per week for a couple. This measure will benefit both those current recipients who are on means-reduced rate and who will see an increase in their payment rate and those people making new claim applications who otherwise would have been subject to a means-reduced rate in 2026.
On foot of the increases in the carer's allowance income disregards, a single person providing full-timer care, who also does part-time work this year, will be able to earn just over €54,000 and receive a full carer's payment. Similarly, for a couple household, a person who is providing full-time care and where their partner earns approximately €108,000 per annum will receive a full carer's payment. In its recent report, Family Carers Ireland acknowledged the significant progress made in increasing income disregards for carer's allowance. It stated that 68% of households are now falling within the financial eligibility criteria.
We are still looking at what the estimated take up will be. For budget purposes, we have prepared estimates on the basis that approximately 3,000 carers nationally will benefit. Given that the scheme is demand led, and it is likely that many who are outside the means test would have not have previously applied for carer's allowance, it is very difficult to estimate the potential inflow from this measure with certainty. We will engage with the Minister for Health around the Deputy's proposal on the means test. It certainly was an issue that was raised with me on 7 May at the carer's forum in relation to supports for carers. Supports for carers, including the medical card and respite, are highlighted in the Family Carers Ireland's state of caring report. The Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, is somebody who is very supportive of our work in this space. We will engage with her.
I very much welcome the Minister's reply. However, where I am coming from is about the people who are marginally outside under the old scheme who now qualify under the new changes that the Minister has made. I very much welcome those changes because people who are providing care in the home for their immediate family or for relatives are providing a fantastic service. What I am concerned about now is where people are pulling back from applying because they are afraid of losing their medical card. That is extremely important to them, especially for anyone who is providing care but also has their own medical challenges and are still well able to provide that care. That is why I am looking for clarification. As the Minister knows, the qualifying criteria for medical cards has not changed for quite some time. That is another issue that needs to be reviewed but that is not under the Minister's Department. Can we get clarification before 1 July on this issue? It is going to affect quite a number of people who will not put in the application at this stage.
To be clear, the medical card means test is a matter for the Department of Health and the HSE. It is not a matter for the Department of Social Protection. Our commitment in relation to carers is increasing the income disregard with a view to phasing out the means test for carers between now and 2029 - the lifetime of the Government. There is the carer's support grant and increasing the weekly rates for that income for carers. I assure the Deputy that I will engage with the Minister in relation to the forthcoming increase in the income disregards. I share his concern that those who qualify are not taking it up. This is not just with carers but across a number of schemes. I want to ensure that those who can qualify for this can take it up without fear of losing other benefits. Those who are performing carer duties do exceptional work. We need to make their lives a lot easier and take the complications away. We will definitely engage with the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, in relation to this urgently in the context of 1 July. She is very committed and is very supportive of work in relation to the income disregards. She is very committed to the work of family carers.
I very much welcome the reply. The changes that are coming into effect on 1 July are very good. There are a huge number of people who provide a good standard of care in the home rather than people having to go into full-time residential care in nursing homes. They are providing an invaluable service. It is important that we make sure that we tick all the boxes and that they are discouraged from continuing to provide that care because they qualify for the allowance but they are afraid of applying for it as they are afraid of losing their medical card. That is an issue that we need to get clarification on. Again, I thank the Minister for the work that has been done in this area and the number of additional people who are now going to come in under the qualifying criteria, so they can get the carer's allowance in support of the work that they are doing.
I reiterate to the Deputy that we will engage with the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill. We are looking at all of our schemes to see what is stopping people from applying. At the start of the session this morning, Deputy O'Reilly raised other points in that space. I am open to feedback in relation to that. As we go to a situation where somebody on €108,000 can still access the full carer's payment, we obviously have issues that not everybody is applying for it. I am going to drill down on those issues. We will the carer's organisations, Family Carers Ireland and the carer's allowance to increase awareness of the income disregards being increased in the manner that they are. Many people may not be aware of that income disregard, particularly carers. One point that is consistently made to me, and to all of us, is that carers often do not have the time to look at this kind of information because they are so busy, focused and engaged in their caring role.
We have to work with the organisations and family resource centres in every way to get the information about the supports available out to people. I will engage with the Minister for Health on the matter.
