Written Answers Nos. 95-114
95. Deputy John Clendennen asked the Minister for Social Protection the next steps in terms of progressively increasing the weekly rates of Carer's allowance and Carer's Benefit as committed to in the Programme for Government. [67618/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Government recognises the invaluable contribution made by family carers and remains committed to strengthening the supports available to them. Government has provided over €2.2 billion for caring income supports in 2026.
The Programme for Government commits to progressively increase weekly carer payments and to significantly increase the income disregards for Carer's Allowance, with a view to phasing out the means test over the lifetime of this Government. Significant progress has already been made in delivering on these commitments.
In January 2026, there was a €10 increase in the maximum personal rate of Carer's Allowance and Carer's Benefit to €270 and €271, respectively, for carers aged under 66. This compares to €254 for most weekly payments for persons age under 66 years. For Carers aged 66 and over, the maximum weekly rate increased to €308.
As well as these rate increases, the Government has prioritised reform of the Carer's Allowance means test. As part of Budget 2026, the weekly income disregard increased to €1,000 for a single person and €2,000 for a couple, representing an increase of more than 200% since 2022. These changes mean that virtually all recipients of Carer's Allowance now receive the maximum rate of payment.
The Government has also provided a range of other supports for carers and families in recent years, including payment of the Carer's Support Grant which was €2,000 paid in June this year and a €20 increase to Domiciliary Care Allowance this year.
I cannot at this point reveal any information regarding potential budget measures. Discussions are ongoing and, while not everything we want to do can be done in one year, I can assure the Deputy that the Government and I are committed to moving forward on our Programme for Government commitments to Carers.
96. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Social Protection the measures are being taken to ensure that social welfare recipients can transition into further education, apprenticeships and training programmes without suffering a loss of income that would discourage participation. [66712/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Back to Education Allowance scheme (BTEA) is an educational opportunities scheme for customers in receipt of certain social welfare payments wishing to pursue second or third level courses of education, subject to meeting the qualifying conditions.
The objective is to raise educational and skills levels to enable them to have better access to labour market needs.
The BTEA scheme has three strands:
Back to Education Allowance (BTEA) – support available to complete a full-time course of study.
Part-Time Education Option (PTEO) – allow a person to retain their Jobseeker’s payment while undertaking a part-time course of study.
Education, Training and Development Option (ET&D) – allow a person to retain their Jobseeker’s payment while undertaking courses of study of short duration.
The Back to Education Allowance can be currently used for an extensive range of courses. The only restriction regarding the course of study being pursued is that it must lead to a qualification that is either recognised by the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (DFHERIS) or awarded by the Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI).
Back to Education Allowance is paid at the same rate as the qualifying primary payment.
Additionally, a Cost of Education allowance of €500 per academic year is payable to BTEA customers who are in a full-time day course with a qualified child payment on their claim.
In addition to the Back to Education Allowance, the Training Support Grant (TSG) helps jobseekers access short-term training, renew certifications or permits, and address specific skills gaps that are preventing them from taking up an identified job opportunity. Where a Case Officer has identified an immediate training need linked to employment, financial support of up to €1,000 per year may be provided. The grant is paid directly to the training provider.
Responsibility for apprenticeships sit with my colleague, the Minister for Further and Higher Education.
98. Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Minister for Social Protection whether he will undertake a review of opportunities for people to stay on employment schemes after they have turned 65 years old, given the valuable work they contribute and the shortage for people in schemes such as Tús and Community Schemes (CE) schemes in vulnerable communities. [67629/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department provides a range of supports and programmes catering for the long term unemployed and those most distant from the labour market. These supports include programmes such as Community Employment (CE) and Tús. Participation on these programmes remains open to eligible customers who have been in receipt of a working age social protection payment up to age 66, the current State Pension age.
In addition to providing valuable occupational experience and training as a stepping-stone to employment for people who are unemployed and income support, the schemes also provide important and, in many cases essential, services to their local communities.
