1278. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding an ongoing review of the rate payable under the living alone allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43852/26]
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 | 2,665 | 1,495 | 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
128,322 questions, newest first.
1279. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Social Protection the total number of people in receipt of the living alone allowance, broken down by county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43853/26]
1280. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding the engagement he has had with a NGO or charity in relation to the rate payable under the living alone allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43854/26]
1281. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Social Protection if the rate payable under the living alone allowance is under consideration in the context of budget negotiations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43855/26]
1282. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection the measures he is considering to address the sharp reduction in income experienced by many women when they commence maternity leave and move from employment earnings to the maximum maternity benefit payment of €299 per week; whether his Department has examined the introduction of a more comprehensive pay-related maternity benefit scheme; and if he …
1283. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason for the differential treatment between disability allowance and invalidity pension in respect of means testing of a partner’s income; whether consideration has been given to extending similar financial independence protections to disability allowance recipients; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43899/26]
1284. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Social Protection if consideration will be given to an increase in the living alone allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43942/26]
1285. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will outline the eligibility criteria for the back to work enterprise allowance, including the requirement to be in receipt of a qualifying social welfare payment. [43948/26]
1286. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Social Protection the policy rationale for restricting access to the back to work enterprise allowance to individuals in receipt of a qualifying social welfare payment, and excluding those signing for PRSI credits only. [43949/26]
1287. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Social Protection if he is aware that individuals who are unemployed and signing for PRSI credits, but who do not qualify for jobseeker’s payments due to means testing, are not eligible for the back to work enterprise allowance; and if he will address this gap. [43950/26]
1288. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Social Protection if he has examined the impact of household means testing, particularly a spouse’s income, on access to activation supports such as the back to work enterprise allowance. [43951/26]
1289. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of individuals currently signing for PRSI credits who are not in receipt of a jobseeker’s payment due to means testing of household income. [43952/26]
1290. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of applications for the back to work enterprise allowance, that were refused in each of the past five years on the basis that the applicant was not in receipt of a qualifying payment. [43953/26]
1291. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Social Protection if his Department has conducted any review of the eligibility criteria for the back to work enterprise allowance, in the past five years; and if so, if he will provide details of same. [43954/26]
1292. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will consider extending eligibility for the back to work enterprise allowance, or introducing an alternative support, to include individuals who are signing for PRSI credits but excluded from payments due to means testing. [43955/26]
1293. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Social Protection the way current policy aligns with the objective of encouraging self-employment and reducing long-term reliance on the State, given that certain unemployed individuals are excluded from enterprise supports due to means testing. [43956/26]
1294. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will address the situation whereby two individuals who are both unemployed and seeking to establish a business are treated differently under the back to work enterprise allowance, based solely on household income. [43957/26]
1295. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if he will review the case of a family (details supplied); if he will outline the assistance available to them in securing accommodation on their return to Ireland; if the Department can connect the family with available hosts under the relevant scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43692/26]
1296. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the full cost to his Department of providing of transport arrangements for IPAS children attending childcare facilities/school including taxi’s, school bus/ alternative transport arrangements; if his Department covers these costs or if they are covered by the Department of Education and Youth and/or Department of Children, Disabili…
1297. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration to confirm that in relation to criminal legal aid, the main criminal legal aid scheme is not currently under the administration of the Legal Aid Board and is centrally administered by his Department and that any payments for translation and interpretation services in relation to the main criminal legal aid scheme would therefore be ad…
1298. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the payments made by his Department in each year from 2018 to date with respect to the provision of translation and interpretation services through the main criminal legal aid centrally administered by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41551/26]
1299. Deputy Joanna Byrne asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration if he will consider the circumstances of a stamp 4 applicant based in Drogheda County Louth (details supplied); if he will provide an urgent update on the matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41552/26]
1300. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the number of prisons which do not have access to in reach specialist healthcare services within the Irish Prison Service; the steps being taken to ensure equitable access across all prison locations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41622/26]
1301. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the timeline for introducing clinical IT systems within the Irish Prison Service to enable the collection of data on the number of prisoners being treated for infectious diseases; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41623/26]
1302. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration the position regarding a join family visa (details supplied); if consideration will be given to the circumstances of this application; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41625/26]