Topics / Social Welfare Benefits

A subject heading for parliamentary questions

Social 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
MonthQuestions
January 20250
February 202545
March 202526
April 202519
May 202539
June 202583
July 202546
August 20250
September 202588
October 202539
November 202539
December 202527
January 202621
February 202650
March 202619
April 202610
May 202622
June 202660
July 202612
August 20260
September 202633
October 20263

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.

  • Aontú24 from 2 TDs · 2 seats today
  • Fianna Fáil191 from 31 TDs · 48 seats today
  • Fine Gael175 from 22 TDs · 38 seats today
  • Green Party4 from 1 TD · 1 seat today
  • Independent49 from 9 TDs · 15 seats today
  • Independent Ireland6 from 4 TDs · 4 seats today
  • Labour Party45 from 9 TDs · 11 seats today
  • People Before Profit-Solidarity16 from 3 TDs · 3 seats today
  • Sinn Féin136 from 30 TDs · 39 seats today

The TDs who asked most

Members of the Government answer questions rather than ask them. Each question counts once.

  1. 37
  2. 34
  3. 22
  4. 20
  5. 19
  6. 18
  7. 17
  8. 17

Asked of

Debated under the same heading

Debates whose official heading is exactly these words.

The questions

Liam Quaide Written 13 May 2025 · to Social
785. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Social Protection the reasons no increases for child or adult dependants are paid with jobseeker's pay-related benefit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23175/25]
Ken O'Flynn Written 13 May 2025 · to Social
796. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will review the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23562/25]
Cathal Crowe Written 1 May 2025 · to Social
92. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will consider amending the rules of the domiciliary care allowance so that the payment is extended for the care of children up to 18 years of age; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21390/25]
Joe Cooney Written 1 May 2025 · to Social
94. Deputy Joe Cooney asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of people who have applied for the jobseeker’s pay-related benefit since its introduction, by county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21744/25]
Colm Burke Oral 1 May 2025 · to Social
97. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection if an examination of improvements to key ancillary benefits such as the fuel allowance, household benefits package and living alone allowance to support vulnerable groups has occurred as per the programme for Government; if not, when this examination is to occur; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21297/25]
Joe Cooney Written 1 May 2025 · to Social
102. Deputy Joe Cooney asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of people who have qualified for the full amount of the jobseeker’s pay-related benefit; the proportion of the total number of recipients this is, by county; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21745/25]
Aindrias Moynihan Written 1 May 2025 · to Social
126. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Social Protection if recipients of carer’s allowance will be notified prior to the new household increase in income thresholds provided for in Budget 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21692/25]
Erin McGreehan Written 1 May 2025 · to Social
127. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will report on the proposed permanent annual cost of disability support payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21718/25]
Mark Ward Written 1 May 2025 · to Social
130. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Social Protection to comment on the number of domiciliary care allowance applications that have been rejected from 2023; to outline the appeal process; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21377/25]
Emer Currie Written 1 May 2025 · to Social
133. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Social Protection the steps he is taking to fulfil the Programme for Government commitment to examine improvements to key ancillary benefits, such as the fuel allowance, household benefits package and living alone allowance, to support vulnerable groups. [21603/25]
Ruairí Ó Murchú Written 1 May 2025 · to Social
138. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Social Protection to clarify how the new pay-linked jobseeker's benefit will be applied to someone who is working in the North of Ireland and is made redundant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21654/25]
Mark Wall Written 1 May 2025 · to Social
146. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Social Protection to outline his plans to introduce a targeted child benefit payment during the lifetime of this Government; the work his Department has carried out on developing such a payment to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21716/25]
Edward Timmins Written 1 May 2025 · to Social
147. Deputy Edward Timmins asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason the processing of applications in the case of a person (details supplied), and others, for disability allowances is taking so long; and the reason the appeals process is taking so long. [21605/25]
Louise O'Reilly Written 1 May 2025 · to Social
150. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection if he is aware that qualified surviving cohabitants bereaved before January 22nd 2024 are not entitled to receive retrospective bereaved partner’s pension payments from before that date; if the Minister is aware of the number of qualified surviving cohabitants in this situation; if he is aware of the hardship endured by qualified surviving cohabitan…
Louise O'Reilly Written 1 May 2025 · to Social
155. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection if he is aware of the hardship endured by adults aged 18-24 who are denied access to the full rate of jobseeker’s allowance; if he is aware of the impact this has on poverty rates among youth jobseeker’s allowance recipients; if he will consider abolishing the reduced rate for people aged 18-24 in light of this impact; and if he will make a statemen…
Michael Cahill Written 1 May 2025 · to Social
282. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Social Protection to support and expedite a carer’s benefit appeal in respect of a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21881/25]
Catherine Callaghan Written 30 Apr 2025 · to Social
104. Deputy Catherine Callaghan asked the Minister for Social Protection if carer’s benefit could be considered as a scheme to be transformed into a pay-related one; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21652/25]
Willie O'Dea Written 29 Apr 2025 · to Social
1371. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection when a decision will be made in relation to a carer’s benefit (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18503/25]
Louise O'Reilly Written 29 Apr 2025 · to Social
1374. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection if a person working as a school caretaker who is laid off for school closures is entitled to claim pay related jobseeker's benefit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18534/25]
Cathy Bennett Written 29 Apr 2025 · to Social
1397. Deputy Cathy Bennett asked the Minister for Social Protection further to the comments of the Taoiseach in May 2022, regarding examining the potential introduction of paid maternity and pension benefits for women working on farms; if he will outline the examinations that were carried out; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18867/25]
Paul Murphy Written 29 Apr 2025 · to Social
1436. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will change the rules in order to backdate jobseeker's pay-related benefit for workers who have lost their jobs since the beginning of 2025; the reason the decision was taken to limit eligibility to workers made unemployed from 31 March despite the scheme having being legislated for in 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19820/2…
Ann Graves Written 29 Apr 2025 · to Social
1437. Deputy Ann Graves asked the Minister for Social Protection to review the carer's allowance entitlement for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19884/25]
Donna McGettigan Written 29 Apr 2025 · to Social
1442. Deputy Donna McGettigan asked the Minister for Social Protection what interventions can be undertaken by his Department to address the difficulty faced by a person (details supplied) in accessing his social welfare due to medical problems; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20048/25]
John Clendennen Written 29 Apr 2025 · to Social
1485. Deputy John Clendennen asked the Minister for Social Protection the financial assistance available for a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21229/25]
Michael Healy-Rae Written 9 Apr 2025 · to Social
165. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of a carer's allowance application (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17752/25]