These employment schemes are in diverse areas and include the development, regeneration and enhancement of community spaces, environmental maintenance, early years, and after-school supports, heritage, arts, culture, tourism, sport, green economy, biodiversity projects, recycling and repair of equipment, visitation, friendly call, and befriending programmes for older people.
In response to the recommendations from the Commission on Pensions, a set of new pension measures were approved by Cabinet in September 2022. The set of reforms that were agreed included maintaining the State pension age at 66 and the introduction of a new flexible pension model, with effect from January 2024, whereby people have the option to continue working up until the age of 70 in return for a higher pension.
The new measures are specifically for people in standard employment situations and do not apply to State supported schemes like CE/ Tús where the participant qualifies due to being on a specific social welfare payment in advance of their placement on the scheme.
Accordingly, the position regarding funding for CE /Tús/ participants remains as heretofore. Funding for participants will continue to be available to State Pension Age, which is currently 66.
99. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Social Protection if persons on invalidity pensions are eligible for fuel allowance; to outline the criteria for fuel allowance; and if any changes will be included in the upcoming budget. [67324/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraFuel Allowance eligibility encompasses 22 qualifying schemes, demonstrating the comprehensive nature of the support available to eligible households. In addition to these qualifying schemes, people over 66 do not need to be in receipt of a payment from this Department to qualify for Fuel Allowance, subject to satisfying a means test. According to the latest CSO data, there are just over 1.8 million households in Ireland. Of these, 463,910 households are eligible for the Fuel Allowance scheme, representing approximately 26% of all households nationwide.
Invalidity Pension is a qualifying scheme for Fuel Allowance and a person in receipt of the payment may qualify for Fuel Allowance subject to satisfying the relevant qualifying criteria.
The main qualifying criteria include a means test and the household composition criterion. The qualifying criteria for fuel allowance are framed in order to direct the limited resources available to my Department in as targeted a manner as possible. This ensures that the fuel allowance payment is targeted at those who are more vulnerable to fuel poverty including those reliant on social protection payments for longer periods and who are unlikely to have additional resources of their own.
For those aged under 66, including those on Invalidity Pension an applicant and members of the household may have a combined assessable income of up to €200.00 a week above the appropriate maximum State Pension Contributory rate, this equates to €499.30 for a single person and €698.70 for a couple. For Fuel Allowance applicants aged 66 or over the allowable means are €534 for a single person and €1,068 for a couple.
To satisfy the household composition criterion an applicant must live alone or only with: -
• a qualified spouse / civil partner / cohabitant or qualified child(ren); or
• a person in receipt of a qualifying payment who would be entitled to the Fuel Allowance in their own right; or
• a person who is in receipt of Carer’s Benefit in respect of providing full?time care and attention to the Fuel Allowance applicant or the applicant’s qualified spouse / civil partner / cohabitant or qualified child(ren): or
• a person receiving short term Jobseeker's Allowance or Basic SWA (if not pending award of a social welfare payment). or
• a person aged 66 or over, subject to a means test, (this person does not need to be in receipt of a qualifying payment); or
• a person a renting a room under the prescribed conditions that allow the Fuel Allowance applicant to benefit from the rent-a-room disregard or for whom the Fuel Allowance applicant is receiving payments for under the Accommodation Recognition Scheme. or
• The immediate family of a person in receipt of the Working Family Payment.
The 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 further changes to the criteria for accessing the Fuel Allowance scheme would require additional funding for the scheme and therefore any decision to increase the Fuel Allowance thresholds would have to form part of overall budgetary negotiations.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
100. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Social Protection his views on the possibility of a disability payment that is an entitlement for each person with a disability in the interests of equality and supporting independent living; and to make a statement on the matter. [67339/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department provides a range of income supports for disabled people. These include social insurance based schemes such as Invalidity Pension and social assistance based schemes, such as Disability Allowance and Blind Pension.