Children in Care
Ceisteanna (11)
Naoise Ó Muirí
Ceist:11. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will provide an update on the programme for Government commitment to examine pension provisions for foster carers; when he expects this to be introduced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46325/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí ó Béal (5 píosaí cainte)
Matters relating to foster care are the responsibility of my colleague the Minister, Deputy Foley. However, the Government acknowledges the very important role of all carers, including foster carers. We remain fully committed to supporting them.
Once the minimum requirement of ten years' paid contributions is met, the State contributory pension system provides a range of measures to recognise caring periods outside of paid employment. These include PRSI credits, homemaking disregards and home caring periods. Homemaking disregards and home caring periods recognise caring periods of up to 20 years outside of paid employment in the calculation of a payment rate. Foster carers are entitled to benefit from these measures on the same basis as other family carers and parents. Questions of equity would arise if access to pension benefits was afforded to any of these groups, including foster parents and carers, on a preferential basis.
Since January 2024, long-term carer's contributions can be awarded to those who have cared for incapacitated persons for a period of 20 years or more. These contributions are treated the same as paid contributions for State contributory pension entitlement only and can be used to fill any gaps in a person's contribution record, including satisfying the minimum ten years of paid contributions required for eligibility. Foster carers who have cared for an incapacitated dependent or dependents for over 20 years also benefit from this provision. These measures assist foster carers to access the State pension system and recognise the years spent caring for children in the same way as biological or adoptive parents while ensuring that our pension system remains sustainable.
Changes to any aspect of the State pension system have to be considered in the overall policy and budgetary context including the sustainability of the Social Insurance Fund. I am very much aware of the importance of their work. I am happy to work with the Deputy on any proposals he may have in this space over the lifetime of the Government.
There are nearly 4,000 foster parents in Ireland who open their homes long term to children who often come from difficult and traumatic starts in life. The Minister has met them, as have I. It is a vocation for those families. At times, I wonder how they do it because of the workload involved, but they are really committed. Part of the challenge is that the number seems to be dwindling. There were over 4,000 a few years ago. Now, there are 3,800 foster parents who have 6,000 children in their care. I do not want to see a move away from a really good family-based environment for those children either back into institutional care or into private care where they will lose the family connection built up with those children. Everything we can do to encourage parents to get involved and keep them in that area is to be welcomed and explored. I appreciate the challenged the Minister set out but looking at pension provision should be part of that.
I agree; an extraordinary service is provided. It gives stability and changes outcomes which would otherwise be very different. Tusla manages the foster parent-foster carer system. It pays the foster carer allowance which is €400 per week for per child under 12 and €425 per child 12 or over. That is to offset expenses. Accordingly, it does not affect tax. It is not assessed as a means for social assistance payments. We will look at further supports but anything we do in the State pension context has to have the overall sustainability of the State and equity in mind. I would love to be able to give the Deputy a guarantee around that but I have to look at those elements as well in terms of our pension system and facing the challenges we discussed in the previous discussion with Deputy McAuliffe. I agree with the Deputy on the vital work being done. The Minister, Deputy Foley, worked closely with me in relation to this matter. We want to continue to work with foster carers.
I welcome the Minister's comments and the commitment to the effect that he and the Minister for children, Deputy Foley, will continue to look at and develop this area. To come at it from the children's perspective, the CSO analysis of children who come through foster care shows they have higher rates of absenteeism from school, leave school earlier and their educational achievement generally is lower. Everything we can do to support these children, who have had a really difficult start in life, is to be considered and welcomed. I come at it from the point of view of the foster carers. I know things like the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance may be an option for consideration. I would welcome all of the supports we can consider to try to make the provision of support for those children a little easier.
I accept the Minister's comments in relation to pensions, the integrity of the pension system and how important it is to manage that, but I hope the Government and the Minsters will consider this matter in the round, seek to make progress and see if there are ways it can be developed for foster carers in the future to keep the family-based service going well.
We made changes last year in relation to the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance. Where we can, we will continue to do that. From the perspective of the children fortunate enough to receive foster care, it is a changer for them. Many have gone through multiples of carers and generations so it is an area I am looking at.
