Parliamentary questions

1563. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Social Protection his plans to provide a dedicated telephone number or email address for a section (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1170/26]

1564. Deputy Brian Brennan asked the Minister for Social Protection the current status of the carers allowance review for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1183/26]

1565. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will review the case of a person (details supplied); if the decision can be expedited given the person’s financial difficulties; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1311/26]

1566. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will review the carer’s benefit payment structure in cases where a full-time carer is providing intensive care to two dependants with equal and significant needs, given that such carers receive only one-and-a-half times the rate despite carrying out full-time care for both; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1382…

1567. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will review the rules governing carer’s allowance and carer’s benefit in cases where a full-time carer is providing care to three dependants, given that the current system provides no additional payment for the third person despite the significant extra workload involved; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1383/2…

1568. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Social Protection if support can be provided to a school (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1524/26]

1569. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will review the State pension (contributory) eligibility rules as they apply to former members of religious orders (details supplied); if he will consider the introduction of credited contributions, reckonable service, or other measures to recognise such service for contributory pension purposes; if he acknowledg…

1570. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Social Protection the exact criteria applicable to an under 66 fuel allowance application; the current means test limit for such an application, and if this has been recently increased. [1572/26]

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]

1576. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection the mechanisms in place to monitor the risk of poverty and social exclusion among people with disabilities following Budget 2026; and the way in which these align with Ireland's obligations under the UN Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities. [1599/26]

1577. Deputy Ciarán Ahern asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will bring forward legislation to amend section 108 entitlement to pension of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 to allow contributions made during the year in which pensionable age is reached be considered in pension entitlement calculations on a pro-rata basis in order that those born later in a given year are not pr…

1578. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Social Protection his views on whether the information campaigns carried out to date in relation to the auto enrolment pension scheme have been sufficient to ensure widespread knowledge of this scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1774/26]

1579. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding any further campaigns to ensure that there is sufficient knowledge and awareness of the auto enrolment pension scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1775/26]

1580. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding the feedback his Department has received to date from businesses that are partaking in the auto enrolment pension scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1776/26]

1581. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding the feedback his Department has received to date from employees that are partaking in the auto enrolment pension scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1777/26]

1582. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Social Protection the date on which a supplementary estimate or supplementary estimates was sought in respect of his Department’s Vote for each of the past ten years, and to the date in 2026; the gross and net amount involved in each case; and the Vote subheads to which each supplementary estimate related. [1802/26]

1583. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Social Protection the value of expenditure originally allocated in the Estimates to specific programmes or staffing measures that could not be spent as planned within the year for each of the past five years; and whether such underspends were surrendered, carried forward or reallocated to other areas within the Vote. [1825/26]

1584. Deputy Brian Brennan asked the Minister for Social Protection if assistance can be offered to a person (details supplied) with processing a working family payment claim; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1835/26]

1585. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Social Protection the steps his Department is taking to design and deliver a targeted social welfare payment for families experiencing consistent poverty; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1906/26]

1586. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide an update on work underway to reduce child poverty, including progress against the Government's target to reduce consistent child poverty to 3%; to list the specific measures within Vote 37 that are being prioritised to support low-income families; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1907/26]

1587. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Social Protection whether his Department collects data on the uptake of paternity and parent's leave by fathers and other parents, including the latest figures available on the percentage of eligible fathers availing of these entitlements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1908/26]