As of August 2026, there are over 234,950 recipients of disability income support payments, with estimated expenditure of €3.44 billion in 2026.
According to Census 2022, more than 1.1 million people reported experiencing at least one long-lasting condition or difficulty. To introduce a payment for all of these people would be prohibitively expensive and unsustainable.
The Government recognises the additional costs that disabled people can face in their daily lives and we are committed to improving outcomes for disabled people by introducing permanent measures. That is why the Programme for Government includes a commitment to introduce a permanent annual cost of disability payment.
In addition, the National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025-2030, which was developed with significant input from disability groups and advocates, includes a commitment to a Strategic Focus Network Summit on the Cost of Disability, emphasising the cross-government nature of the issue.
A public consultation process on how a cost of disability payment can best be delivered was launched on Friday, February 20th and ran for just over six weeks until Tuesday April 7th.
The over 1,100 submissions helped inform the agenda for the Strategic Focus Network Summit on the Cost of Disability, which I hosted in the Aviva Stadium on the 13th of May. It was attended by 150 people in person, with approximately the same number joining online.
The Summit was also attended by members of the Oireachtas together with senior Government Ministers including the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste, the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, the Minister of State for Disability and the Minister of State at the Department of Transport. This attendance indicates that the delivery of a solution will involve a range of Departments and agencies.
This whole of government approach is important as addressing these costs is not simply a matter of income supports alone. Improvements in the delivery of, and access to, key services are also needed.
On 16 July, I presented a briefing paper on the Summit to the Strategy's Delivery and Monitoring Committee which is chaired by the Taoiseach, and attended by other Government Ministers as well as Disabled Person's Organisations and representatives of Civil Society Groups.
The Summit and the submissions made through the consultation process are informing the approach to be taken in delivering on the Programme for Government commitment.
The range of supports available in my Department are kept under review, any decision to change the qualifying criteria for disability income payments would have budgetary consequences and would have to be considered in a wider budgetary context.
I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
101. Deputy Seamus Healy asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will increase carer’s allowance and carer’s benefit to €325 per week. [67667/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe estimated full year cost of increasing both Carers' Benefit and Carer's Allowance to €325 per week is €242 million. This includes a €17 increase for Carer's Allowance for recipients aged over 66, a €55 increase for Carer's Allowance recipients aged under 66 and a €54 increase for Carer's Benefit.
The costs shown above are on a full year basis and are based on the estimated number of recipients in 2026, and include proportionate increases to Half Rate Carer's Allowance and for those on reduced rates of payment, where relevant.
It should be noted that these costings are subject to change in the context of emerging trends and associated revision of the estimated numbers of recipients for 2027 and budget deliberations.
103. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons who have applied for the job seekers allowance or job seekers benefit who listed their previous employment as farming; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67163/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraJobseeker's Allowance is a means-tested payment for unemployed people who satisfy the qualifying conditions. Jobseeker's Benefit and Jobseeker's Pay-Related Benefit are social insurance-based payments for unemployed people who satisfy the relevant contribution and eligibility conditions.
At the end of August 2026, there were 298 recipients of Jobseeker's Allowance, Jobseeker's Benefit and Jobseeker's Pay-Related Benefit who had reported their previous employment as farming when applying for their payment. This figure relates to recipients of these payments and not to the number of applicants.
For the purposes of this reply, "farming" includes persons who reported their previous occupation as being in categories of Farmers, Landowners and Managers in Horticulture, Forestry and Fishing. These categories are based on self-reported information provided when a person applies for a jobseeker payment.
Farm Assist is a means-tested income support payment for low-income farmers. Recipients of Farm Assist are not included in this figure. The figure does not include recipients of Short-Time Work Support, Jobseeker's Benefit (Self-Employed) or the Benefit Payment for 65 Year Olds.
104. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will consider extending the continuation period for social welfare payments from six weeks to 12 weeks. [67652/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Government has agreed a number of commitments that are to be achieved over the lifetime of the Government. One of the proposals in the Programme for Government is to extend the period of payment after death from 6 weeks to 12 weeks.
