1866. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Social Protection the current cost of the free travel scheme; the number of participants; the projected cost of introducing free travel to students namely those aged 18 to 24 who hold a PSC card; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44027/25]
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
1867. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Social Protection the dates the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowances will be paid; the additional cost in a full year to increase each rate by €100; the estimated amount it would cost to extend it to foster carers allowance; the additional cost to provide the current payment to all school going children; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44028/25]
1869. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost of expanding eligibility for fuel allowance to all those on the working family payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44030/25]
1893. Deputy Fionntán Ó Súilleabháin asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason the new pay-related benefit for a person out of work (details supplied) does not account for dependants; the reason a single person can get the same as a family of four; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44237/25]
1894. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of fuel allowance applications rejected in Cork to date in 2025. [44314/25]
425. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will clarify the entitlement of part-time school wardens to jobseeker's allowance during school closures, specifically in relation to bank holiday periods where the employer does not provide payment; and if he will investigate reports of inconsistent treatment of such claims by Intreo offices (details supplied), including cases where long-standi…
162. Deputy Brian Brennan asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of the jobseeker’s allowance claim for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39867/25]
166. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons in receipt of the living alone allowance for each of the last four years; the number per county; and the cost to his Department for each of those last four years, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39881/25]
167. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons or couples in receipt of the telephone allowance for each of the last four years; the number per county; and the cost to his Department for each of those last 4 years, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39882/25]
168. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will outline the number of persons that have availed of parents benefit in 2022, 2023, 2024 and to date in 2025, in tabular form; the number of mothers and the number of fathers who have availed of parent’s benefit in each of these years; if he believes further steps can be taken to encourage greater uptake of parent’s benefit; and if he will…
169. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons in receipt of jobseeker’s allowance for 24 months or longer, by county; if he will confirm when he intends to publish a new employment strategy focused on intensive engagement with those most distant from the labour market as committed in the Programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39921/25]
170. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons that have benefitted since the minimum required hours under the wage subsidy scheme was reduced from 21 hours to 15 hours in April 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39922/25]
171. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Social Protection when he plans to publish draft proposals for consultation on the new working age payment, which will ensure that inconsistencies within the social welfare system, which disincentivise work, are removed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39923/25]
172. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons over 66 who have qualified for the fuel allowance since the expanded means test for over 66s was introduced, by county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39924/25]
173. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons in receipt of a widows pension who are under age 66; if he will provide an estimated cost of allowing persons in receipt of widow’s pensions to access illness benefit in the event that they get sick at work; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39925/25]
174. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost of extending the period of a social welfare payment following the death of a dependent from 6 to12 weeks as committed in the Programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39926/25]
175. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Social Protection the cost of extending illness benefit to the self-employed; if he will outline the estimated increase in PRSI rates which would be required to meet this cost; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39927/25]
177. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Social Protection if a person who retires from employment at the age of 65 is entitled to receive jobseeker’s pay related benefit until they reach the age of 66; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40152/25]
271. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Health if she is considering abolishing means testing for the carer’s allowance (details supplied); and if the case of a person will be examined. [39991/25]
300. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Health if she is aware of ongoing delays in processing blind welfare allowance applications throughout the Midlands and Western regions; if she will review this matter and establish the role of the Department of Social Protection in any such delay; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40097/25]
609. Deputy James Geoghegan asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will outline the process for applying for carer’s allowance and if it is necessary for the applicant to be physically seen by the social welfare officer (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38697/25]
615. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will consider introducing a mobility support payment or allowance for disabled individuals who face ongoing difficulty accessing public transport and must rely on taxis for essential travel, in light of rising taxi costs and the absence of a dedicated subsidy scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38774/25]
637. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of people, by county, who have availed of jobseeker’s pay-related benefit since it was introduced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38992/25]
647. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of people with permanent disabilities and not forming part of the workforce who have had their disability allowance payment reviewed in each of the past five years; the estimated cost of carrying out these reviews; the amount that has been recovered by the State in each of these years as part of this review, in tabular form; and if he wi…
258. Deputy Sinéad Gibney asked the Minister for Social Protection if he would be supportive of budgetary measures to support carers through a basic income scheme for carers, similar to the current basic income for the arts scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38631/25]