Parliamentary questions

722. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Social Protection the agencies and bodies under the aegis of his Department; the contact information of each available to members of the Oireachtas as per the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform Circular 25/2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7773/26]

723. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of local providers of the hot school meals per county, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7880/26]

724. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Social Protection whether his Department or any body under its remit has any contracts with an organisation (details supplied); or has contracted work from that organisation within the past two years. [7937/26]

725. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Social Protection whether his Department or any body under its remit has any contracts with an organisation (details supplied); or has contracted work from that organisation within the past two years. [7955/26]

726. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will urgently review the possibility of a supplementary winter payment for those with a disability given the continually high energy costs. [8020/26]

727. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Social Protection to carry out a full review of the partial capacity benefit claim of a person (details supplied). [8079/26]

728. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Minister for Social Protection to review correspondence from a person (details supplied) regarding pensions;; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8084/26]

729. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Social Protection whether compensation following an accident is taken into consideration during the income assessment for disability allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8122/26]

730. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Social Protection for an update on his plans to reform the disability allowance and remove anomalies in the means test; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8123/26]

731. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will include Grange Park, Rathfarnham, Dublin 14 in the emergency response payment following significant flooding in the area, resulting in significant damage to properties and household goods; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8127/26]

732. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Social Protection to include Dublin south-west in the emergency response payment following significant flooding in certain areas which has resulted in significant damage to properties and household goods; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8129/26]

733. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Social Protection the total number of sick days taken by staff in his Department for each of the years 2022 to 2025; the average days lost per employee for each year, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8161/26]

734. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason for a reduction in the adult dependent payment for a person (detail supplied).; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8183/26]

735. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason his Department is putting resources into reviewing existing carers allowance applications given the move towards abolishing the means test for this payment; if his attention has been drawn to the stress that carers experience when they receive letters which indicate that their means are being review and that they may h…

736. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide an update on plans to abolish the carers allowance means test; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8266/26]

737. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Social Protection the percentage of applications for State pension contributory in 2025 that were refused, in tabular form. [8297/26]

738. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Social Protection the way in which the public can opt in to the auto enrolment retirement savings system, My Future Fund which is operational since 1 January 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8335/26]

739. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Social Protection the point at which, and level at which his Secretary General and Deputy Secretary General is at in respect of the civil service pay scales; the duration for same; and the plans to revise current remuneration arrangements [8474/26]

740. Deputy Johnny Mythen asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will extend the closing date for stage 1 of the emergency response payment (formerly the humanitarian assistance scheme) to address hardship in the immediate aftermath of emergency events such as flooding, as it is due to close on 4 February 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8554/26]

741. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Social Protection if he is aware that despite paying PRSI at the appropriate rate, widows in receipt of the widow and bereaved partners pension are not eligible for illness benefit; if he has any intention of changing this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8558/26]

742. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection if he is aware that potential overpayments of the PUP are being recouped at present; if he is aware that estimates are being given to recipients; if he will consider providing more than 21 days for reply, with additional information given the length of time that has elapsed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8596/26…

743. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Social Protection if he is aware that some former political prisoners released under the Good Friday Agreement may just miss out on the State contributory pension due to the impact of their years of imprisonment on their ability to build up enough PRSI contributions; and if his Department will consider a resolution to this issue, in the spir…

314. Deputy Eoin Hayes asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide an update on his recent meeting with disabled persons' organisations and advocates for the introduction of a permanent cost of disability support payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7036/26]

315. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Social Protection if his Department collates data on the domestic violence pathway to rent supplement, introduced by the Department of Social Protection in 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7110/26]

316. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Social Protection if it is correct that self-directed pensions currently hold 12,000 residential rental properties (details supplied); whether he has considered the potential impact that restricting direct property investment within PRSAs will have on the Irish rental market; if he is concerned that the proposed change could result in the sale of …