While, in general, across social welfare schemes payment continues for a period of 6 weeks after death, there are some exceptions, with some payments already paid for a period of 12 weeks after the death of the recipient. For example, with Carer’s Allowance, payment continues for a period of 12 weeks after the death of the person being cared for, while in the case of Domiciliary Care Allowance, payment continues for a period of 3 months after the death of the recipient.
This measure will be progressed over the lifetime of the Government.
105. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Social Protection in the context of Budget 2027, he will consider further reform of Carer’s Allowance, including increasing the weekly rate and further easing or removing the means test in recognition of the significant contribution made by family carers; and the estimated cost of each of these measures. [67387/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Programme for Government commits to progressively increasing weekly carer payments and to significantly increasing the income disregards for Carer's Allowance, with a view to phasing out the means test over the Government term. Significant progress has already been made in delivering on these commitments.
In January 2026, there was a €10 increase in the maximum personal rate of Carer's Allowance and Carer's Benefit to €270 and €271, respectively, for carers aged under 66. This compares to €254 for most weekly payments for persons age under 66 years. For Carers aged 66 and over, the maximum weekly rate increased to €308.
As well as rate increases, the Government has prioritised reform of the Carer's Allowance means test. As part of Budget 2026, the weekly income disregard increased to €1,000 for a single person and €2,000 for a couple. As a result of these changes, almost 2,700 carers received an increase in their payment in July and virtually all recipients are now receiving the maximum rate.
Based on administrative data, the Department has previously estimated a cost of approximately €600 million to abolish the Carer’s Allowance means test. However, this cost increases to a potential €3 billion per annum if everyone who self-declared as a carer in Census 2022 were to qualify. It is acknowledged that the latter figure is a high-level estimate only.
I am not in a position at this point to reveal any information regarding potential Budget measures. Discussions are ongoing and, while not everything we want to do can be done in one year, I can assure the Deputy, that Government is committed to moving forward on our Programme for Government commitments to Carers.
106. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Social Protection the targeted income supports in relation to those with disabilities he is considering as part of Budget 2027 negotiations. [67299/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department provides a range of income supports for disabled people. These include social insurance based schemes such as Invalidity Pension and social assistance based schemes, such as Disability Allowance and Blind Pension.
As of August 2026, there are over 234,950 recipients of disability income support payments, with estimated expenditure of €3.44 billion in 2026.
Disability Allowance is my Department's primary social assistance payment for disabled people who are aged between 16 and 66. 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 and Blind Pension have increased by €51 in that time. The earnings disregard has increased by almost 38% since Budget 2021 from €120 to €165 currently.
Supporting disabled people is a key priority for the Government. Both the Programme for Government and the National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025 to 2030 include significant commitments in this regard including a commitment to introduce a permanent annual cost of disability payment.
A public consultation process on how a cost of disability payment can best be delivered was launched on Friday, February 20th and ran for just over six weeks until Tuesday April 7th.
The over 1,100 submissions helped inform the agenda for the Strategic Focus Network Summit on the Cost of Disability, which I hosted in the Aviva Stadium on the 13th of May. It was attended by 150 people in person, with approximately the same number joining online.
The Summit was also attended by members of the Oireachtas together with senior Government Ministers including the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste, the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, the Minister of State for Disability and the Minister of State at the Department of Transport.
This whole of government approach is important as addressing these costs is not simply a matter of income supports alone. Improvements in the delivery of, and access to, key services are also needed.
On 16 July, I presented a briefing paper on the Summit to the Strategy's Delivery and Monitoring Committee which is chaired by the Taoiseach, and attended by other Government Ministers as well as Disabled Person's Organisations and representatives of Civil Society Groups.
The Summit and the submissions made through the consultation process are informing the approach to be taken in delivering on the Programme for Government commitment. No decisions have been made regarding the design or eligibility criteria of the payment at this stage as options are being considered as part of the budgetary process.
