Parliamentary questions

5. Deputy Catherine Ardagh asked the Minister for Social Protection his Department’s initiatives to assist persons with disabilities in accessing and sustaining employment, including any specific supports or schemes currently in place, plans for future measures to promote workforce participation, and the timeframe for implementation of these initiatives; and if he will make a statement on the matt…

6. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection to explore the possibility of reducing the minimum hours of the wage subsidy scheme from 15 hours to ten hours (details supplied). [1439/26]

7. Deputy Catherine Callaghan asked the Minister for Social Protection the steps being taken to ensure that parents who are aged 66 years and above and caring for children with lifelong disabilities retain the rate at which they are paid their carer’s allowance and concurrently receive the State pension; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2827/26]

8. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection if he has given consideration to additional cost-of-living measures, given the increased rates of poverty after housing costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2838/26]

9. Deputy James O'Connor asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of employees in County Cork registered with My Future Fund; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2683/26]

10. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Social Protection the details of the maximum rent supplement payment; and whether he will review these maximum limits. [2903/26]

11. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection when he will introduce a permanent cost-of-disability payment as promised in the programme for Government. [2794/26]

12. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Social Protection the measures being taken in his Department in 2026 to support people with disabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2886/26]

13. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will introduce an emergency winter payment for disabled people to compensate them for the cuts imposed on them in the Budget; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2795/26]

14. Deputy Edward Timmins asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will review and change the current penal and outdated means test calculation on land or savings on, for example, the old age pension (non-contributory); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2894/26]

15. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Social Protection the measures he is taking to address the growing gap between social welfare payment rates and the actual cost-of-living, particularly in relation to food, energy, housing, childcare and transport; if he accepts that once-off lump sum payments have failed to provide ongoing protection for low-income households; the plans to introduce …

16. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will examine the current situation where self-employed workers have no access to sick pay, illness benefit, leaving them in a vulnerable position despite paying PRSI; if he will extend this support; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2688/26]

17. Deputy Aisling Dempsey asked the Minister for Social Protection for an overview of measures being taken in his Department in 2026 to support people with disabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2685/26]

18. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will amend the current weekly means limit for the increase for qualified adult allowance for recipients of the State pension and to increase the current means limit of €100 which has been in place since 2007; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1244/26]

19. Deputy Edward Timmins asked the Minister for Social Protection the actions being taken to increase the low labour participation rate of 32% for persons with disabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2895/26]

20. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of new applicants aged 66 years and over who have been approved for the fuel allowance under the revised means thresholds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2789/26]

21. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection if he has given consideration to a cost of disability payment given the increasing vulnerability of households with one or more disabled members to poverty; his plans to ameliorate this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2837/26]

22. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Social Protection for the data his Department holds relating to any youth unemployment increases in certain sectors due to the rollout of AI; the sectors that have been identified as high risk; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2889/26]

23. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding the percentage of primary schools in the Dún Laoghaire constituency that are currently participating in the hot school meals programme or have started the process of providing this service in the school; the actions being taken to further expand this to all remaining primary schools in the area; and if he will ma…

24. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Social Protection the rules and regulations governing the approval of rent supplement payments; and his plans to increase the payment. [2902/26]

25. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of individuals in Cork per Intreo area currently in receipt of jobseeker’s allowance and jobseeker’s benefit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1241/26]

26. Deputy Eoin Hayes asked the Minister for Social Protection the plans in place in his Department to change the public services card provision, given data protection concerns of various stakeholders. [2753/26]

27. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of carers he expects to benefit from the means test changes announced in Budget 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2589/26]

28. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Social Protection his plans to introduce a cost of disability payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2520/26]

29. Deputy Tom Brabazon asked the Minister for Social Protection for an update on the progress being made in reviewing means testing across the social welfare system as outlined in the Programme for Government. [2882/26]