Parliamentary questions

176. Deputy Catherine Callaghan asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will provide a breakdown, by county, of the number of persons who have qualified for the new pay-related benefit since it was introduced; if he will confirm the average payment rate under the scheme to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32946/25]

177. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Social Protection the initiatives he is taking to support kinship carers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33042/25]

178. Deputy Tony McCormack asked the Minister for Social Protection for an update on the introduction of the automatic enrolment retirement savings system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32980/25]

179. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Social Protection when he expects to bring forward proposals on a new child poverty target; if he will outline his views on the measures which will be most impactful in reducing child poverty; if he has considered the introduction of a targeted child benefit payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32705/25]

180. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection if he is aware of the fact that when custody is split between two separated or divorced co-parents there is no mechanism by which both co-parents may each receive half of the children’s allowance; the children’s allowance instead, when there is a mother and father co-parenting, goes to the mother regardless of circumstances; if h…

181. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of people who have availed of parents benefit in each of the years 2022, 2023, 2024 and to date in 2025, in tabular form; the number of mothers and the number of fathers who have availed of parent's benefit in each of these years; his views on whether further steps can be taken to encourage greater uptake of parent's bene…

182. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Social Protection regarding the self-employed who are on an S contribution for access to illness benefit, if he will implement a similar scheme as the scheme in place for job seekers benefit for self-employed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32973/25]

183. Deputy Edward Timmins asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will review and change the current very penal means test calculation on land or savings on, for example, the non-contributory old age pension; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32897/25]

184. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Social Protection to extend the winter fuel allowance to people with physical disabilities to a year round free fuel allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32780/25]

185. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Social Protection if consideration will be given to entitling persons on a widow’s pension working in schools to be able to claim job seeker's benefit when not being paid when off; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33210/25]

328. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will initiate a review of his Departments processes for assessing the entitlement to the domiciliary care allowance, given the fact that nearly a third of rejected applications are overturned on appeal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33118/25]

329. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Social Protection if there are plans to abolish the means test criteria for carers, who provide an invaluable service to their cared on behalf of the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26363/25]

330. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Social Protection his plans to provide for more flexibility around the TÚS scheme to allow those under 20 years and unemployed to participate, to reduce the qualifying period for those aged 20-25 to six months, to reduce the mandatory minimum period of time between TÚS placements to two years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [263…

331. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Social Protection to outline her engagements regarding the hot school meals programme. [31315/25]

332. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will consider streamlining jobseeker's benefit claims during holidays for school bus escorts and other seasonal education workers to ensure timely payments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33237/25]

333. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Social Protection when a person (details supplied) will receive a decision on an application for disablement benefit made in October 2023; if he will outline the reason the decision has taken so long and engage with Tusla on the matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33339/25]

334. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason for the failure to make progress towards the Roadmap for Social Inclusion target of reducing consistent poverty from 5% to 2% or less by 2025, given that the most recent EU-SILC data shows the rate remains at 5% showing no net reduction; the analysis his Department has undertaken of the reasons for this stagnation;…

335. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Social Protection the way in which feedback and recommendations from the Social Inclusion Forum are integrated into the development and implementation of national anti-poverty policy; his views on the Forum’s role in informing future iterations of the Roadmap for Social Inclusion; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33358/25]

336. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Social Protection for an update on progress toward the Roadmap for Social Inclusion targets specifically relating to child poverty and jobless households; the data sources used to track these targets; his views on the challenges and interventions identified to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33359/25]

337. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Social Protection for an update on progress toward the Roadmap for Social Inclusion targets specifically relating to poverty amongst older persons; the data sources used to track these targets; his views on the challenges and interventions identified to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33360/25]

338. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Social Protection the mechanisms that exist across Government to ensure interdepartmental coordination in delivering the Roadmap for Social Inclusion; the way in which his Department monitors implementation across sectors; his views on the effectiveness of these oversight arrangements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33361/25]

339. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Social Protection to expedite a carer’s support grant application (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33371/25]

340. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection the mechanisms available by which a person (details supplied) can increase the rate of their State pension; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33421/25]

341. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection to confirm the status of an invalidity pension application for a person (details supplied); when a decision is likely to be reached; that serious consideration would be granted to awarding this allowance due to the nature of their medical circumstances, which are outlined in the medical documentation provided with their application; a…

342. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection to confirm the status of a person’s (details supplied) disability allowance review and appeal; when a decision is likely to be reached and that serious consideration would be granted to awarding this allowance due to their medical circumstances, which are outlined in the medical documentation provided with their application; and if he…