680. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Social Protection the justification for classifying one adult in a couple as a qualified adult and therefore financially dependent on their spouse or partner; whether she acknowledges that approximately 90% of increase for a qualified adult recipients are women; the assessment his Department has made of the gender equality implications of this arrangement; and if h…
Parliamentary questions
Questions
TDs ask ministers questions to get answers on the record, most of them in writing. Here is every one asked in the 34th Dáil, by the department it went to and the subject heading it was filed under. How questions work
Browse the questions
1,071 questions match, newest first.
681. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Social Protection whether he accepts that the qualified adult payment structure denies women full financial independence by treating couples as a single financial unit; his plans to move towards individual entitlement to social welfare payments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5460/26]
682. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Social Protection whether he agrees that the current qualified adult system reinforces traditional gender roles by embedding women’s economic dependence within the social welfare system; how this is compatible with the State’s gender equality commitments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5461/26]
683. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Social Protection the engagement his Department has had with women’s organisations regarding concerns that the qualified adult system classifies women as dependants; whether these concerns will inform future reform; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5462/26]
684. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Social Protection whether the individualisation of social welfare payments has been examined by his Department; whether any costings or timelines exist; if he will commit to publishing this analysis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5463/26]
685. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Social Protection the amount his Department has spent on legal fees for each of the years 2020-2025, in tabular form. [5544/26]
686. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Social Protection the current position regarding the introduction of a cost of disability payment; the considerations being examined by his Department in relation to the design, eligibility criteria and implementation of such a payment; whether an indicative timeline has been developed for its introduction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5562/26]
687. Deputy George Lawlor asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will investigate the calculation of means of a couple (details supplied) with regard to their disability allowance claim; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5591/26]
688. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide a breakdown of expenditure by his Department and bodies, agencies or organisations under his/her remit on paid verification services on a platform (details supplied) or any other verified account products, for each of the years 2023, 2024, 2025 and to date in 2026; the number of verified accounts held under each category; the annual cost per …
689. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection if patients travelling long distances for medical appointments without free travel passes could be given some form of travel allowances to cover the costs of regular journeys (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5635/26]
690. Deputy Martin Daly asked the Minister for Social Protection the progress that has been made on the commitment in the Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020–2025 to assess the cost of disability; and when findings will be published. [5678/26]
691. Deputy Martin Daly asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated level of fraud and error in 2025 for jobseeker’s, disability, and child benefit schemes, as reported in his Department’s annual report. [5681/26]
692. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection the details of all consultations undertaken to date with persons with disabilities and their representative organisations in relation to the proposed cost of disability payment; to provide a chronological timeline of these consultations, including dates, format (that is meetings, forums, surveys); the location where relevant; to specify which indivi…
693. Deputy Eoin Hayes asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of employees enrolled in the MyFutureFund pension scheme by band of total number of employees per employer (details supplied), in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5803/26]
694. Deputy Eoin Hayes asked the Minister for Social Protection the percentage of employees who have been enrolled in MyFutureFund, by band, of total number of employees per employer (details supplied), in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5804/26]
695. Deputy Eoin Hayes asked the Minister for Social Protection the number and percentage of public sector workers who have been enrolled in the MyFutureFund pension scheme, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5805/26]
696. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of WTE community welfare officers based in Kildare as of 19 January 2026, in tabular form. [5839/26]
697. Deputy Eoin Hayes asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of recipients of rent supplement, by band and the amount received by each recipient, in tabular form. [5843/26]
698. Deputy Eoin Hayes asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of rent supplement payments made to applicants who pay rent above the rent limited for their county of residence but have been granted the rent supplement on discretionary grounds; the percentage of these payments which comprise of total rent payments; the average amount by which their monthly rents exceed the limit; the duration for which pay…
699. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Social Protection if consideration is being given by his Department to increasing the upper age limit for domiciliary care allowance eligibility from 16 to 18 years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5908/26]
700. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Social Protection to respond to correspondence (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5946/26]
701. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Social Protection if the review into the nutritional standards of the of the school meals programme has concluded; the outcomes of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6055/26]
702. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Social Protection the metrics or KPIs currently in place to assess meal quality, student satisfaction, and effectiveness of the school meals programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6056/26]
703. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Social Protection if any analysis has been undertaken to understand the causes of food waste under the school meals programme, given its implications for nutrition, public expenditure, and climate impact; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6057/26]
704. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Social Protection the improvements being introduced in regard to the carer’s allowance; when the means test will be abolished; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6058/26]