I trust this clarifies the issue for the Deputy.
107. Deputy Paula Butterly asked the Minister for Social Protection the process used by his Department to identify and investigate suspected social welfare fraud; the number of cases of social welfare fraud detected and confirmed in each of the past three years; the value of any overpayments identified and recovered during that period; the measures currently in place to prevent fraud and abuse of the social welfare system; any additional measures being considered to strengthen fraud detection and compliance activities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [66706/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department continues to work in an ever-changing environment and is constantly required to meet new challenges and update its processes to remain alert and to respond to new and emerging forms of fraud and non-compliance.
The Department’s Compliance and Anti-fraud Strategy comprises four pillars: “Prevent”, “Deter”, “Detect” and “Account”, which are leveraged to ensure that suspected fraud and non-compliance in our welfare system is kept to a minimum.
The Department is committed to ensuring that only those people who are eligible, receive welfare and other payments. Achieving this requires that robust safeguards are in place that secure payment systems, detect possible fraud and error, and prevent possible fraudulent claiming.
All applicants must provide proof of their identity when making a claim. The applicants must verify their identity through the SAFE registration process. The SAFE registration process establishes and fully authenticates a person’s identity and allows them to access a range of services from my Department and other public services in an easy and safe manner.
A range of verification processes are employed to validate and verify the information provided by an applicant when making a claim. In addition, claims in payment are also subject to review. My Department continues to improve its data matching capabilities with external bodies and agencies to identify inconsistencies in information provided to the Department by persons making or re-establishing an entitlement. Information is only exchanged in line with the appropriate legislative provisions.
The Department's data analytics team continue the risk assessment of individual records to increase the detection rate of non-compliant claims.
The Special Investigation Unit (SIU) is staffed by experienced, trained and dedicated teams of investigating officers, including officers seconded from An Garda Síochána. SIU officers have wide-ranging powers of investigation and continue to work in collaboration with other public bodies and law enforcement agencies in Ireland, Northern Ireland and overseas.
Staff are provided with on-going training, mentoring and quality assurance checks are undertaken to ensure any administrative errors are kept to a minimum. Ongoing IT system enhancements further reduce the scope for error.
Overpayments identified are pursued for recovery including through deductions from schemes in payment, direct debits or through attachments of earnings.
Where fraudulent claiming is identified, those cases are proactively pursued to ensure recovery of any associated overpayments, with the most serious cases brought to the attention of the Courts.
The table below sets out the number of overpayments raised, the associated value of those cases and the recoveries, where an element of fraudulent activity was suspected from 2023 to 2025. Figures for 2026 are not available. These cases arise where a deciding officer is satisfied that there is sufficient evidence that a person deliberately provided false or misleading information or wilfully concealed relevant information in relation to their entitlement. The Deputy will appreciate that there is a high evidential standard to be met in such cases.
|
Year |
No. of Suspected Fraud Cases |
Value of Suspected Fraud Overpayments |
Value of Recoveries made against Suspected Fraud Overpayments |
|
2023 |
5,097 |
€17,963,080 |
€13,696,190 |
|
2024 |
6,007 |
€24,344,345 |
€14,652,884 |
|
2025 |
5,909 |
€29,032,974 |
€15,225,826 |
* Recoveries may include overpayments raised in previous years, repaid in the current year.
I hope this provides clarity for the Deputy about the range and strength of control measures in place in my Department.
109. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will outline his plans to reform the domiciliary care allowance. [66685/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraDomiciliary Care Allowance is a payment to a parent or guardian in respect of a child under 16 who has a severe disability and requires continuous care and attention, substantially more than is typically required by a child of the same age. Over 65,900 families receive Domiciliary Care Allowance in respect of approximately 75,490 children, with estimated expenditure of almost €359 million in 2026.
