Dara Calleary

I look forward to engaging with the committee on the pre-legislative scrutiny of the Bill. I emphasise the voluntary nature of this. It is the Department’s policy that this is digital by desire. We understand there are people who do not wish to or are not comfortable using digital services. We will continue to make our services available on an optional basis. Equally, there is a level engagement …

It is important to ensure people claiming benefits satisfy the criteria established by the Oireachtas for entitlement to that benefit. However, in doing so, it is also important that we offer people who may not receive a favourable decision the opportunity to seek a review of that decision and submit a formal appeal. In that way, we work to ensure the entitlement is not denied to people who have a…

I can absolutely assure the Deputy that is not the policy and approach. As I said in my initial response, we are working continuously to improve the appeals process and are continuously investing in that process. We are also investing in the initial process in terms of medical assessment and knowledge. By introducing a new IT system, we have given people the capacity to make appeals online. They d…

I can do some work and come back to the Deputy on invalidity generally. As he said, there have also been increases in disability and other areas, such as carer's allowance. There is definitely no policy to discourage people from applying. It can be challenging in terms of getting the necessary medical information, in particular where a case is not as black and white as other cases may be. The appe…

I thank the Deputy. We are all greatly disturbed by recent geopolitical developments, including the conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine. Wars are destroying lives across the world and in communities and will deepen and entrench rather than resolve any situation. As a nation, we feel the impact of these conflicts in the upward pressure on fuel costs, in particular. We should always remember th…

We have acted. I again emphasise the increase in the fuel allowance and the extra four weeks of the payment bringing it to the end of this week, which is the beginning of the month of May. That has not been done previously. We increased the fuel allowance by €5 per week. As I said, the increase in the fuel allowance is a 32% increase for the 469,000 households that are in receipt of it. For the fi…

I acknowledge that pressure. We see that as well - we are not immune from that - but we also have to be honest with people about our ability to make interventions. We cannot make interventions every few months. There will be an intervention in the context of the forthcoming budget. We have made a €750 million intervention since March in two packages, which has reduced the day-to-day cost of fuel f…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as ucht na ceiste ar son na ndaoine faoi mhíchumas. Gabhaim buíochas leis as a shuim san ábhar seo. Tá sé ráite sa chlár Rialtais go mbeimid ag seasamh le daoine faoi mhíchumas agus go bhfuil muid ag obair go crua air sin. Supporting disabled people is a key priority for this Government. That is why the programme for Government is introducing a number of commitment…

I thank the Deputy for his input. We will be having the summit on 13 May, which is next Wednesday week. Following the summit and the consultation process, we will be preparing a paper that will outline the key learnings and any tangible outcomes that support how we deliver in this area going forward. I will work with my colleagues in government in relation to a potential proposal around the eligib…

I have absolutely no doubt that the Department of foreign affairs is fully monitoring that situation. Our thoughts are with all of those Irish citizens this morning and with their families here at home. Regarding the Deputy's question, the cost of disability and the challenges facing those with disabilities is not solely a matter for the Department of Social Protection. It is essential for transp…

I thank the Deputy for his question. There have been significant improvements in recent years to the fuel allowance scheme, which has resulted in more than 100,000 additional households qualifying for the payment. The budget for the fuel allowance scheme has increased significantly, to €557.4 million in 2026. That compares with €290.45 million in 2020. In January 2023, enhanced fuel allowance meas…

Absolutely. The Deputy's question was framed in the context of the fuel allowance, but the living alone allowance would be the payment in relation to those people. It is a payment that I intend to focus on in this year's budget. There is no doubt that people on their own have extensive outgoings, particularly those who may end up on their own following the death of their partner or separation. It …

We have made considerable changes to the fuel allowance in recent years. We have considerably increased the disallowance in the context of means. A lot more people have qualified for it. We have gone from €290.4 million in 2020 to €557.4 million in 2026. A total of 470,000 households qualify. We need to do more work on the living alone allowance to cater specifically for the kind of cohorts that t…

I thank the Deputy. The key national metric relating to the measurement of poverty is that of consistent poverty. It records those households who are both at risk of poverty and are experiencing deprivation. It is independently measured by the CSO through the survey on income and living conditions, SILC. SILC 2025, which is based on income data from 2024, was published in March. This shows a reduc…

In budget 2026, we introduced record increases in the child support payment, which are making a direct impact for families as shown by the figures I have provided. In relation to a targeted child benefit payment, I want to announce to the House that I am introducing a public consultation, opening next Tuesday, 5 May, and look forward to the input of Members of the House around that. It will be al…

Absolutely. I think I have taken it on. We have directed our resources through a €320 million package in this year's budget. My new measures package was €1.2 billion and €320 million of that went specifically to child poverty measures - a 25% increase in child support for children over 12 and 16% for those under 12. They are making a difference. A lone-parent family with one child will have an inc…

Under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, my Department may make additional needs payments to help meet essential expenses that a person cannot pay from their weekly income or other personal and household resources. This includes supplements to assist with ongoing or recurring costs that cannot be met from the customer’s own resources and which are deemed to be necessary. The main items el…

I share the Deputy's concern about the low number. That is why we put in considerable effort, following submissions from the Deputy's colleague, Deputy O'Reilly, and other Deputies in recent months, to bring the community welfare service here. We had a very good afternoon in the audiovisual room a few weeks back. Each community welfare service had a clinic in every part of the country for Oireacht…

As I said earlier, this year, 2026, we are going to spend €557 million on the fuel allowance. We have extended it to May. It is being paid right until the beginning of May. It has been extended by four weeks and increased by €5 per week. It has been extended to 50,000 people who are on the working family payment. That is a significant extension. In 2020, we spent €290.4 million on the fuel allowan…

I thank Deputy McCormack for his question. Jobseeker's pay-related benefit is a new social insurance income support that replaced the jobseeker's benefit scheme for people who became fully unemployed since 31 March 2025. This is a significant reform that brought Ireland in line with many other European countries. Jobseeker's pay-related benefit means that the income support is directly linked to a…

I thank the Deputy. His overview of people's feelings about the scheme is absolutely correct. There are 34,500 claimants of the benefit in the first year, 84% of whom qualified for the higher rates payable. Over half of those who qualified for the higher rates were paid the maximum rate, €450. We have begun an analysis of the first full year of operation, which ended at the end of March. It is to…

Absolutely. As the Deputy knows, the programme for Government commits to introducing a pay-related parent's benefit and also to exploring other payments where a similar model could be applied. Parental leave and benefit were introduced in 2019. As the Deputy knows, parents can take up to nine weeks of leave in blocks of a minimum of one week in the first two years following the birth of their chil…

There is no direct correlation between the number and percentage of disability allowance decisions and the number of appeals that are registered during a particular time period as time differences always apply. This is particularly the case given that appeals regulations that came into effect on 28 April last year are now giving customers 60 days to make an appeal from the date of their decision. …

I will come back to that.

I have emphasised that 60% did not go into an appeals process. There was engagement with the person through that. As I said, in other jurisdictions, the person would be asked to submit an entirely new application. In respect of the 40%, if that decision remained unchanged, the appeal went to a formal determination by the appeals officer. The appeals officer then examined the documentary evidence t…