115. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Social Protection to address delays in processing illness benefit and invalidity pension; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50783/25]
Topics / Social Welfare Benefits
A subject heading for parliamentary questionsSocial Welfare Benefits
681 questions from 119 TDs, between 5 February 2025 and 6 October 2026.
681
questions
667 written, 14 oral
119
TDs have asked
10
parties and groups
Independents counted together
6
departments asked
Questions per month
The record holds no questions for August, when the Dáil does not sit.
Jan 2025Oct 2026
Show as a table
| Month | Questions |
|---|---|
| January 2025 | 0 |
| February 2025 | 45 |
| March 2025 | 26 |
| April 2025 | 19 |
| May 2025 | 39 |
| June 2025 | 83 |
| July 2025 | 46 |
| August 2025 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 88 |
| October 2025 | 39 |
| November 2025 | 39 |
| December 2025 | 27 |
| January 2026 | 21 |
| February 2026 | 50 |
| March 2026 | 19 |
| April 2026 | 10 |
| May 2026 | 22 |
| June 2026 | 60 |
| July 2026 | 12 |
| August 2026 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 33 |
| October 2026 | 3 |
Who asks, by party
The party each TD belonged to on the day, in alphabetical order. Parties differ a lot in size, and members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them, so this shows who raised it, not how much a party cares about it.
The TDs who asked most
Members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them. Each question counts once.
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37
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34
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22
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20
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19
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18
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17
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17
Asked of
Debated under the same heading
Debates whose official heading is exactly these words.
The questions
119. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will extend the domiciliary care allowance from 16 to 18 in Budget 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50032/25]
120. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection the progress made on removing the means test for carer's allowance; whether a timeline will be outlined for the removal of same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50506/25]
123. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Social Protection for an update on the abolition of means test for carer's allowance. [50775/25]
127. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Social Protection if he intends to introduce a cost of disability payment in Budget 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50031/25]
130. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Social Protection pursuant to the Programme for Government commitment to introduce a permanent cost of disability payment, the timeline for the introduction of the payment; the details of the planned payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50759/25]
131. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Social Protection the rationale for his decision to remove the credit option for the household benefits package from December; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50599/25]
135. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of people in Counties Cavan and Monaghan availing of companion passes; the measures in place to promote this scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50749/25]
139. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will review the appeals process and criteria for carer's allowance and disability allowance, in light of cases where families providing full-time care have been refused supports despite clear evidence of need, particularly in rural areas where access to services is limited (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50809/2…
141. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Social Protection if he is aware of cases where persons who commenced a self-employed role in 2023 and subsequently became unemployed in 2025 are facing issues with accessing jobseeker’s benefit due to the move to pay-related jobseekers benefit this year; whether his Department has any plans to assist this cohort of people; and if he will make a statement on the matter.…
144. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of people who have had their jobseekers' payments cut, by month, to date in 2025; the amount deducted from payments as a result; to compare this with previous years; if his Department has analysed the impact this has had on child poverty; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50505/25]
146. Deputy Joe Cooney asked the Minister for Social Protection when he expects to publish the comprehensive review of means test across the social welfare system as committed in the Programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50463/25]
149. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Social Protection his plans to extend automatic entitlement to the household benefits package, the fuel allowance payment, and the additional needs payment to anyone living with a life-limiting cancer diagnosis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50572/25]
150. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of people in Kilkenny currently in receipt of the half rate carer’s allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50593/25]
153. Deputy Joe Cooney asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide a costing for increasing the carers allowance by two percent, in line with inflation, ten percent and 20 percent; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50462/25]
155. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons who qualified for the carer’s allowance, in each of the past ten years and to date in 2025; and the number of persons who applied for carer’s allowance but were refused in each of those years. [49655/25]
156. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Social Protection his plans to extend the free travel pass to children in receipt of domiciliary care allowance; the number of children who would benefit; the estimated cost of this extension; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50488/25]
157. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Social Protection the work being done to reduce delays in processing jobseeker's benefit claims for Early Years Educators during the summer months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49960/25]
158. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of newborn baby grants that have been made to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50694/25]
160. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Social Protection the average processing time for an urgent needs payment in Cork. [50774/25]
164. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of children/families who will qualify automatically for back to school clothing and footwear allowance, by county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50489/25]
165. Deputy Noel McCarthy asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons over 66 years of age who have qualified for the fuel allowance since the expanded means test for over 66s was introduced, by county, in tabular form; the cost of this expansion; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50440/25]
167. Deputy Aisling Dempsey asked the Minister for Social Protection if he intends to significantly increase the income disregards for carer’s allowance in Budget 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50585/25]
171. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Social Protection the projected number of recipients to benefit from the fuel allowance payment in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50772/25]
173. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons who applied for job seekers allowance or job seekers benefit who listed their previous employment as agriculture, in each of the past ten years and to date in 2025. [49654/25]