Parliamentary questions

1216. Deputy Brian Brennan asked the Minister for Social Protection the current status of the child benefit application for a person (details supplied); when the payment will commence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59141/25]

1217. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason persons receiving a pension are only offered a half-rate carer’s allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59149/25]

1218. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason the bereaved parent grant extended to co-habitating couples has been limited to those whose partners died on or after 21 July 2025, when the widows’ pension was backdated further; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59175/25]

1219. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Social Protection if will clarify whether a company (details supplied) had and or has a contract with his Department in the years 2020 to date in 2025; and if so, the nature of services this company provided to his Department, by year, in tabular form. [59308/25]

1220. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Social Protection the reasoning behind limiting the options on a birth certificate to ‘male, female and undetermined’; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59359/25]

1221. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Social Protection the criteria used to allow ‘undetermined’ to be used as an option on a birth certificate; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59360/25]

1222. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of schools affected by the withdrawal of hot school meal provision by county, in tabular form; the number of pupils effected in each county in tabular form; the steps the Government will take to provide meal reheating facilities to the schools which need same; the timeframe for same; the provisions the government wil…

1223. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Social Protection whether it is Government policy to support a balanced approach between small-scale pension investors, including self-directed PRSA holders investing in individual properties, and large institutional investors (vulture funds); whether he has concerns that the investment restrictions under consideration by the pensions authority could…

1224. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Social Protection to expedite an appeal for disability allowance for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59588/25]

1225. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Social Protection the length of time each social welfare appeal takes, in tabular form; what his Department is doing to reduce these times; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59666/25]

1226. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Social Protection to urgently investigate and allow a pro rata payment of maternity benefit for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59844/25]

1227. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will ensure an application for working family payment is approved for a person (details supplied) in County Westmeath. [59847/25]

1228. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection if persons residing in Ireland under international protection or temporary protection who apply for an exceptional needs payment are subject to verification of declared means, including any assets, income or bank accounts held outside of Ireland; if such checks are carried out in practice; and if he will make a statement on the matt…

1229. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of exceptional needs payments that have been approved for persons residing in Ireland under international protection or temporary protection since 2022; the total value of these payments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59960/25]

1230. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection if persons residing in Ireland under temporary protection from Ukraine are eligible to apply for carer’s payment; if applications from such persons are subject to the normal means test; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59961/25]

1231. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection where persons residing in Ireland under temporary protection from Ukraine apply for carer’s payment, the way in which means, savings, or assets held outside of Ireland are assessed; if there are mechanisms to verify assets in foreign bank accounts; the way in which this assessment is comparable to the way Irish citizens are means-te…

1232. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection if persons from Ukraine residing in Ireland under the temporary protection directive who have entered employment remain eligible for income supports such as child benefit, jobseeker’s payments, or supplementary welfare supports; the criteria used to determine continued eligibility where income is earned; and if his Department has un…

1233. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Social Protection to clarify the precise timing at which an individual’s participation in a private pension scheme is recognised for the purposes of exemption from automatic enrolment; the date by which a first contribution must be made, through company payroll, in order for that individual to be excluded from automatic enrolment; and if he will make…

1234. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Social Protection the procedures that will apply in cases where an employee and employer have already made contributions to a private pension scheme, but the employee is nonetheless automatically enrolled; the way in which contributions made under automatic enrolment will be treated; if refunds will be issued to the employee and employer; if so, the …

1235. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Social Protection if a decision has been made on an invalidity pension appeal by a person in County Cork (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59993/25]

1236. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Social Protection the eligibility criteria for the exceptional needs payment; if this support extends to medical-related costs such as essential treatments, equipment, or travel for healthcare; and if he will consider a review of the current criteria to ensure adequate support for individuals facing exceptional medical expenses (details supplied);…

95. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Social Protection if he is aware of any cases in which young people have been asked to prove that they were ‘abandoned’ by a parent or guardian in order to access social welfare supports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57438/25]

96. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of recipients of the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance in County Kildare each year from 2022 to 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57472/25]

97. Deputy Joe Neville asked the Minister for Social Protection if his Department will provide a decision timeline for the case of illness benefit for a person (details supplied), an applicant who is under severe financial pressure. [57520/25]

98. Deputy Tony McCormack asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will report on his Department’s engagement with employers and the SME sector in relation to the introduction of auto-enrolment in 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57552/25]