I am also looking at the area of kinship. Along with Deputy McGreehan, I met the Kinship Care Ireland last year. We want to see how we can do more to support that but I would not like to give false expectation either. There are many complex issues around pensions and eligibility we are trying to work through. We have to work through them with the overall sustainability of our pension system in mind. We will work with the Deputy and the Minister, Deputy Foley. Tuigim cé chomh tábhachtach is atá an obair seo le haghaidh na tuismitheoirí seo. Caithfimid seasamh leo.
Social Welfare Schemes
Ceisteanna (12)
Colm Burke
Ceist:12. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection to confirm whether an examination of improvements to key ancillary benefits such as the fuel allowance, household benefits package and living alone allowance to support older and vulnerable groups has occurred as per the programme for Government; if not, when this examination will occur; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46276/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí ó Béal (5 píosaí cainte)
The programme for Government contains a commitment to protect core welfare rates while ensuring that available resources are targeted at vulnerable groups. It also includes a commitment to examine key ancillary benefits, including the fuel allowance, household benefits package and living alone allowance to support vulnerable groups. This is an ongoing activity as part of the Department's budget planning each year. As part of budget 2026, I increased the weekly rate of fuel allowance by €5 which increased the weekly rate payable by 15% from €33 to €38 a week or €1,064 per fuel season. In addition, in March I extended the 2026-27 fuel allowance season by four weeks, which added an extra €152 to households in most need of support and increased the fuel season amount to €1,216 for this year. Estimated expenditure on the scheme in 2026 is €557.4 million.
The household benefits package comprises the electricity or gas allowance and the free television licence, with an annual payment of €580 per recipient. The Department will invest approximately €317 million this year in this package. The living alone allowance is a supplement to a primary social protection payment of €22 per week, €1,144 a year, made to people aged 66 or over in receipt of certain social welfare payments and who are living alone. The estimated cost of the living alone allowance this year is €298 million.
In budget 2026, we extended the fuel allowance to all recipients of the working family payment. This benefits some 50,000 families. In addition, from September, those moving from disability allowance or blind pension to take up employment will continue to receive their fuel allowance for five years after exiting their payment.
These improvements, which are targeted, have resulted in many more households qualifying for the payment and have resulted in the budget for the scheme increasing to an estimated €557.4 million in 2026 compared with €290.4 million in 2020. I will continue, as part of the budget planning process, to examine improvements to key ancillary benefits.
I very much welcome that over €28.9 billion is being provided in range of areas via budget 2026. There is a concern, however - and this was outlined this morning on "Morning Ireland" - that we may soon have an inflation rate of 5%. That is on the upper end of the scale. Because the cost of fuel and hearing are both increasing, we need to take action to keep pace with that in order to ensure that we have adequate supports for people who are vulnerable and who are very much dependent on the social welfare system. It is in this context that I am asking about whether the review has occurred and what we need to do in the context of planning forward, especially for budget 2027.
Absolutely. We will be looking at those targeted supports. This year, we have increased the fuel allowance rate by €5 per week and extended the season by four weeks. Most importantly, we sponsored the working family payment in order that those on low incomes can access the fuel allowance payment. We ensured that we backdated this to 1 January. That is the kind of area I want to look at in the context of targeting payments to support those under the most pressure and, in particular, to support, as we have discussed at considerable length this morning, those in receipt of the living alone allowance. Anomalies in this regard have been highlighted by Deputies Burke, McAuliffe and O'Reilly. We want to look at those.
There are a lot of areas in which we can iron out difficulties. As Deputy Hayes stated earlier, the living alone allowance and the fuel allowance affect people in different ways. We have to make sure that we try to ensure consistency. That will be part of our overall budgetary process, but that is done within a very tight financial window in view of the other challenges the Department faces.
I fully understand that. As was stated earlier, I have a number of people who are living in rural areas - the position would be the same in the Minister's constituency - in circumstances where there are two old-age pensions coming into the household. If one of the parties dies, there is a sudden drop in income. However, the cost of heating and travel for those individuals remain substantial. This is a huge challenge, especially for people in rural areas. The matter needs to be looked at very carefully. I fully understand that there will be many demands in healthcare and other areas in the context of the forthcoming budget, but this is something we need to keep pace with in order to ensure that people who are in receipt of social welfare supports do not lose out because of the inflation that is either going to occur or that has occurred over the past 12 months.
