Parliamentary questions

1432. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will outline the nature and extent of engagement his Department has had with other Government agencies and departments in relation to the problems faced by workers, who live in the North and who work for southern-based companies, who wish to work from home; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47452/25]

1433. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will provide an update on the work and access scheme; the number that are using it; his plans to increase this number and improve the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47453/25]

1434. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will provide an update on the wage subsidy scheme; the number that are using it; his plans to increase this number and improve the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47454/25]

1435. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Social Protection if he has plans for his Department and Intreo staff to engage with employers and those with disabilities to facilitate a larger cohort of those with disabilities into employment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47455/25]

1436. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Social Protection if he plans to improve processing times for those who do not have year-long contracts and must avail of social protection payments during holiday periods; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47456/25]

1437. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Social Protection his plans to reduce and remove the means test for carers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47457/25]

1438. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of carers allowance applications received in Dublin Bay North in 2023 and 2024, and the number approved, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47478/25]

1439. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Social Protection the average processing time for domiciliary care allowance applications in 2023 and 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47479/25]

1440. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of disability allowance recipients in Dublin Bay North in 2023 and to date in 2025, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47480/25]

1441. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of households in Dublin Bay North in receipt of the fuel allowance in 2023 and 2024, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47481/25]

1442. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full-year cost of bringing all disability-related payments to €350 per week; and to provide details of this calculation, in tabular form. [47487/25]

1443. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full-year cost of removing the means test for the disability allowance, blind pensions and invalidity pension. [47495/25]

1444. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full-year cost of removing the means test for all disability-related payments and bringing them up to at least €350 per week (details supplied). [47496/25]

1742. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide an update on the work being done to resolve the problem of bogus self-employment in the building sector; if he will provide an assessment of the way in which the building sector is being impacted and the way it is intended to resolve this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43435/25]

1743. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide an update on progress in respect of fulfilling the Government’s commitment to Sustainable Development Goal 2 (ending food poverty by 2030). [43586/25]

1744. Deputy Rory Hearne asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide an update on plans to reduce wealth and income disparity and inequality in Ireland; and to provide a progress report in the context of the Government’s overall commitments to Sustainable Development Goal 10, specifically the commitment to reduce inequality within countries. [43587/25]

1745. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of primary and post primary DEIS schools that currently do not offer a breakfast club, and to provide the estimated cost of providing breakfast club in these schools regardless of whether the request to offer the service. [44210/25]

1746. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated average cost of a DEIS primary and secondary school offering a breakfast club respectively, in tabular form. [44211/25]

1747. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason a social enterprise seeking to support survivors of SGBV would not be eligible for BTWEA/STEA; if he has plans to review the eligibility; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44355/25]

1748. Deputy George Lawlor asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will examine the case of refusal of carer's support grant for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40736/25]

1749. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of people receiving full or half rate carer's allowance that have had a review of their claim twice in eight months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40812/25]

1750. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Social Protection the total spend by his Department on external legal services in each of the past three years; the main areas of legal activity for which external advice was sought; if she will provide a breakdown by case or category; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40842/25]

1751. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Social Protection the total spend by his Department on external legal services in each of the past three years; the main areas of legal activity for which external advice was sought; if he will provide a breakdown by case or category; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40857/25]

1752. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Social Protection the amount spent on legal fees associated with litigation, advice and settlements in each of the past three years by his Department and agencies under its aegis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40887/25]

1753. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of an appeal by a person (details supplied) regarding partial capacity benefit; that serious consideration would be given to allowing this appeal; when a decision on this application is likely to issue, given that it has been lodged for some time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40962/25]