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632. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated first-year and full-year cost of a once-off €50 payment to all recipients of the carer’s support grant, carer’s benefit and carer’s allowance. [25921/25]

787. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection when a decision will be made on a carer's allowance appeal for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23213/25]

792. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Social Protection if an application for carer’s allowance submitted in August 2024 will be approved as a matter of urgency (details supplied). [23371/25]

799. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Social Protection the median and mean time to process carer's allowance reviews and appeals in each of the years 2015 to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23746/25]

801. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will outline the roadmap for phasing out the carer's allowance means test, as committed to in the programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23772/25]

817. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Social Protection to examine a case affecting carers allowance (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24010/25]

818. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Social Protection his plans for phasing out the means test relating to the carer's allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24011/25]

823. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Social Protection for an update on carer's allowance review (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24302/25]

830. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Social Protection if an oral hearing can be arranged in respect of an application for carer’s allowance (details supplied). [24331/25]

833. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Social Protection the supports that exist to support workers who are in receipt of carers' allowance payments and also on maternity leave, but whose maternity leave is paid directly to their employer thus resulting in a net loss per week; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24422/25]

280. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Social Protection the median time to process carer’s allowance reviews and appeals currently; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22079/25]

287. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection if his Department is aware of a review into a carer’s allowance application submitted by a person (details supplied); if his Department has received this review request; if a decision has been made; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22303/25]

85. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Social Protection for an update on the commitment in the programme for Government to increase the income disregards for carer’s allowance in each budget, with a view to phasing out the means test during the lifetime of the Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22000/25]

89. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Social Protection the transitional supports being put in place for the 380 people whose one-parent family payment and half-rate carer’s allowance are both due to end this year; and whether he accepts that the sudden loss of these payments risks plunging vulnerable families into financial hardship and uncertainty. [21009/25]

91. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Social Protection when the means test for carer’s allowance will be abolished; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20503/25]

110. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Social Protection if his attention has been drawn to the fact the programme for Government commitment to allow parents aged over 66 receiving the State pension, who are caring for a child with a lifelong disability, to retain a full-rate carer's allowance discriminates against other carers, such as those caring for a spouse; and if he will make a statem…

117. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Social Protection if his Department has plans to alter, abolish or change the means test on the carer's allowance; and if so, the date upon which these changes will come into effect. [20967/25]

120. Deputy Séamus McGrath asked the Minister for Social Protection to outline the specific timeline for the removal of the means test for carer’s allowance as committed to in the Programme for Government; if he intends to significantly increase the income disregard in Budget 2026, as an important first step. [20776/25]

126. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Social Protection if recipients of carer’s allowance will be notified prior to the new household increase in income thresholds provided for in Budget 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21692/25]

142. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Social Protection when the means test for the carers allowance will be abolished; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20783/25]

143. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection the progress that has been made in removing the means test for carer’s allowance; if a timeline will be outlined for the removal of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21296/25]

272. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will provide a roadmap over the next number of Budgets in which carers in receipt of the carer’s allowance can expect the income disregards for the payment to increase; the date by which the means-test will then be abolished; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21990/25]

1388. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Social Protection if the travel payment received by a cohort of HSE-employed home carers, which sees their working hours increased by one hour for every 60 km travelled, is treated as legitimate working hours when determining eligibility for carer's allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18652/25]

1394. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Social Protection for a proposed timeline for reviewing the carer’s allowance means test; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18764/25]

1395. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will reply to correspondence regarding means testing of the carer’s allowance (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18765/25]

The Social Democrats are supporting the extension of the excise reduction. With petrol and diesel prices pushing back towards €2 a litre, loading on another hike next week would be too much for people to absorb. People are already put to the pin of their collar. They simply cannot keep up with constant price increases but, make no mistake, this extension is not a plan. What we are seeing is a Gove…

I also welcome today's motion on carers. In fact, in the late nineties, I was a carer in London and I was a carer in Dublin when I returned after living abroad for a while. At that time, I noticed there was a significant difference in the level of training and support that carers were given by the agencies I was working for. I was happy to do that work. I was very young at the time, and it was a g…

I thank Deputy Callaghan for her question. As part of budget 2026, I announced a €1.15 billion package of new social protection measures, which included a €10 weekly increase across social welfare schemes from 1 January 2026. This raised the maximum personal rate of State pension contributory to €299.30 per week and non-contributory to €288.00 per week. These increases were set above the prevail…

I thank Deputy Butterly for her question. The free travel scheme provides free travel on our main public and private transport services for those who are eligible. There are over 1 million customers with direct eligibility. The estimated expenditure on the free travel scheme in 2025 is €107.6 million. The programme for Government has committed to examining an extension of free travel to include c…

I move amendment No. 1 to amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "notes that" and substitute the following: ": — the conflict in the Middle East has, once again, exposed the vulnerability of the Irish economy, and Irish society more generally, to imported fossil fuels; — these strategic dependencies have major macroeconomic implications, and the risks to macroeconomic and fiscal stability …

I agree Hannah was the star of the show and that whole group and that powerful moment of inclusion was really special. I welcome the Taoiseach's comments. I am happy to hear that he is talking about family composition. Councillor Donna Sheridan also contacted me. She is working at present with a separated single mother with two children who is trying to leave the family home. The mother is only s…

