65. Deputy Eoin Hayes asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide any analysis of use cases and business cases formulated by his Department regarding expanding the use of the Public Services Card prior to the initiation of the Social Welfare and Other Matters Bill (2026); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46266/26]
Parliamentary questions
Questions
TDs ask ministers questions to get answers on the record, most of them in writing. Here is every one asked in the 34th Dáil, by the department it went to and the subject heading it was filed under. How questions work
Which departments get asked most
Department names as the record prints them. Some changed in June 2025.
All 20 departments
| Department | Questions | Oral | Written |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health | 27,764 | 145 | 27,619 |
| Education | 14,148 | 145 | 14,003 |
| Transport | 11,178 | 139 | 11,039 |
| Justice | 9,962 | 135 | 9,827 |
| Housing | 9,139 | 160 | 8,979 |
| Children | 8,691 | 142 | 8,549 |
| Social | 5,914 | 135 | 5,779 |
| Finance | 5,884 | 153 | 5,731 |
| Agriculture | 4,894 | 136 | 4,758 |
| Enterprise | 3,942 | 139 | 3,803 |
| Climate | 3,915 | 130 | 3,785 |
| Foreign | 3,868 | 190 | 3,678 |
| Public Expenditure | 3,737 | 167 | 3,570 |
| Further and Higher Education | 3,437 | 140 | 3,297 |
| Taoiseach | 2,649 | 1,479 | 1,170 |
| Defence | 2,599 | 179 | 2,420 |
| Culture | 2,492 | 147 | 2,345 |
| Rural | 2,361 | 140 | 2,221 |
| Environment | 1,029 | 26 | 1,003 |
| Tourism | 703 | 31 | 672 |
What's being asked about lately
7 Oct 2026 to 5 Nov 2026
Browse the questions
128,306 questions, newest first.
66. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of people he expects to benefit from the forthcoming increase in income disregards for the carer’s allowance; the plans for further changes in Budget 2027; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46039/26]
67. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection his key priorities under the Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2026–2030; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46026/26]
68. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Social Protection the average processing times for carer's allowance, disability allowance, and domiciliary care allowance applications; the number of applications awaiting decision in each scheme; the average time taken to determine appeals in each scheme in 2025 and to date in 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46257/26]
69. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection the steps that will be taken towards abolishing the means test for carers’ allowance in the Budget; if he has considered abolishing the means test for disability allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46272/26]
70. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Social Protection the number that received the carer’s support grant in 2026; the way in which this compares to 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46034/26]
71. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Social Protection whether he is aware that applications for assistance with bills under the urgent needs payment scheme in the first three months of this year has doubled. [46299/26]
72. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Social Protection his priorities for Ireland’s Presidency of the Council of the EU; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46021/26]
73. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Social Protection when his Department will publish a concrete roadmap and timeline for the complete abolition of a means test, given the recent income increase in family carers allowance thousands of family carers are still facing complex financial issues; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46152/26]
74. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Social Protection the measures he will put in place to ensure that the Hot School Meals Programme supports local employment, delivers freshly prepared meals on a daily basis, and ensures the programme supports sustainability and local economic development across all eligible providers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46031/26]
75. Deputy Tony McCormack asked the Minister for Social Protection his plans to increase the top-up payment for participants on community employment schemes, TÚS, and rural social schemes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46246/26]
76. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Social Protection the timeline for the conclusion of the public consultation on a potential new targeted child payment and new working age payment launched by his Department on 5 May 2026; the number of submissions received to date; when he expects to bring proposals arising from the consultation to Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46256/…
77. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will review the evidentiary requirements for carer’s allowance applications and reviews; if he will examine whether carers are being asked to repeatedly provide medical or supporting documents already held by the Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45626/26]
78. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will outline progress in the rollout of the automatic enrolment retirement savings system, including early participation levels and emerging trends; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46291/26]
79. Deputy Edward Timmins asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will consider a review of the minimum 16 hours required weekly worked hours to qualify for carer’s benefit for teachers who are not on full time hours; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46264/26]
80. Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Minister for Social Protection whether there is a plan to assist schools who have been unable to source a supplier for hot school meals, being invariably smaller primary schools in rural area (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45630/26]
81. Deputy Martin Daly asked the Minister for Social Protection for a report on the Strategic Focus Network Summit on Cost of Disability; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46029/26]
82. Deputy Joe Neville asked the Minister for Social Protection the investment his Department has made in the past three years in digital services for customer supports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46249/26]
83. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of children who will benefit from the extension of the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance to include children aged two and three; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46033/26]
84. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Social Protection if he is reviewing his Departments supports for one parent families; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46037/26]
85. Deputy Eoin Hayes asked the Minister for Social Protection the analysis his Department has carried out on the eligibility of low-income farmers for carers allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46270/26]
86. Deputy Aisling Dempsey asked the Minister for Social Protection for an update on the implementation of the Programme for Government commitments in relation to carers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46024/26]
87. Deputy Keira Keogh asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will examine the impact of inflation and cost of living on the real value of the carer’s allowance and disability allowance, particularly for recipients who experience a different cost of living due to the cost of their disability; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46201/26]
88. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection whether he will review the eligibility criteria for the fuel allowance scheme in circumstances where many older persons living on modest fixed incomes marginally exceed the current means thresholds but remain at risk of fuel poverty, particularly persons aged over 80 and 90 years-of-age; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41554/26]
89. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of families in the Dún Laoghaire constituency expected to benefit from the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance in 2026; the estimated increase from extending eligibility to children aged two and three years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46166/26]