Social Welfare Benefits

768. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of people in receipt of the telephone support allowance per year from 2020 to date in 2026, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40165/26]

769. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of people in receipt of the fuel allowance per year from 2020 to date in 2026, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40167/26]

770. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of people in receipt of the household benefits package per year from 2020 to date in 2026, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40169/26]

278. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will review the telephone support allowance to reflect the increased reliance on mobile phones as the primary means of communication for many households, particularly among older people and people with disabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38668/26]

279. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will consider increasing the telephone support allowance rate of €2.50 per week in line with inflation, rising communication costs and the growing necessity of mobile phone and data services for access to healthcare, banking, transport, and Government services; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38669/26]

280. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will examine extending eligibility for the telephone support allowance in Budget 2027 beyond the current “living alone” requirement to include recipients of disability allowance and pension payments who rely on mobile phones for safety, independence, and access to essential daily supports; and if he will make a statement …

175. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection when a decision will be made in relation to carer's allowance for a person (details supplied) considering they first applied 14 weeks ago; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37983/26]

176. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Social Protection the timeline for the introduction of the cost of disability payment. [38020/26]

177. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of men and women who applied for parent's benefit in the past three years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38033/26]

178. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of men who applied for paternity benefit; the number of women who applied for maternity benefit, in the past three years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38035/26]

179. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Social Protection the total number of recipients of either jobseeker’s benefit or jobseeker’s allowance who are under the age of 30. [38055/26]

180. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will review the case of a person (details supplied); the status of the working family payment application in question; if the application will be expedited given the circumstances; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38094/26]

181. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Social Protection when a working family payment submitted on 19 April 2026 will be processed for a person (details supplied) in County Donegal; the reason for the delay; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38119/26]

701. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Social Protection whether his Department has examined the administrative and financial costs associated with the annual continuation process for child benefit payments for children aged 16 to 19 who remain in full-time education; whether consideration is being given to streamlining or simplifying this process in light of current school retention ra…

756. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will expedite an application for disability allowance for a person (details supplied) in County Clare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34495/26]

757. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Social Protection to engage in meaningful reform of the disability allowance means test (details supplied), especially in relation to how a partner's income is assessed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34502/26]

767. Deputy Máire Devine asked the Minister for Social Protection to outline any supports available to a person (details supplied) who is currently undergoing chemotherapy following a breast cancer diagnosis, and experiencing significant financial hardship due to their ineligibility for illness benefit. [35140/26]

352. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Social Protection to carry out a review of the disallowance of fuel allowance for a person (details supplied). [33552/26]

576. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost of extending the fuel allowance to all those in receipt of the carer's allowance payment, where this is the only qualifying criteria to receive the fuel allowance. [32968/26]

5. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection to confirm that consideration will be given to an automatic entitlement to the fuel allowance where a member of the household is over 70 years of age; the cost of implementing this proposal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31303/26]

7. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of applications for urgent needs payments in Cork in the first three months of each of the years 2019, 2025 and 2026 respectively, by category of application, and the number approved, in tabular form. [31076/26]

8. Deputy Tony McCormack asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will report on the introduction of pay-related benefit in March 2025 linking unemployment payments to previous earnings; the number of persons who have availed of it to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31132/26]

184. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason the fuel allowance is means-tested according to net income rather than gross income; if he will explain the rationale behind this decision; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31275/26]

798. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Social Protection to review an application (details supplied) and escalate this case; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30984/26]

154. Deputy John Clendennen asked the Minister for Social Protection if domiciliary care allowance will be granted to a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29123/26]