Social Welfare Eligibility

680. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Social Protection the justification for classifying one adult in a couple as a qualified adult and therefore financially dependent on their spouse or partner; whether she acknowledges that approximately 90% of increase for a qualified adult recipients are women; the assessment his Department has made of the gender equality implications of this a…

681. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Social Protection whether he accepts that the qualified adult payment structure denies women full financial independence by treating couples as a single financial unit; his plans to move towards individual entitlement to social welfare payments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5460/26]

682. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Social Protection whether he agrees that the current qualified adult system reinforces traditional gender roles by embedding women’s economic dependence within the social welfare system; how this is compatible with the State’s gender equality commitments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5461/26]

684. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Social Protection whether the individualisation of social welfare payments has been examined by his Department; whether any costings or timelines exist; if he will commit to publishing this analysis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5463/26]

689. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection if patients travelling long distances for medical appointments without free travel passes could be given some form of travel allowances to cover the costs of regular journeys (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5635/26]

699. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Social Protection if consideration is being given by his Department to increasing the upper age limit for domiciliary care allowance eligibility from 16 to 18 years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5908/26]

177. Deputy Ann Graves asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will review the eligibility criteria for jobseeker’s benefit or allowances, as they exclude many young people from welfare payments who are well deserving, as in the case of a person (details supplied). [4626/26]

27. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of carers he expects to benefit from the means test changes announced in Budget 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2589/26]

29. Deputy Tom Brabazon asked the Minister for Social Protection for an update on the progress being made in reviewing means testing across the social welfare system as outlined in the Programme for Government. [2882/26]

32. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Social Protection the timeframe for abolishing the means test for carer's allowance applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2519/26]

62. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Social Protection if he has any plans to review the one-payment per household rule for fuel allowance, whereby children on low incomes are forced to live at home due to the housing crisis and are refused support based on parental incomes, despite qualifying for the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2680/26]

68. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Social Protection his plans to remove the means test for carer's allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1778/26]

69. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Social Protection when the means test for the carer’s allowance will be abolished; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2322/26]

72. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Social Protection when the review of means testing for qualifying allowances in the social protection system will be completed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1243/26]

92. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Social Protection the timeline for the abolition of the means test for carers. [2792/26]

427. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will seek a review of the means-testing arrangements affecting farm families where one parent is a full-time unpaid carer and the sole farm income marginally exceeds thresholds, despite high costs associated with third-level education and caring responsibilities; and if measures will be considered to alleviate this hardship; an…

428. Deputy Peter Roche asked the Minister for Social Protection the current means-testing system for farm households to ensure that depreciation of machinery and equipment is properly accounted for when assessing farm income; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [66665/25]

434. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will review the current treatment of part-time school bus drivers under the social welfare system; the reason drivers who are in continuous employment during the school term do not receive equivalent supports, such as the two-week break payment and the Christmas bonus; the measures being considered to ensure fair recognition o…

443. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will review the case of a person (details supplied) in relation to a decision on jobseeker’s allowance claim; the current status of this review; the expected timeframe for a decision; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3277/26]

107. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Social Protection whether he intends to review the classification of long-Covid for social protection purposes, including its recognition as an occupational injury for healthcare workers; the timeframe for any such review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2528/26]

109. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection if a person who was wrongly advised to claim disability allowance and who has now applied for invalidity pension and has been refused due to insufficient PRSI contributions but would have had sufficient contributions at the time of application can have their claim assessed on the basis of the original application; and if he will …

110. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection the entitlements to benefits without means testing survivors of the Hepatitis C scandal have; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2642/26]

536. Deputy Marie Sherlock asked the Minister for Social Protection when the criteria for partial capacity benefit were last evaluated; if there are any plans for a review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [73300/25]

539. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Social Protection the measures in place to ensure that it remains more financially rewarding for someone to take up full time employment rather than to remain on jobseeker’s allowance, with all the additional benefits (such as medical card, entitlement to HAP, and so on); how that is monitored within his Department and Government; and if he will mak…

543. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will review the one-payment-per-household rule for the fuel allowance scheme whereby adult children on low incomes are living in the family home due to the housing crisis and are refused support based on parental income alone, despite individually qualifying for the scheme; and the plans to allow eligibility to be assessed …