Parliamentary questions

651. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Social Protection if under the successor scheme to the basic income for arts announced in Budget 2026, for individuals who are in receipt of social welfare payments, including disability allowance and carers allowance will be permitted to retain those payments while participating in the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [550…

652. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will provide an update on current and future employment initiatives to support people with an intellectual disability; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55405/25]

653. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Social Protection his plans to alter the criteria for carer's allowance for twins, which currently pays at one and half rate, to allowing a carer to receive full rate carer’s allowance for each individual twin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54576/25]

654. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will re-examine an application made for carer’s allowance (details supplied) in respect of backdating; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54577/25]

655. Deputy Keira Keogh asked the Minister for Social Protection the options available to a person who has paid class D contributions rather than class A contributions for the entirety of their career, and now has limited access to supports such as illness benefit/illness pension, in view of the fact that they have been medically signed off as unfit to return to their job in the health service; an…

656. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason the guardian's payment (contributory) for a person (details supplied) was discontinued when the person began to receive disability allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54758/25]

657. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will commission and publish research into legal gender recognition for those aged under 16 years-of-age; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54773/25]

658. Deputy Pádraig Rice asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will establish a process by which Irish citizens born in Northern Ireland (NI) can access Irish gender recognition; if he will work with the United Kingdom (UK) and NI authorities to reinstate Ireland on the list of approved countries for recognising foreign gender recognition in the UK; and if he will make a statement on the …

659. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason a person (details supplied) was not awarded the blind pension; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54897/25]

660. Deputy Frankie Feighan asked the Minister for Social Protection if his Department will issue a statement to person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54918/25]

661. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Social Protection if there are any technical, legal, operational, or policy constraints preventing his Department, when publishing quarterly reports of payments or purchase orders over €20,000, from including additional columns that link each payment to its underlying procurement process specifically tender/contract title; name and address of the awa…

662. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Social Protection if all contracting authorities under the aegis of his Department are in full compliance with Circular 05/2023, in particular the mandatory requirement to publish contract award notices for all contracts above €25,000; and if he will provide details of the monitoring or enforcement arrangements in place to ensure this requirement is …

663. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason a school (details supplied) and many other smaller rural schools are being disregarded in the provision of hot school meals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55130/25]

664. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide a list of all studies, research and reports commissioned by his Department that were outsourced, in each of the past five years, in tabular form; the names of the companies to which each study, research and report was outsourced; the total cost for each; the number of reports finalised and presented to him that have yet …

665. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Social Protection the research that his Department has undertaken to ensure that it is always more financially advantageous to take up employment rather than jobseeker's allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55277/25]

666. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Social Protection the supports available and taxes/levies charged from the State from 1 January 2026 to a single person where they are, in receipt of jobseekers' allowance and not working, working 19 hours-per-week at the new minimum wage rate, working 39 hours-per-week at the new minimum wage rate, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement o…

667. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Social Protection if his Department and each body under its aegis discloses expenditure on external consultancy and adviser fees, by category (details supplied) in their annual report and or financial statements for each accounting year; if they provide direct web links to the most recent publications where these Section 1.5 disclosures are set out f…

668. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will investigate a case (details supplied) concerning an individual who has recently become unemployed and is experiencing ongoing issues with social welfare payments; if he will ensure that the matter is resolved; if he will provide contact details for the individual’s nearest INTREO office to facilitate a meeting with an o…

669. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will provide an update on the employment schemes or supports available for young adults with a mild intellectual disability in the Dublin 9 area; if he will provide details of the nearest INTREO office and contact information; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55404/25]

241. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Social Protection the measures being taken to reduce the level of waste under the hot school meals programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54282/25]

242. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Social Protection to extend the back to school allowance to all children in State care; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54309/25]

243. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Social Protection to consider allowing older persons with disabilities to access disability allowance along with their pensions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54318/25]

244. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Social Protection if consideration will be given to pension security for foster carers to recognise the years spent caring for children; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54335/25]

245. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Social Protection if consideration will be given to extending the back to school allowance to all children in state care (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54336/25]

246. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Social Protection whether a person with a private non-workplace pension can opt-out of the six-month auto enrolment pension. [54346/25]