Parliamentary questions

69. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will provide an update on abolishing the means test for the carer’s allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15568/26]

70. Deputy Micheál Carrigy asked the Minister for Social Protection for a full breakdown of charges that pension providers are charging; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10855/26]

71. Deputy Shónagh Ní Raghallaigh asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will consider a pilot project to develop a model for community-driven provision within the Hot School Meals Programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15362/26]

72. Deputy Shay Brennan asked the Minister for Social Protection for an update on the MyFutureFund; the number who have been enrolled to date in Dublin; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14951/26]

73. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection if he would consider tabulating his annual child poverty target with the material deprivation rate together with the rate at risk of poverty (after housing costs) as opposed to the current formula which incorporates the former with the at risk of poverty rate (before housing costs); if he is aware that the current child poverty ta…

74. Deputy Noel McCarthy asked the Minister for Social Protection the plans to further reduce the minimum hours worked requirement for the wage subsidy scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15526/26]

75. Deputy Shay Brennan asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of carers in Dublin who will benefit from the changes to the means test criteria announced in Budget 2026; his plans for further changes in Budget 2027; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14952/26]

76. Deputy Catherine Callaghan asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of people in receipt of unemployment benefits who have faced a reduction in their payments due to non-participation in required training, work experience, or attendance at Department of Social Protection meetings in the years 2020 to 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15520/26]

77. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Social Protection regarding access to community welfare officers and offices, the average waiting time for appointments; if there is a shortage of office locations; and whether opening times are an issue for those who need to access community welfare services. [15633/26]

78. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Social Protection the new action his Department is taking to reduce high levels of youth unemployment in the economy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15653/26]

79. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Social Protection when the review of means testing for qualifying allowances in the social protection system will be completed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14635/26]

80. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Social Protection his plans to provide increased flexibility to local community employment, TÚS, and rural social schemes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15019/26]

81. Deputy Eoin Hayes asked the Minister for Social Protection the entitlements widows and bereaved partners have from his Department; if he has any plans to revisit their entitlements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15585/26]

82. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection if he has given consideration to a tailored accessible weekly welfare payment for victims and survivors of rape, domestic, sexual and gender-based violence; if he is aware of the barriers and limitations of the disability allowance, jobseekers and illness benefit as alternatives, placing undue burdens, means-tests, contribution re…

83. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection if he has engaged with the Minister for Public Expenditure; Infrastructure; Public Service Reform and Digitalisation regarding the fiscal implications of introducing a cost of disability payment; and if provision is being considered within future Estimates. [1616/26]

84. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Social Protection the timeline for the abolition of the carer's means test. [14268/26]

85. Deputy Naoise Ó Muirí asked the Minister for Social Protection the way in which his Department will engage with stakeholders in the formation of a cost of disability payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15603/26]

86. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding supports for small businesses in relation to the auto-enrolment pension scheme; if he is conscious of the administrative and financial burden put on these businesses by this scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13793/26]

87. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will urgently introduce an emergency €400 disability payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15629/26]

88. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection for clarity on the duties of landlords to tenants as regards payments made under the second HAS designation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15412/26]

89. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection if consideration has been given to introducing a pay-related maternity benefit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15525/26]

407. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will review a jobseekers benefit payment for a person (details supplied). [15729/26]

408. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Social Protection if his Department is considering a policy change to bring Ireland in line with the rest of Europe by granting maternity and paternity benefit at 100%, or a high percentage of salary for all, or a portion of a person's entitlement to the corresponding leave; if there are policy learnings from the recent implementation of the jobseeker…

409. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of clients classified as beneficiaries of temporary protection who were referred to the National Employment Service and Local Area Employment Services in each of the years 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and to date in 2026; the number of such clients who secured employment; the number who sustained employment for at least 6 months…

410. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the total actual expenditure incurred in respect of all clients referred to the National Employment Service and Local Area Employment Services in each of the years 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and to date in 2026; and the proportion of that expenditure attributable to beneficiaries of temporary protection in each year [15834/26]