Parliamentary questions

334. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will provide a copy of the most recent SWITCH model runs used to cost fuel allowance threshold adjustments; and to provide details of the assumptions used regarding recipient elasticity and income distribution. [23368/26]

335. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection the first and full year cost of extending the fuel allowance by a further 13 weeks; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23369/26]

336. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection the first and full year cost of increasing the maximum rate of the fuel allowance by €10, €15 and €20; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23370/26]

337. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of households in receipt of the working family payment as of March 2026; the average weekly payment; the total annual expenditure on the scheme in 2025 and the projected expenditure for 2026, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23378/26]

338. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated annual cost of increasing the minimum weekly working family payment from €20 to €30, to €40, and to €50; the estimated number of households that would benefit from each increase, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23379/26]

339. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated number of additional households that would become eligible for the working family payment if the gross weekly income thresholds were increased by 10%, by 20%, and by 30%; the estimated cost of doing so, by family size, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23380/26]

340. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of working family payment recipients who are also in receipt of fuel allowance following the March 2026 extension; the estimated cost of extending the fuel allowance threshold relaxation to all working family payment recipients at the current fuel allowance rate of €38, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement …

341. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of working family payment recipients by county; the number of recipients by family size (one child, two children, three or more children), in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23383/26]

342. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection if his Department will provide the SWITCH model outputs used to cost any working family payment expansion options considered during Budget 2026, including threshold increases and rate increases considered but not implemented, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23384/26]

343. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection when a decision will be made in relation to a carer's allowance application (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23469/26]

167. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will consider the appeal for an emergency winter payment for people with disabilities raised in correspondence (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22965/26]

168. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Social Protection the current employment rate for persons with a disability in Ireland compared to the national average; the progress made towards the target of 6% public service employment; and if he will provide a breakdown of the number of people currently supported by the Reasonable Accommodation Fund and the wage subsidy scheme, by county in each …

169. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Social Protection the steps being taken to reform the Reasonable Accommodation Fund to make it more accessible for private-sector employers; the number of applications refused for this fund in 2025 and 2026; and the measures being taken to ensure that individuals transitioning into employment do not lose essential supports such as the medical card or d…

170. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding an application renewal (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22623/26]

171. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Social Protection to consider introducing a payment (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22656/26]

172. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of applications for supplementary welfare allowance, including additional needs payments and exceptional needs payments, received in each of the counties of Westmeath and Longford in each of the past 24-months; the number of those applications approved and refused; the breakdown of the purpose for which each application w…

173. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of applications for supplementary welfare allowance, including additional needs payments and exceptional needs payments, received per county, in each of the past 24-months; the number of those applications approved and refused; and a breakdown of the purpose for which each application was made, in tabular form; and if he …

174. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the real-time verification mechanisms in place to ensure that recipients of social welfare payments, including child benefit and disability allowance, continue to meet residency requirements within the State; whether these systems include routine cross-checking with immigration, Revenue, and airline or travel data; and if he will out…

175. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the total value of welfare overpayments made to persons not resident in the State in each of the past five years, broken down by scheme; the number of individuals involved annually; and the extent to which these figures represent identified fraud, administrative error, or delayed notification of departure. [22754/26]

176. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the annual recovery rate of overpayments made to persons absent from the State; the average duration required to recover such funds; whether penalties, interest, or legal enforcement mechanisms are applied; and if he will outline measures to improve recovery performance. [22755/26]

177. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the safeguards in place to ensure that child benefit payments are made only where eligibility conditions, including habitual residence, are satisfied; the number of child benefit claims identified as incorrectly paid to non-resident recipients in each of the past three years; and whether additional verification requirements are being…

178. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of internal audits or compliance reviews conducted by the Department relating to payments issued to persons outside the State since 2022;the findings of these audits; and whether any systemic control failures were identified and addressed. [22757/26]

179. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether any legislative or regulatory gaps have been identified which allow welfare payments to continue after a recipient has left the State; and if he will outline any proposed legislative amendments to strengthen eligibility enforcement and prevent recurrence. [22758/26]

180. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Social Protection further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 194 of 11 June 2025, 179 of 19 November 2025 and 1543 of 13 January 2026, if the review of means testing in the social protection system has now been completed; when the review commenced and the expected completion date; whether the review has specifically examined the weekly means limit of €10…

181. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Social Protection if his Department has undertaken any analysis or costings in respect of increasing the weekly means limit of €100 for the increase for a qualified adult for recipients of the State pension; if so, the estimated full-year cost of increasing the limit to €120, €150 and €200 respectively; and if he will make a statement on the matter. […