Parliamentary questions

755. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Social Protection if his attention has been drawn to workers who temporarily leave the workforce due to unemployment, caring responsibilities, illness, or other life circumstances, and cannot access the PRSI treatment benefit scheme when they return to work, which can leave working people with many years of PRSI contributions losing access to supp…

756. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will provide an update on the Programme for Governments commitment to reform the disability allowance payment and remove anomalies in the current means test; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39577/26]

757. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will review the means testing arrangements attached to disability allowance, particularly the assessment of a partner's income; whether consideration is being given to reforming the current system in light of concerns regarding financial autonomy, equality, independent living and the risk of financial dependency for disabled p…

758. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Social Protection the work he is doing to reform the disability allowance means test including whether a partner's income should form part of this means test; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39752/26]

759. Deputy Shay Brennan asked the Minister for Social Protection if an otherwise valid ARP claim may be refused solely because his Department's internal “one-application-at-a-time” restriction prevented an applicant from submitting an ARP application that was attempted on 1 March 2026, in respect of a hosting arrangement that commenced on that same date which was prior to the legislative change t…

760. Deputy Shay Brennan asked the Minister for Social Protection if his Department is entitled, in such circumstances, to treat the later date of receipt (arising only because the system blocked the earlier submission attempt) as the legally relevant date for determining eligibility under the amended ARP rules. [39874/26]

761. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Social Protection to examine an application for disability allowance submitted to his Department by a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39921/26]

762. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Social Protection to clarify the rules around eligibility for fuel allowance while on long-term SWA; if an individual is eligible for fuel allowance if they are waiting for a decision on another payment whose application has been ongoing for two years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39948/26]

763. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will consider increasing the mandatory retirement age for firefighters from 62 years-of-age to the State pension age of 66; if any review of the current retirement age arrangements has been undertaken or is planned; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40009/26]

764. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Social Protection the protections that are in place in respect of investments made by the three companies selected by the national automatic enrolment retirement savings authority to manage future funds; if the State guarantees are applicable to investments; and the degree to which he and or the authority can protect persons investments in the cont…

765. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Social Protection the costs to date in establishing My Future Funds; and the cost of engaging three companies to manage investments [40023/26]

766. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Social Protection to review the homemakers scheme and grant those in the scheme, who are on a reduced contributory pension, the full rate of the contributory pension; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40117/26]

767. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of people in receipt of the living alone increase per year from 2020 to date in 2026, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40163/26]

768. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of people in receipt of the telephone support allowance per year from 2020 to date in 2026, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40165/26]

769. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of people in receipt of the fuel allowance per year from 2020 to date in 2026, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40167/26]

770. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of people in receipt of the household benefits package per year from 2020 to date in 2026, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40169/26]

771. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Social Protection if a full review of the pension entitlement of a person (details supplied) could be carried out [40172/26]

772. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Social Protection for an update in relation to an appeal (details supplied). [40210/26]

773. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will review the correspondence (details supplied); whether a dependent child aged 21 and in full-time third-level education can be included as a qualified child on a jobseeker's allowance claim; whether the person concerned is entitled to claim jobseeker's allowance in their own right during the summer months [40299/26]

271. Deputy George Lawlor asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will arrange to have the entitlement of a person (details supplied) to the State pension (contributory) re-examined in the light of a recent decision of the scope section of his Department to re-classify their previous social welfare contributions and seek additional PRSI payments from the person; his views on whether the out…

272. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Social Protection the step-by-step process required for employees to obtain trustee signatures on pension claim forms. [38507/26]

273. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Social Protection whether all pension schemes require trustee sign-off, or if there are exemptions. [38508/26]

274. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Social Protection the typical delays encountered by employees in securing trustee signatures and submitting completed forms. [38509/26]

275. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Social Protection whether his Department has assessed the impact of this requirement for trustee signatures on processing times for pension claims. [38510/26]

276. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will introduce measures, including digital authorisation or simplified procedures, to expedite the process required for employees to obtain trustee signatures on pension claim forms and reduce administrative burdens on employees. [38511/26]