In January, the Domiciliary Care Allowance was increased by €20, to the monthly rate of €380. This is paid in addition to the annual Carer’s Support Grant of €2,000 payable in respect of each eligible child.
The Programme for Government contains a wide range of commitments to support family carers which will continue to be advanced over the lifetime of the Government. These commitments include abolishing the Carer’s Allowance means test and progressively increasing weekly carer's payments.
My focus in relation to Carers remains the process of phasing out the means test for Carer’s Allowance, which is consistent with the policy approach advocated by family carer organisations. Significant improvements have been made in this area such that virtually all those in receipt of Carer's Allowance are now in receipt of the maximum weekly rate.
The Government will continue to keep the range of supports available to disabled children and their families under review in the context of the National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025-2030, which includes a range of measures aimed at supporting disabled children and their families and enhancing supports for disabled people, subject to the availability of budgetary resources.
111. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Social Protection whether consideration is being given to increasing investment in digital inclusion measures, particularly for older persons, people with disabilities and those at risk of digital exclusion. [67531/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department is committed to reducing administrative and other barriers that may prevent people from accessing their social welfare entitlements.
A key element of this work is the continued development of the Department’s digital platform, MyWelfare, as it works towards the target of having 90% of applicable services available online by 2030. MyWelfare provides secure and convenient access to a wide and expanding range of services and supports the Department’s digital-by-desire approach, enabling customers who wish to engage online to do so easily and efficiently.
My Department is committed to ensuring that digital services are accessible to all users, regardless of ability. All digital services undergo accessibility testing and are designed in line with recognised Web Accessibility Guidelines developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). MyWelfare incorporates inclusive design principles and accessibility features that support users with a range of needs, including visual, cognitive and physical impairments. The Department continues to engage with customers and stakeholder organisations in the design and testing of services to ensure that they are customer-centred and responsive to users’ needs.
My Department also funds the Citizens Information Board (CIB), which is a statutory agency tasked with providing independent, impartial, confidential, and non-judgmental information, advice, money advice and advocacy. Through its network of CIB centres, telephone services and online resources CIB plays an important role in supporting digital inclusion by helping people who have limited digital skills, accessibility needs or difficulties accessing online services.
The Department recognises that some customers, including older persons, people with disabilities and those at risk of digital exclusion, may face barriers in accessing digital services. In line with the Government’s Digital for Good: Ireland’s Digital Inclusion Roadmap, the Department is committed to addressing such barriers while ensuring that digital transformation does not result in exclusion.
Key measures include:
• Maintaining a range of service channels, including face-to-face services through Intreo Centres and Branch Offices, telephone supports through our contact centres and paper-based application processes.
• Continuing to simplify online application processes through MyWelfare, reducing administrative burden and improving the customer experience.
• Providing clear guidance and support materials to help customers use online services safely and confidently.
• Engaging with representative organisations and customer groups to identify barriers to service access and inform future improvements.
The Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2026-2030 outlines the importance of digital inclusion for social inclusion and the need for investment in community-based training, affordable broadband, online safety education and accessible digital public services, especially for older adults, rural populations, disabled people, children and young people.
A specific action in the Roadmap is to ensure that no one is left behind in our digital society, in particular disadvantaged groups. The Roadmap sets out measures that improve access to public services online, reduce complexity, and ensure services are seamless, integrated, inclusive and user-centred, through implementation of Digital Public Services Plan 2030 and Digital Ireland: Connecting our People, Securing our Future.
The Department will be engaging with Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and Department of An Taoiseach on progress in delivering this action, as part of the oversight in implementing the Roadmap.
The Department will continue to assess opportunities to enhance digital inclusion measures as part of its ongoing programme of service improvement. This includes ensuring that services are secure, accessible and user-friendly, while maintaining non-digital access channels for those who need them. In this regard, the Department fully supports the Government’s digital inclusion agenda, recognising that a digital-by-default approach must never mean digital-only services.
I hope this clarifies the position for the deputy.