I thank the Labour Party for bringing forward this very important motion today. I am sure there is not one person in the Dáil who saw the documentary who was not disgusted by the way our elderly were being treated. If big businesses are treating our elderly in such a terrible way, we must ensure we do all we can so that this does not continue. That said, we cannot tar everybody with the one brush…

The consultation on the next phase of Our Rural Future is welcome but the real test is whether this becomes another high-level document full of warm aspiration or actually improves quality of life, economic development, town and village regeneration, inclusivity and protection of our natural and built heritage in rural communities. Rural Ireland needs services, infrastructure, housing, transport a…

Excuse me. Labour is the party of jobs. We have a proud record, uniquely in opposition, of job creation. We have a proud record of standing for workers' rights. We do not take economic growth for granted. We welcome measures to support innovation, Enterprise Ireland and the development of AI. We absolutely welcome these, but these positive moves the Government has made are overshadowed by what is …

As I said in my main response, farm assist is a flexible payment as compared to, for instance, jobseeker's allowance, and there are better supports available to those on farm assist. That flexibility is built-in, as I said. Self-employed income, under jobseeker's allowance, is assessed at 100%. Under farm assist, that is 70%. Child disregards apply under farm assist which do not apply to jobseeker…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Ceann Chomhairle as ucht an ama agus an deis seo a thabhairt dom. I am very pleased this afternoon to have the opportunity to speak on the programme for Government. I was also pleased to have been a part of the negotiating team for this programme for Government. In particular, I am very pleased to have an opportunity to outline the key priorities that will shape the work o…

During Leaders' Questions, I raised quite clearly what the Government was doing for people who were most vulnerable, particularly the 15% increase in our fuel allowance, of which one in four households is now in receipt of, to reflect the challenges related to the cost of living. I also mentioned the social welfare increase for carers, those with disabilities and those on the margins of society of…

I thank the Minister for the work he and the Minister, Deputy Chambers, have done over recent weeks and months in relation to this budget but also the work the Minister has done since 2017 when he took office in the Department of Finance. The certainty he has brought to the country and to the economy cannot be taken for granted. I am very conscious that when it comes to budget time, there are no e…

I had a look at the Fine Gael website, which is not something I normally do. The party has an ad running with the title "Fine Gael supported carers and people with disabilities in Budget 2026". Sometimes you need to check in case it is AI or whatever, but how exactly did Fine Gael support carers and people with disabilities? Could the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, explain that? I am going to…

I commend all the home carers and the people who are providing a great service. We need to have some truth around this situation because the Minister of State knows, going back to 2007 and 2008, we had an excellent home care service in this country. The HSE and the Minister for Health at the time went around and they chopped and chopped and privatised the service. They privatised home care, which…

I will not spend two and a half minutes talking about the benefits of remote and flexible working because I spent five years talking about those benefits, as my colleague Deputy Wall knows. Instead, in the two and a half minutes I have, I will focus on the first line of the motion, which states that "employees in Ireland have no right to flexible and remote work, only a right to request it from th…

I thank Deputy Dempsey for raising this case. In many ways, it reminds us of why we need to abolish the means test. We are all hearing too many stories of carers not qualifying because of the income of the people they are married to or in a relationship with. As the Deputy said, there are also cases where people finally get the allowance and then find that if their spouse or partner does a few hou…

I welcome the chance to speak on this Bill. I want to acknowledge the hard work social workers, link workers and family support workers, etc., do but the reality is the public has lost confidence in Tusla over the years. We need to see steps to rebuild trust. I want to highlight concerns over the future independence of the guardians ad litem, GALs. Their job is to be the voice of the child in cou…

It goes without saying that the means test must be removed for carers. We all know the financial impact on a home of dealing with a child with additional needs. The issue must be addressed. I also agree that the discrepancy in the figures must be addressed. There must be some element of flexibility for carers who work as carers, who sometimes go over the 18.5 hours, in particular in cases where t…

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 McGree…

I move: That Dáil Éireann; notes that: — energy prices in Ireland are already among the highest in Europe and prices are continuing to rise rapidly; — the cost of home heating oil rose by nearly 70 per cent last month alone, the largest month-on-month increase ever recorded; — kerosene is the main heating fuel for 700,000 households across the country; — the prices of petrol and diesel have …

I move: "That the Bill be now read a second time." I am pleased to introduce the Appropriation Bill. The Bill is an important annual financial legislative instrument which must be enacted before the end of the year in order to give effect to the authorisation of voted expenditure through 2025 and to allow for the continuation of expenditure into 2026. The Bill has two primary functions. The firs…

This will bring the weekly payment to €58 for children under 12 and €78 for children over 12. I am also increasing the working family payment income thresholds by €60 per week for all families. I am extending the back-to-school clothing and footwear payment to two- and three-year-olds. To support those at risk of energy poverty, I am increasing the weekly fuel allowance rate by €5 to €38. Followi…

Sinn Féin will not oppose the Bill but I believe the Government has missed an opportunity with the Bill to include the introduction of compensation for expenses in court by those who undertake jury duty. Deputy Carthy has raised this with the Minister on numerous occasions. The absence of such a payment impacts on people already struggling with the cost of living, as well as those with caring resp…

Please do not mislead carers. Family carers deserve to know the truth and this is the truth. We have frozen VAT at 9% for gas and electricity for the next five years and we are making sure an extra 50,000 households throughout the country will benefit from the fuel allowance. We are extending the renter's tax credit. We have the back of Irish people and the back of businesses. Crucially, the meas…