The incidences the Deputy cites relate to an area I am very focused on and concerned about, namely where a person loses their partner and then faces a massive and sudden drop in income while the bills remain the same. We will be looking at all of our schemes in that context. This year, we have taken action to increase the fuel allowance and expand the scheme. On foot of the war in Iran, we expanded the season by four weeks. That is a very targeted payment. I do not know if the Deputy was here earlier for the discussion on how we target that and how we can ensure that it is targeted more by allowing people the choice to spend the money on whatever energy source they want. The position with the living alone allowance is similar. There has been an increase since 2019, and an increase in the overall budget, which is substantial, but still not enough people are getting access to it and too many are left facing a cliff edge and a financial challenge at a time of huge personal loss and grief. We need to do something in that regard, because this is not the right way to have it.
Social Welfare Benefits
Ceisteanna (13)
Richard Boyd Barrett
Ceist:13. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Social Protection to outline any additional disability-related supports he is planning to introduce in the upcoming budget to help disabled people with the increasing costs of living; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46362/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí ó Béal (10 píosaí cainte)
Is Deputy Murphy taking this question on behalf of Deputy Boyd Barrett?
Yes. I am fairly certain it was emailed in.
There is no request in front of me, but that is okay. Away you go, Deputy Murphy.
This question relates to the cost-of-disability payment. Obviously, a big political issue over the past six months was the cut in the budget of €1,400-plus for disabled people and the call for emergency cost-of-living disability payments. In response, the Government stated that it is working on a cost-of-disability payment and is going to introduce it in budget 2027. The Minister had promised to bring forward a concrete proposal by the end of the month, but this has not appeared yet. Where is it? Will the Minister guarantee that it will be included in budget 2027?
I am not in position to discuss in detail any measures that will be in budget 2027. Work is under way in relation to that, and the details have to be discussed within Government. However, we have made it clear that we recognise that there are significant additional costs which disabled people face in their daily lives. We are committed to addressing this as a priority over the term of this Government. That is why we have the commitment to introduce the permanent cost-of-disability payment. This initiative will add to work done in the context of budget 2026. As part of an overall package of €1.15 billion for new social protection measures, expenditure in respect of disabled people and their carers was increased to just over €6 billion per annum. The budget contained significant targeted measures to support disabled people, including increases to core welfare rates, the largest ever increase in the child support payment, the largest ever increase in the income disregard for carer's allowance, increases in the rate of the domiciliary care allowance and improvements to the wage subsidy scheme.
In the national human rights strategy, there was a commitment to establish a strategic focus network summit on the cost of disability. Considerable work is under way in this regard. We hosted a summit at the Aviva Stadium on 13 May. Last week, I spent an hour and a half with the joint Oireachtas committee discussing the cost-of-disability payment. A public consultation payment process ahead of the summit on the cost of disability received over 1,100 submissions. I will shortly bring to the Government the report relating to the summit, the submissions made and details of the interaction with the Oireachtas committee last week. Given the high level of submissions, work on this matter is continuing. I would like to thank the team in my Department who are giving considerable attention to it.
The submissions request that universal payment be made to all people with disabilities, but with a recognition that a differentiated approach could be developed over time to reflect the fact that some forms disability give rise to higher challenges and costs than others. We are continuing to engage with disability groups. A specific workshop on disability matters was hosted as part of the national economic dialogue and we will continue to engage, including at our pre-budget forum on 1 July and with the network of disabled persons organisations that we have within the Department. I intend to bring a proposal to Government as part of my budget 2027 discussions. This is a priority for me.
I do not question that the Minister knows the real impact of having a disability, and he knows the figures. He stated at the conference that the additional cost for households with a disabled person is up to €555 a week. I am sure the Minister knows that the official risk of poverty rates are 32.5%. When we take into account the cost of disability, however, this rises to over 65%, which is obviously immense. The issue is whether the Government is going to deliver on what it said in the context of the uproar, rightly, about the budget last year and that we were going to introduce this. The Minister told the conference he would bring a concrete proposal on a new cost-of-disability payment to the Department by the end of June. The Minister did not repeat that commitment in his answer here. I wonder will the Minister repeat it now. It does seem to me that the timeframe is very tight in terms of this actually being delivered for budget 2027. Disabled people cannot be asked to wait again for another budget, which I worry we are on track for.
