Questions

1515. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of rent supplement, housing assistance payment and supplementary welfare allowance claims that were closed, suspended or disallowed, due to failure to provide proof of property ownership; and the number of such cases where this arose from landlord or letting-agent non-cooperation in each of the past five years, in tabular form; and if …

1516. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Social Protection if ministerial guidelines, circulars or internal instructions exist specifying acceptable forms of landlord verification for rent supplement and related supports; if so, to publish them; and to clarify whether alternative evidence from licensed property agents is permitted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [74082/25]

1517. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Social Protection if tenants are required by his Department to purchase land registry folios or title documents in order to retain eligibility for rent supplement or supplementary welfare allowance; and whether such costs are provided for in the governing legislation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [74083/25]

1518. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Social Protection if his Department has sought advice from the data protection commission regarding the practice of requesting tenants to submit third-party personal or financial data relating to landlords; and whether this practice has been assessed for compliance with data protection legislation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [74084/25]

1519. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Social Protection if he intends to review the Department’s procedures for verifying landlord ownership for rent supplement and related supports, with a view to ensuring that claimants are not adversely affected by matters outside their control; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [74085/25]

1520. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Social Protection if his Department limits documentation requests to information that tenants can reasonably be expected to obtain; whether alternative evidence from licensed property agents is accepted where appropriate; and whether claims may be maintained where non-compliance arises from landlord or agent refusal to cooperate; and if he will make a statement on…

1521. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Social Protection the Department’s procedures where income supports are suspended or terminated due to the non-provision of documentation by landlords or managing agents; and the safeguards in place to ensure proportionality and fairness for tenants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [74087/25]

1522. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Social Protection if additional administrative requirements introduced by his Department in relation to rent supplement and supplementary welfare allowance are supported by statutory authority; and the oversight mechanisms in place to ensure compliance with the legislative framework; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [74088/25]

1527. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Social Protection when a disability allowance application will be processed for a person (details supplied) in County Donegal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [74288/25]

1529. Deputy Aisling Dempsey asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will make the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance available, without means test, to foster carers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [74313/25]

1530. Deputy Aisling Dempsey asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will make the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance available, without means test, to kinship carers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [74314/25]

1531. Deputy Aisling Dempsey asked the Minister for Social Protection if the guardian’s payment will be abolished; and if foster carers allowance will be available to those in informal kinship care arrangements [74316/25]

1535. Deputy Eoin Hayes asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of applications for maternity benefit that were unsuccessful in each year from 2020, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [74474/25]

1536. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Social Protection when a person (details supplied) will receive a final decision in respect of their carers allowance application; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [74518/25]

1537. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Social Protection the waiting time for a final decision for an applicant to the carers allowance section after all requested documentation and relevant medical reports have been submitted by the applicant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [74519/25]

1538. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Social Protection the cost to fully restore the cuts made from 2010 to the DTSS and DTBS schemes and to the public dental service for children and people with additional needs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [74562/25]

1541. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will provide a cost estimate for extending the free travel pass to children in receipt of the domiciliary care allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [74642/25]

1542. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection if consideration will be given to automatically granting invalidity pension to those with a diagnosis of cancer for the duration of their treatment and the time they are unable to work as a result of their cancer, provided they meet the PRSI credits requirement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [74709/25]

1545. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Social Protection his views on the merits of eliminating the means test for the carer’s allowance; the research his Department has carried out into this proposal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [74849/25]

1547. Deputy Charles Ward asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of schools in Donegal that have applied for the school meals scheme for the 2025-2026 academic year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [74887/25]

1571. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection the current status of work to introduce a cost of disability payment; when he expects to move from research and design to implementation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1594/26]

1572. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection if his Department has undertaken an assessment of the cumulative impact of Budget 2026 measures on households where a person is in receipt of disability allowance, particularly those living alone; and if he will publish any such analysis. [1595/26]

1573. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection if consideration has been given to targeted transitional or seasonal supports for people with disabilities following the withdrawal of once-off cost-of-living payments provided in Budget 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1596/26]

1574. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection whether the adequacy of the fuel allowance for people with disabilities, particularly those with higher heating needs, has been reviewed in light of winter energy costs; and if additional targeted measures are under consideration. [1597/26]

1575. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will give consideration to the introduction of a targeted winter payment for people with disabilities to address additional disability-related costs during peak winter months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1598/26]