267. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Social Protection in relation to the income thresholds for carers allowance; if will he consider introducing a model similar to the Disability Tax Credit approach, where disability-related costs are acknowledged as reducing disposable income, thereby adjusting eligibility thresholds accordingly; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56299/25]
Parliamentary questions
Questions
TDs ask ministers questions to get answers on the record, most of them in writing. Here is every one asked in the 34th Dáil, by the department it went to and the subject heading it was filed under. How questions work
Browse the questions
5,830 questions match, newest first.
268. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding any research or consideration given into the payment of a universal or partially universal carer support payment to replace or supplement the means-tested system, ensuring equity across income brackets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56300/25]
269. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Social Protection the engagement that he has had with advocacy groups (details supplied) regarding the practical impact of the income disregard limits and proposed reforms, in relation to the income thresholds for carers allowance, the feedback he received, the way in which it is being incorporated into policy development; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5…
270. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection his views on the ESRI’s assessment that measures in Budget 2026 will reduce average household disposable income by about 2% next year, with proportionally higher losses for low-income households due to the withdrawal of once-off supports; the targeted measures he will take before January 2026 to mitigate projected increases in income poverty; and to pub…
271. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection when a decision will be made on an application for the fuel allowance by a person (details supplied), who is in receipt of a widow's pension; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56419/25]
272. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will clarify the policy whereby compensation awards received by individuals following serious accidents are taken into account in the means assessment for disability allowance and related supports; and if she will review this practice, given that such awards are intended to compensate for loss, injury, and future care needs rather than to const…
273. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection his views on whether it is unfair and inappropriate for compensation awards arising from personal injury or trauma to be treated as means for the purpose of determining eligibility for disability-related benefits; and the steps being taken to ensure that such awards are disregarded in means testing where they are intended to improve the quality of li…
274. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will undertake a review of the current means testing arrangements for disability allowance to ensure that compensation or court awards arising from serious injury are not unfairly counted as income; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56439/25]
275. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Social Protection the EU funding opportunities that will be open for application for schemes under his Department and at agencies under his aegis in the next six months and in the next 12 months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56457/25]
276. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of applicants for disability allowance appeals; and the number rejected over the past three years, in tabular form. [56466/25]
211. Deputy Catherine Ardagh asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of families in each county currently receiving the working family payment that will qualify for the fuel allowance following Budget 2026, in tabular form. [55621/25]
212. Deputy Catherine Ardagh asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of families and of children, in each county that will benefit from the back-to school clothing and footwear allowance extended to two-and three-year-olds following Budget 2026, in tabular form. [55622/25]
213. Deputy Catherine Ardagh asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of families in each county that will benefit from working family payment income thresholds increasing by €60 per week following Budget 2026, in tabular form. [55623/25]
214. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated additional number of recipients that will qualify for the carer's allowance after the income disregards increase in July 2026. [55669/25]
215. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated first year cost of Budget 2026 measures to increase the income disregards for carer's allowance which was provided on page 146 of the Expenditure Report 2025; when the Budget 2026 measure to increase the income disregards was announced. [55670/25]
216. Deputy Ann Graves asked the Minister for Social Protection in view of the fact that the domiciliary care allowance for a child with type 1 diabetes stops when the child is 16 years old, and not when the child finishes full time education, but the same support is required until the child is out of full time education, if he will consider changing the criteria to reflect this; and if he will make a statement on th…
217. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the procurement and certification standards applied to meat and poultry products supplied under the free school meals and school lunch schemes; if halal-certified meat is being used as a default standard by State-contracted caterers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55681/25]
218. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether her Department requires lunch providers participating in the free school meals programme to inform schools and parents if meat products are halal-certified; and if she will consider introducing mandatory labelling or disclosure rules to ensure transparency and parental awareness. [55682/25]
219. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection if her Department has undertaken any assessment of whether the use of halal-certified meat in school meals is compatible with the principles of religious neutrality in State-funded education [55683/25]
220. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide a list of approved school meal contractors currently supplying halal-certified meat or poultry products under Department-funded school lunch schemes. [55684/25]
221. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether schools or parents are given any option to request non-halal meat or vegetarian alternatives within the free school meals programme; and if not, the reasons. [55685/25]
222. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Social Protection if his Department is using agentic AI in the delivery of its services or operations; if it is considering the use of agentic AI, and in what contexts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55705/25]
223. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason the expenditure allocation for disability activation supports will decline in 2026 to €25.99 million from €26.545 million in this year according the estimates published for Budget 2026; the programmes under subhead A.29 his Department expects to make savings; to confirm the number of people that will be supported under each programme and the pr…
224. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Social Protection the rationale for a cut of over €22 million in the 2026 allocation for additional needs payments under estimate subhead A.10, with the allocation reduced to €58.134 million in 2026, from €80.671 million this year; the number of payments and the number of recipients the 2025 and 2026 allocations will support respectively; if he will confirm if the value of…
225. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of recipients for basic supplementary welfare allowance payments are projected for 2025 and 2026, respectively; the reason for the reduction in allocation underestimate subhead A8 from nearly €137 million to €118.6 million; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55735/25]