Questions

1. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection the action he is taking to improve the quality and consistency of first-instance decisions on social welfare applications, particularly where a significant proportion of decisions are subsequently overturned on appeal; whether his Department has reviewed the reasons for those decisions being overturned; and if he will make a statement on the matter. […

2. Deputy Eoin Hayes asked the Minister for Social Protection the work his Department is undertaking to increase uptake of the working family payment. [67508/26]

3. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection the assessment he has made of the recent findings on child poverty (details supplied); whether he considers that the current system of income supports is sufficiently targeted at families experiencing poverty and deprivation; the changes he believes are necessary to ensure that children in the most disadvantaged households benefit from rising househol…

4. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Social Protection if he is considering extending the age for domiciliary care allowance from 16 to 18 in budget 2027. [67640/26]

5. Deputy Paula Butterly asked the Minister for Social Protection the changes he proposes to introduce to support women of older generations who are not eligible for a contributory State pension despite having made PRSI contributions through employment during their working lives but who do not have a sufficient contribution record to qualify for a pension at pensionable age; whether he is considering any further meas…

6. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will increase support for carers as part of budget 2027. [66996/26]

7. Deputy Seamus Healy asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will increase the annual carer's support grant. [67666/26]

8. Deputy Eoin Hayes asked the Minister for Social Protection the analysis his Department has carried out on the degree to which income disregards and social welfare payment rates have kept pace with inflation and purchasing power measured against equivalent number of hours worked on minimum wage. [67510/26]

9. Deputy Seamus Healy asked the Minister for Social Protection to review the carer’s allowance and carer’s benefit with a view to the abolition of the means test in budget 2027. [67662/26]

10. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Social Protection in view of a recent report (details supplied) that shows that more than 60% of those in fuel poverty are not in receipt of fuel allowance, the measures he will take to address this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67336/26]

11. Deputy Aisling Dempsey asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of additional persons who have qualified for carer’s allowance since the increase in the weekly income disregard took effect in July 2026 nationally and in Meath West. [67566/26]

12. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Social Protection the measures being considered around the electricity allowance provided under the Household Benefits Package; if he will consider increasing the value of this allowance in line with rising unit costs for electricity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67565/26]

13. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Social Protection if he plans to include a cost-of-disability payment given the high cost of disability faced by disabled people. [67648/26]

14. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Social Protection the analysis and consideration that has been given to introducing a second-tier child benefit payment for households, as a taxable payment. [67532/26]

15. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Social Protection if he is considering an increase in the living alone allowance in the context of Budget 2027. [67244/26]

16. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Social Protection whether his Department has benchmarked child benefit against comparable family-support payments in other European countries; the findings of any such analysis; and the way in which those findings are informing the development of measures to support families and reduce child poverty. [67342/26]

17. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide an update on the dieticians' report on the nutritional standards for the hot school meals scheme. [67383/26]

18. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding the mechanisms in place when parents or students have problems with the quality, options or nutritional value of the food provided under the Hot School Meals Programme. [66651/26]

19. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Social Protection the actions his Department is taking to extend access to the heating supplement. [67655/26]

20. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Social Protection his plans for the introduction of baby loss certificates. [67535/26]

21. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection the assessment he has made of the contribution made by community employment and related schemes to the provision of services in rural communities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [67560/26]

22. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of domiciliary care allowance applications refused in Cork to date in 2026; and the number of these granted on appeal. [66851/26]

23. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection the steps he is taking to ensure access for the self-employed to income support when they become ill. [66974/26]

24. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Social Protection the way in which his Department is preparing for the long-term impact of an ageing population on the sustainability and adequacy of the State Pension system [67550/26]

25. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will outline his intentions to reduce the means testing for people who apply for carer's allowance; the provisions he plans to make in this regard in Budget 2027. [67221/26]