Questions

63. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Social Protection his plans to increase the weekly rate of Carer's Allowance Benefit to €325 to recognise the additional cost of providing fulltime care in a cost of living crisis. [67385/26]

84. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Social Protection the plans in place to enhance and expand Social Welfare and Intreo Services in County Laois to match local population growth to ensure timely access for claimants. [67396/26]

247. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will give a commitment in the upcoming budget to eliminate and publish a definitive timeline to abolish the carer's allowance means test. …

249. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Social Protection his plans to increase the weekly rate of carer's allowance and carer's benefit to €325 to recognise the additional cost of providing full-time care in a cost of living crisis. [65994/26]

250. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Social Protection his plans to address the shortfall in respite services, and the promised statutory home support scheme; and if there will be investment to meet demand and milage reimbursement for all home care workers. [65998/26]

770. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Social Protection the rational for the exclusion of teachers and others in the education sector from accessing jobseeker's pay related benefit; and if his Department will re-examine this with a view to allowing them to apply for the payment when they become unemployed. [65056/26]

47. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Social Protection if his Department has considered recruiting more staff as medical assessors to speed up the process of appeals in invalidity, disability, and carers applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46150/26]

63. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Social Protection the actions he plans on taking for those who have been working to date this year as reserves in the Defence Forces, and are now being left without certainty regarding income as they do not have the necessary PRSI contributions to qualify for jobseekers benefit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46151/26]

73. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Social Protection when his Department will publish a concrete roadmap and timeline for the complete abolition of a means test, given the recent income increase in family carers allowance thousands of family carers are still facing complex financial issues; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46152/26]

96. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Social Protection his plans in the next budget to introduce a cost of disability payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46153/26]

99. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will commit to increasing the core baseline of social welfare rates such as the child support payment, to address the issues of poverty in the next Budget rather than relying on temporary measures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46149/26]

121. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Social Protection the work his Department is doing to reduce the delays in processing jobseeker’s benefit claims for those who are early years educators during the summer holiday months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46144/26]

352. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will review and increase the current €30 per week initial means disregard applied to the State pension (non-contributory), for those in receipt of part of an occupational pension, in light of rising living costs and the impact on low-income older people; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31555/26]

353. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will undertake a review of the means assessment applied to recipients of the State pension (non-contributory) who also receive an occupational pension, with particular consideration of assessing 50% of that income to ensure a fairer and more proportionate system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31556/26]

1942. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will review the criteria for the fuel allowance for pensioners who have a partner or wife under 66 years of age but do not receive fuel allowance due to having income just above €310 per week but where both their incomes fall short of the €1,000 per week threshold for the allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27073/26]

1203. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Social Protection if there has been a change to the criteria recently in order for parents to be granted domiciliary care allowance for children who have specific needs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20061/26]

44. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Social Protection the changes he plans to make to the means assessment carried out by his Department in order to remove anomalies in relation to the disability allowance identified in the Programme for Government; if he will provide details of the anomalies currently being observed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2744/26]

45. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Social Protection the future plans he and his Department have for persons living with a disability following the outcome of Budget 2026, where there is now evidence that persons with a disability are facing a cost of living crisis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2595/26]

429. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Social Protection the progress made to date on the introduction of a permanent annual cost of disability support payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2938/26]

430. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will introduce any immediate financial measures to address the increased cost of living faced by people in receipt of disability allowance; the step he intends to take to reduce the gap between current disability allowance income supports and the at-risk-of-poverty threshold; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2939/26]

431. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Social Protection if his Department has completed any updated analysis on the additional, recurring costs faced by people with disabilities; if he will publish the evidence base informing future disability-related income supports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2940/26]

432. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Social Protection his plans to review the core rate of disability allowance in light of inflation, increased living costs, and the findings of the Cost of Disability Report; the timeline for any such review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2941/26]

170. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will review and expand the level of support provided under the treatment benefit scheme for individuals requiring audiological supports, including hearing aids, or those living with congenital deafness given that lifetime costs for such supports can exceed €50,000 compared to the current €1,000 provision; and if he will make a statement on the m…

678. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Social Protection given the ongoing housing crisis, if his Department will consider adjusting the means assessment criteria for social welfare claims to allow for deductions in respect of rent and mortgage payments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61917/25]

679. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Social Protection his plans to remove the requirement for an application to have an underlying entitlement to jobseeker’s allowance for those seeking to qualify for the back to work enterprise allowance, where said applicants have previously satisfied the nine month qualifying period on jobseeker’s benefit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61918/25]