Questions

1352. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will extend the back-to-school allowance to all children in State care by removing means testing for foster families, including the requirement to be in receipt of a qualifying social welfare payment, in recognition of children's rights under the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission and Equal Status Acts 2000-2018, and to ensure they are n…

1354. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide an estimate of the cost of increasing the capital disregard for the jobseeker’s allowance means test from €20,000 to €30,000; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45330/25]

1355. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Social Protection to outline whether any additional supports are currently available to parents who give birth to twins, or other multiple births; if there are any plans to expand these supports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45402/25]

1356. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will consider expanding child benefit for parents who give birth to twins or other multiple births; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45404/25]

1358. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection if his Department will update the reference baskets used for means tests and payments to reflect higher grocery inflation given headline CPI of 1.7% year-on-year but food inflation of 4.7% in July 2025; and if not, the reason. [45469/25]

1360. Deputy Joanna Byrne asked the Minister for Social Protection the current processing times for disability allowance, carer's allowance and social welfare appeals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45494/25]

1361. Deputy Martin Daly asked the Minister for Social Protection the commencement date for the Auto-Enrolment Retirement Savings Scheme in view of previous deferrals; and if he will clarify whether it remains the case that the scheme will begin on 1 January 2026. [45520/25]

1364. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will clarity the entitlements of a widow to her husband’s accumulated contributions (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45583/25]

1370. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Social Protection whether he will consider moving the payment of the back-to-school allowance to an earlier point in the school year (details supplied). [45653/25]

1383. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding the increase in income disregards for carer's allowance as committed to in the programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46206/25]

1385. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection the first year and full year cost of increasing jobseeker’s transitional payment by €1. [46301/25]

1386. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection the first year and full year cost of increasing the income disregard for jobseekers transitional payment by 10%. [46302/25]

1387. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection the first year and full year cost of increasing the income disregard for working family payment by 10%. [46303/25]

1388. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection the first year and full year cost of introducing a part-time rate of job seekers for self employed making less than a 40 hour week at the current minimum wage. [46304/25]

1392. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will review the structure of the State maternity benefit to consider moving to a pay-related model similar to jobseekers pay related benefit, in order to better reflect prior earnings and contributions and reduce the long-term financial disadvantage faced by women, particularly in light of the long-term impact on pension entitlements. [46414/25]

1395. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will consider amending the rules on carer’s allowance in order that a person who is in receipt of a State pension would also be eligible to qualify for the full rate of carer’s allowance, as many older people are providing full-time care for a loved one in need, this care is crucial to the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [465…

1396. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of international protection applicants in receipt of the daily expenses allowance who are also in employment; the measures in place to prevent double payment or welfare dependency; and the policy rationale for continuing the allowance when applicants have income from work. [46533/25]

1397. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the total cost to the Exchequer of the daily expenses allowance provided to international protection applicants in each of the past three years, broken down by those in employment and those not in employment. [46534/25]

1399. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Social Protection the responsibility that is on his Department to ensure that citizens are appropriately educated and informed about the terms of individual social welfare payments and the potential implications of availing or not availing of a particular payment, for example that some count as credits for a State pension and others do not; and if he will make a sta…

1401. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will review matters raised in correspondence (details supplied); if he will expedite the matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46594/25]

1402. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason the bereaved partners grant only applies to those whose partner’s death occurred on or after 21 July 2025; to confirm that consideration would be given to extending this grant to those whose partners died before this date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46673/25]

1405. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Social Protection the supports or schemes available to qualified post primary teachers who are currently unemployed, particularly in cases where there are no suitable vacancies in their local area (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46737/25]

1409. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection given the 1.8 per cent rise in inflation and its disproportionate impact on low-income families, if he will commit to indexing core social welfare schemes and supports in Budget 2026, to protect against further cost-of-living erosion. [46808/25]

1410. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the logistics and communication plans to ensure timely delivery of the scheduled fuel allowance payments beginning week of 22 September 2025 particularly for older and vulnerable households in Cork and surrounds. [46821/25]

1414. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide an update on his plans to abolish the means test for carers; if there is a timeline for this; if considerations for this will be made in Budget 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46927/25]