Parliamentary questions

704. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will consider increasing the means test threshold for the disability allowance in line with the changes made to carer's allowance in Budget 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62992/25]

705. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will review the age cut-off of seven for the one-parent family payment, in light of the continued care and financial needs of one-parent households; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62993/25]

706. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Social Protection if jobseekers benefit payments for the month of August will be awarded to a substitute teacher (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63015/25]

707. Deputy George Lawlor asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of vacancies which arose at principal officer level for the years 2022, 2023, 2024 and to date in 2025 in his Department and agencies under the aegis of his Department; the number of these vacancies filled between internal and external methods; the number of vacancies each year at principal officer level filled by mobili…

708. Deputy Joanna Byrne asked the Minister for Social Protection the schools across County Louth that operated a breakfast club for the academic school year 2024-2025 ; and the number of children in each school who received meals through each breakfast club, in tabular form. [63041/25]

709. Deputy Joanna Byrne asked the Minister for Social Protection the schools who operated school meals scheme across County Louth for the academic school year 2024-2025; and the number of children in each school who received meals through the scheme, in tabular form. [63042/25]

710. Deputy Joanna Byrne asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of schools in County Louth that have applied for the school meals scheme to date in the current academic school year 2025-2026. [63043/25]

711. Deputy Joanna Byrne asked the Minister for Social Protection if his Department intends to contact schools that do not apply for the extended school meals scheme in the current academic school year to determine the reasons they have not applied. [63044/25]

712. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Social Protection if he is aware that while the Government has spoken about sustainable increases and restraint, the reality is that disabled persons are facing a real and substantial loss of income compared with 2025 (details supplied); if he will commit to introducing an emergency winter payment to offset the extra cost of disability, and b…

713. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Social Protection if it is consistent with national policy to cut off disability allowance payments to persons on the basis of their partners' income, given this has the result of creating a state of poverty for the household (details supplied). [63197/25]

714. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Social Protection whether State and employer contributions towards the My Future Fund pension savings scheme will be reckonable as income for the purposes of determining eligibility for any other public services or schemes. [63244/25]

715. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Social Protection his views that it is appropriate that officials in his Department infer lack of qualifying disability from blank sections of disability allowance paperwork; and if he has satisfied himself that the systems in place to determine eligibility for the allowance are sufficiently accommodating of transient and conditional manifest…

716. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Social Protection if his Department has prepared guidance for charities and non-profit organisations that are concerned their required contributions to autoenrollment pensions for their staff will place a financial burden that will lead to a reduction of services and staff layoffs; if specific guidance has been prepared; the advice he will offer to tho…

717. Deputy Eoin Hayes asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will provide analysis from his Department on the progress towards achieving Minimum Essential Standard of Living over the past five budgets across all income groups, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63302/25]

718. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Social Protection the current average waiting time for disability allowance and for carer’s allowance applications, by county, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63361/25]

719. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Social Protection the average processing time for appeals to the Social Welfare Appeals Office for disability allowance cases, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63362/25]

720. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will address concerns raised in correspondence (details supplied) regarding the impact of the withdrawal of support payments on persons with a disability; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63368/25]

721. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Social Protection his views on whether a revision of categories of PRSI contributions in respect of those who pay class K contributions is necessary, given the propensity for no material benefit to arise when a class K employee ceases employment before the statutory retirement age; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63412/25]

722. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Social Protection the total legal costs in defending judicial reviews of planning decisions involving his Department and/or agencies within the aegis of his Department for each of the years 2020 to 2024 and to date in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63628/25]

723. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 652 of 12 November 2025, the number of cases where payments have been stopped and details retained by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63655/25]

724. Deputy Brian Brennan asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will consider an addition fuel payment for polio survivors (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63706/25]

725. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Social Protection for clarity in relation to employees who currently have private pension arrangements or AVC’s in place which are not directly coming out of their wages; if these employees have a choice whether or not to enrol in the auto-Enrolment My Future Fund; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63709/25]

726. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection the financial supports available to parents caring for adult children suffering from severe drug addiction and related mental health issues, who are not living with them, but who are caring for them to the extent that they are unable to work full time, and are providing them with significant financial support; the level of funding hi…

727. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of recipients who are in receipt of Jobseeker's allowance unbroken continuously in excess of 12 months, 24 months and 36 months, in tabular form. [63791/25]

728. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons on disability allowance and invalidity benefit; and the percentage of the population. [63792/25]