Parliamentary questions

483. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Social Protection the steps he will take to address the amount of food waste and single-use disposable plastic packaging under the Hot School Meals programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13319/25]

484. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Social Protection if an application for carer’s allowance in the name of a person (details supplied) will be expedited and approved; if the correspondence from his Department to this Deputy will be reviewed given the person has not received any notification from his Department in recent times; and if an oral hearing will be arranged immediately gi…

485. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Social Protection when the bereavement grant to help defray funeral costs was discontinued; if there are plans to introduce a similar grant support in the coming period; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13390/25]

486. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will report on his visit to Atlanta and Savannah in the United States of America for St. Patrick's Day; the meetings he attended, the issues that were discussed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13399/25]

487. Deputy Eoin Ó Broin asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of active rent supplement claims at the end of 2024, and the total expenditure by her Department on rent supplement in 2024. [13422/25]

488. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Social Protection if he plans to bring forward proposals for a baby loss certificate, similar to the UK, for mothers and parents who lose a baby due to a miscarriage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13448/25]

489. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of applications received for stage 1, Stage 2, and Stage 3 of the humanitarian assistance scheme following storm Éowyn; the number approved and refused for each stage; and the percentage of refusals per stage, in tabular form. [13488/25]

490. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Social Protection the person that made the decision to refuse a high percentage of applications under stage 1 of the humanitarian assistance scheme following storm Éowyn; the specific criteria used to determine eligibility; and the rationale behind the widespread rejections. [13489/25]

491. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of applicants that requested a review after being denied assistance under stage 1 of the humanitarian assistance scheme following storm Éowyn; the number of reviews that resulted in a decision being overturned; and the criteria applied in the review process. [13490/25]

492. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of applications in the constituency Galway east received for stage 1, stage 2, and stage 3 of the humanitarian assistance scheme following storm Éowyn; the number approved and refused for each stage; and the percentage of refusals per stage, in tabular form. [13491/25]

493. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason a standardised rejection letter was issued to many applicants in the constituency Galway east under stage 1 of the humanitarian assistance scheme; whether each application was individually assessed before refusal; and the number of applicants in the constituency Galway east denied assistance. [13492/25]

494. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide a detailed breakdown of the reasons applications were refused under stage 1 of the humanitarian assistance scheme following storm Éowyn, including the number and percentage of refusals attributed to each reason, in tabular form. [13493/25]

495. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide a detailed breakdown of the reasons applications in the constituency Galway east were refused under stage 1 of the humanitarian assistance scheme following storm Éowyn, including the number and percentage of refusals attributed to each reason, in tabular form. [13494/25]

496. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Social Protection the criteria used to determine the cut-off date for stage 1 applications under the humanitarian assistance scheme following storm Éowyn; to provide the rationale for setting 19 February 2025 as the deadline, given that hardship can extend beyond the immediate aftermath of a storm; to confirm where this cut-off date was advertised; a…

497. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Social Protection the way his Department determines which costs are reasonably expected to be covered by insurance policies under stages 1, 2, and 3 of the humanitarian assistance scheme; and if r his Department will review cases where applicants were denied assistance due to insurance expectations but were unable to claim from their insurers. [13496…

498. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Social Protection if the eligibility criteria for humanitarian assistance scheme stage 1, 2, or 3 have changed since the scheme was initially introduced following storm Éowyn; if so, the specific changes, including when each change was made; and the timeline of all adjustments to the scheme’s eligibility criteria with the reasoning behind each change…

499. Deputy Micheál Carrigy asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will reconsider the reinstatement of the community welfare officer service in Ballymahon, County Longford, given the significant aging population in the area and the lack of accessibility for residents who now struggle to engage with the service remotely; if he will consider providing an in-person service at the local dispe…

500. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Social Protection the average processing time per application under stages one, two and three of the humanitarian assistance scheme following storm Éowyn; the average time from approval to payment being issued; and average time to process an application, in tabular form. [13515/25]

501. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of applications received for stages one, two and three of the humanitarian assistance scheme following storm Éowyn; the number approved and refused for each stage; and the percentage of refusals per stage, in tabular form. [13516/25]

502. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Social Protection the person or body who made the decision to refuse a high percentage of applications under stage one of the humanitarian assistance scheme following storm Éowyn; the criteria used to determine eligibility; and the reason behind the widespread rejections. [13517/25]

503. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of applicants that requested a review after being denied assistance under stage one of the humanitarian assistance scheme following storm Éowyn; the number of these reviews that resulted in a decision being overturned; and the criteria applied in the review process. [13518/25]

504. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide details of the reasons applications were refused under stage one of the humanitarian assistance scheme following storm Éowyn; the number and percentage of refusals attributed to each reason, in tabular form. [13521/25]

505. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide details of the reasons applications in Galway east were refused under stage one of the humanitarian assistance scheme following storm Éowyn; the number and percentage of refusals attributed to each reason, in tabular form. [13522/25]

506. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Social Protection the criteria used to determine the cutoff date for stage one applications under the humanitarian assistance scheme following storm Éowyn; the reasoning for setting 19 February 2025 as the deadline; to confirm where this cutoff date was advertised; and when and the way applicants were informed of this deadline. [13523/25]

507. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Social Protection the way in which costs are determined "reasonably expected to be covered by insurance policies" under stages one, two and three of the humanitarian assistance scheme; if he will review cases where applicants were denied assistance due to insurance expectations but were unable to claim from their insurers. [13524/25]