Questions

52. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of applications for the supplementary welfare allowance per month, for the past three years, specifying the original qualifying welfare payment and the reasons for each application by percentage, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2840/26]

411. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection if he has plans to expand funding to the CE, RSS and Tús schemes given the rising rates of youth unemployment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68469/25]

412. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection his plans to address the cost of disability as it affects people with disabilities living in rural communities. [68470/25]

413. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection if he plans to shift provision of the hot school meals scheme to non-profits (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [68468/25]

414. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection his plans for a cost of disability package; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [73016/25]

415. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection if he intends to increase and benchmark the fuel allowance to restore purchasing power at 2020 levels; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [73017/25]

109. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection if a person who was wrongly advised to claim disability allowance and who has now applied for invalidity pension and has been refused due to insufficient PRSI contributions but would have had sufficient contributions at the time of application can have their claim assessed on the basis of the original application; and if he will make a statement on …

110. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection the entitlements to benefits without means testing survivors of the Hepatitis C scandal have; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2642/26]

111. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection the application process for higher scales for administrative grades below the grade of assistant principal operated in his Department (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2658/26]

541. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection the way a particular welfare payment (details supplied) was calculated as regards furnishing social housing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [73433/25]

542. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection if he has given any consideration to a cost-of-disability payment.; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [73434/25]

543. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will review the one-payment-per-household rule for the fuel allowance scheme whereby adult children on low incomes are living in the family home due to the housing crisis and are refused support based on parental income alone, despite individually qualifying for the scheme; and the plans to allow eligibility to be assessed on an individual bas…

544. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection if he is aware that workers are protected from redundancy only once maternity leave has officially begun; if he is aware that this means that even if a pregnant woman has only a few days left before her leave starts, she can still be made redundant; if he is aware of the difficulties for someone who is two months away from giving birth to find a new…

545. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection if he is aware that domestic abuse rent supplement is available for three months without a means test; if he understands that a victim of domestic abuse in some circumstances is working and required to pay the mortgage on the property where the children live; if this payment is considered as part of the means test in the case where the person cannot…

546. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection if he has considered implementing a ‘saver clause’ similar to that used when someone transitions from disability allowance to the State pension (non-contributory) for those in receipt of carer’s allowance when they transition to the State pension (non-contributory); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [73441/25]

532. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection the way in which carer's allowance and disability allowance will be taxed from 1 January 2026 onwards; the differences which will be between tax procedures in 2025 and 2026; the impact this will have on welfare recipients; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [69130/25]

389. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of individuals who received the carers support grant in June 2025 and who are not also in receipt of carer’s allowance or carer’s benefit. [68017/25]

397. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection if he is aware that information relevant to an appeal of a refusal to award DCA to a parent can take time to obtain; if he is further aware that sometimes, parents need to submit additional information while the appeal is submitted and pending; if he can advise whether this can be done right up to the decision on the appeal being made; and if he wil…

398. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection if, when a person withdraws an appeal against the refusal to award DCA and re-submits their application again, and this is awarded, if any backdating will be to the date of the first submission or the second; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [66840/25]

399. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection if fire fighters with the Dublin Fire Brigade with a preserved pension age of 55 are entitled to the same benefit payment that 65 year-olds are entitled to on retirement; if this benefit is the same or equivalent to the pay related job seeker’s benefit; the length of time this is paid without means testing; and if he will make a statement on the mat…

182. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection if he can provide details of his Department’s involvement in the Letterkenny gift card scheme; if he can also provide details of similar schemes including, any cross-Border initiatives; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [64256/25]

71. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection the provisions that have been made to ensure that agencies, organisations, charities and service providers funded by his Department will be able to meet their obligations under the new auto-enrolment scheme. [62181/25]

73. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection for an estimate of the number of new people who will be eligible to receive carer’s allowance following budget 2026; if he will explain to carers who are currently excluded by the means test exactly when they will be made aware of when they will become eligible; the amount his Department is prepared to spend on the relaxation of the carer’s means tes…

106. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason his Department uses a different model of SWITCH compared to that of the ESRI; the reason for the choice to use a simplified model; if he will provide a breakdown of the specific differences between the SWITCH models used by the Department and the ESRI; to provide a breakdown of variables available in the ESRI SWITCH model that are not ava…

108. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection in view of his withdrawal of energy credits and the steady increase in households seeking financial support with energy costs, the additional supports or measures he will provide above what has already been committed to in Budget 2026 to address this rising need; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62185/25]