Questions

174. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the real-time verification mechanisms in place to ensure that recipients of social welfare payments, including child benefit and disability allowance, continue to meet residency requirements within the State; whether these systems include routine cross-checking with immigration, Revenue, and airline or travel data; and if he will outline any plans to in…

175. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the total value of welfare overpayments made to persons not resident in the State in each of the past five years, broken down by scheme; the number of individuals involved annually; and the extent to which these figures represent identified fraud, administrative error, or delayed notification of departure. [22754/26]

176. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the annual recovery rate of overpayments made to persons absent from the State; the average duration required to recover such funds; whether penalties, interest, or legal enforcement mechanisms are applied; and if he will outline measures to improve recovery performance. [22755/26]

177. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the safeguards in place to ensure that child benefit payments are made only where eligibility conditions, including habitual residence, are satisfied; the number of child benefit claims identified as incorrectly paid to non-resident recipients in each of the past three years; and whether additional verification requirements are being considered. [22756/…

178. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of internal audits or compliance reviews conducted by the Department relating to payments issued to persons outside the State since 2022;the findings of these audits; and whether any systemic control failures were identified and addressed. [22757/26]

179. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection whether any legislative or regulatory gaps have been identified which allow welfare payments to continue after a recipient has left the State; and if he will outline any proposed legislative amendments to strengthen eligibility enforcement and prevent recurrence. [22758/26]

535. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide a detailed assessment of the fiscal implications of reintroducing a once-off winter support for persons with disabilities in 2026, including the projected cost of a €300 payment, a €400 payment and a €500 payment; and if his Department has carried out any analysis of the additional energy and living costs faced by disabled households during t…

536. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the net change in income in 2026 compared with 2025 for a single adult on disability allowance living alone, taking account of the withdrawal of once off supports in Budget 2025 including the €400 disability cost-of-living payment, the €300 fuel lump sum, the €300 living alone lump sum, the €200 electricity credits and the double week bonuses, and the p…

537. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide a detailed assessment of the fiscal implications of reintroducing a once off winter support for persons with disabilities in 2026, including the projected cost of a €300 payment, a €400 payment and a €500 payment; and if his Department has carried out any analysis of the additional energy and living costs faced by disabled households during t…

538. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection to detail his Department’s inflation adjusted estimate of the annual extra cost of disability in 2026, referencing the cost of disability study (details supplied) and any updated modelling carried out by her Department since 2020; and the way in which these figures informed the design of Budget 2026. [69172/25]

579. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the timeline for decisions on a cost of disability payment within the expenditure framework for 2026 and 2027. [70985/25]

580. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the timeline for decisions on a cost of disability payment within the expenditure framework for 2026 and 2027. [70986/25]

1228. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection if persons residing in Ireland under international protection or temporary protection who apply for an exceptional needs payment are subject to verification of declared means, including any assets, income or bank accounts held outside of Ireland; if such checks are carried out in practice; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59959/25]

1229. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of exceptional needs payments that have been approved for persons residing in Ireland under international protection or temporary protection since 2022; the total value of these payments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59960/25]

1230. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection if persons residing in Ireland under temporary protection from Ukraine are eligible to apply for carer’s payment; if applications from such persons are subject to the normal means test; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59961/25]

1231. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection where persons residing in Ireland under temporary protection from Ukraine apply for carer’s payment, the way in which means, savings, or assets held outside of Ireland are assessed; if there are mechanisms to verify assets in foreign bank accounts; the way in which this assessment is comparable to the way Irish citizens are means-tested; and if he will…

1232. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection if persons from Ukraine residing in Ireland under the temporary protection directive who have entered employment remain eligible for income supports such as child benefit, jobseeker’s payments, or supplementary welfare supports; the criteria used to determine continued eligibility where income is earned; and if his Department has undertaken any review …

311. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of households in Cork north-central that qualified for the fuel allowance in 2024/2025; the projected number for 2025/2026 under the widened eligibility rules for those aged 66 years and over; the breakdown of applications by channel (online, post, Intreo, community welfare officers); the average processing time for applications in 2025; and …

748. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of recipients of the living alone increase; if the rate of payment has been reviewed to reflect the rising costs of utilities, housing, and healthcare; and whether his Department will commit to an indexed approach to maintain real value for older recipients. [48362/25]

785. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will consider equalising jobseeker’s payments for persons under 25 with those over 25, in light of recent polling showing that three in five young adults are considering emigration due to the cost-of-living crisis. [48781/25]

530. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the amount his Department spent on all social welfare claims by applicants in receipt of a protection order for the year 2024; and the amount spent on all social welfare applicants in receipt of an Irish residency permit. [15854/25]

157. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection for an update on when a final decision will be made on an application for domiciliary care allowance and the associated travel pass for the son of the person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3741/25]

160. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection if he can explain the decision to decline disability allowance for a young lady (details supplied) who has been receiving domiciliary care allowance for over ten years, despite no change in her medical condition; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3745/25]