I will absolutely be bringing it to Government. I still hope to do so if not by the end of June then very early in July. That is a consequence of 1,100 people who participated, including three of the four political parties represented in the House at the moment. I cannot recall receiving a submission from the Deputy's party in relation to how it might work or with regard to making the tough choices as to how it might be paid and how it might be outlined. Sinn Féin and the Social Democrats are the two other parties that are represented here. On the day of the summit, we engaged with various groups to discuss how it could be paid.
To be absolutely clear, I cannot write the budget at this point. I wish I could and give the Deputy a guarantee on it. There will be very robust discussion, but I cannot make it any clearer that it is a priority for me to introduce a permanent payment and then to allow it to develop over the lifetime of this Government and future Governments.
We have people currently going through all the submissions to ensure that they are recognised, and I will be in a position to bring a proposal to the Government as a consequence of the budgetary process, but we are also very clear that we are going to engage with the disabled persons organisations, DPOs, and the representative organisations as part of that ongoing process. It will not be done in isolation.
The tough choices I am in favour of the Government making are putting a levy on data centres, putting a wealth tax on the multimillionaires and increasing corporation tax. They are the tough choices that we make in our budget proposals on an annual basis and in which we included a cost-of-disability payment for a number of years. They are better tough choices than forcing disabled people to live in poverty.
The Minister is saying that it will not be the end of June or early July any more. I presume he accepts that that is a very tight timeframe for a concrete proposal to make its way into a budget. The Minister made the point, and the point was made at the conference, that the cost would not be insignificant if a universal payment was introduced, which we support. This needs to be in the budget. There need to be measures to address the deep poverty that disabled people are sinking into. The figures are going to be worse reflecting this year's budget. I stress very strongly that this needs to be done as soon as possible, and it needs to be included in the budget.
The Deputy's proposals would drive people into unemployment, reduce our tax bases and reduce our ability to actually address this because without a sustainable economy and without sustainable resources, we cannot make these kinds of payments. That is not a tough choice. The Deputy is making a choice that will impair our ability to address and assist people with disabilities.
What we are trying to do is have a programme that works and has a backup. We had 1,173 responses to the process. That was an extraordinary response, and each response has been gone through. There were 1,086 responses from individuals and 87 responses from groups and other organisations.
The Taoiseach, the Tánaiste and the Minister of State, Deputy Canney, as the three Government leaders, attended the cost-of-disability summit on 13 May and are very much engaged in this process. They took time out of their diaries to engage with it and listen. We have done a lot of pre-work in relation to this. This will not be something that will be landed on colleagues in government when it comes, and I continue to work on this daily. We had a very good session of about an hour and half at the Oireachtas committee last week where we went through the proposals of other parties that were willing to put choices on the line in relation to this payment.
Questions Nos. 14 and 15 taken with Written Answers.
We are nearly out of time. I will allow Deputy O'Reilly to ask the next question, with one response from the Minister.
Social Welfare Payments
Ceisteanna (16)
Rose Conway-Walsh
Ceist:16. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Social Protection his plans to improve turnaround times on decisions regarding applications for supplementary welfare allowance to cover transport costs for getting to hospital appointments for patients who receive notification of an appointment at short notice and do not have sufficient time to apply and wait for approval of their travel supplement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46361/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí ó Béal (3 píosaí cainte)
I thank the Cathaoirleach Gníomhach for being very fair. I am taking this question on behalf of my colleague, Teachta Rose Conway-Walsh. It is to ask the Minister for Social Protection if he has plans to improve turnaround times on decisions regarding applications for supplementary welfare allowance to cover transport costs for going to hospital appointments for patients who may receive an appointment at short notice and do not necessarily have the time to wait for a decision.
The answer is "Yes". I am going to engage with Deputy Conway-Walsh and any other rural TD, in particular, who may have other examples in this space. I am very much aware of people getting appointments at short notice and - this is a real bugbear of mine - people getting appointments at a time that they have to stay overnight the night before because they cannot get transport. I will engage directly with Deputy Conway-Walsh in relation to her proposal in this space.
Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire.