Social Welfare Payments

118. Deputy James O'Connor asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons that will benefit from the changes in the qualifying criteria for the fuel allowance announced in Budget 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62282/25]

121. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will consider introducing an automatic or simplified transition mechanism for children who meet the criteria for domiciliary care allowance to continue receiving support through disability allowance at the age of 16; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62168/25]

122. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Social Protection if under the new rules for the rural social scheme, if a person from a rural area with no distinct ties to farming or fishing, but living in the rural area, qualify; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62021/25]

123. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Social Protection the action he is taking to support pensioners living alone; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62067/25]

125. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons in Counties Carlow and Kilkenny that will benefit from the changes in criteria for the fuel allowance announced in Budget 2026; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62025/25]

128. Deputy Joe Neville asked the Minister for Social Protection the supports his Department has in place for over 65s in relation to heating supports coming into the winter; if his Department will ensure that a campaign is rolled out to make people aware of their entitlements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62251/25]

133. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will consider a provision to allow individuals in exceptional circumstance applying for a means tested payment to be assessed without their partner's income, in particular in cases of domestic abuse where a person may be trying to save money to leave their partner; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62243/25]

134. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of families currently in receipt of the working family payment; the number of recipients per family size; the average payment made per family, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62172/25]

136. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason for his Department’s decision to remove the credit option for the household benefits package from December; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61451/25]

139. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of hours spent implementing the means-test for carer’s allowance; the cost of this work to implement the means test; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62182/25]

143. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection if he is concerned at the impact that the abolition of the disability support grant in Budget 2026 will have on disabled people; the measures he will take to address this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59242/25]

149. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will consider excluding the working family payment from being reckonable for all means tested payments and services. [61673/25]

150. Deputy Noel McCarthy asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide an update on the Programme for Government commitment to extend from six to 12 weeks the period of a social welfare payment following the death of a dependent; the social welfare payments that are being considered for such an extension; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62260/25]

151. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Social Protection the action he is taking to support lone parents; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62066/25]

152. Deputy Eoin Hayes asked the Minister for Social Protection his position on the process for self-employed people to gain access to jobseeker's allowance or benefit when their income declines or halts for extended periods of time; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62249/25]

153. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Social Protection his proposed timeframe for abolishing the means test for carers allowance applicants. [62133/25]

154. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Social Protection when the Christmas social welfare bonus will be paid; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62026/25]

155. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Social Protection if he intends on updating the amount of time a person in receipt of disability allowance can spend outside the State within a year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62242/25]

355. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection for a breakdown of the estimated 30,000 additional recipients across the pension, illness, disability and carers schemes respectively, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62430/25]

653. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Social Protection if his Department collects data on the number of individuals currently in receipt of social protection payments following the granting of international protection refugee status, subsidiary protection, or permission to remain status; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61039/25]

670. Deputy Brian Brennan asked the Minister for Social Protection if the overpayment being taken from the weekly supplementary welfare allowance of a person (details supplied) can be reduced to avoid hardship; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61754/25]

672. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons currently in receipt of fuel allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61836/25]

673. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons in receipt of fuel allowance, by year since 2016, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61837/25]

676. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons currently in receipt of the fuel allowance that live alone; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61840/25]

677. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons currently in receipt of the fuel allowance that are over the age of 70; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61841/25]