96. Deputy Paula Butterly asked the Minister for Social Protection if his Department will review the rule whereby older carers lose access to a full carer’s allowance payment when they reach pension age; if he will consider restoring the full payment given the evidence that reducing it to half-rate leads to financial strain and carer burnout in view of the fact that without family care, many of those cared for would …
Topics / Social Welfare Payments
A subject heading for parliamentary questionsSocial Welfare Payments
822 questions from 114 TDs, between 22 January 2025 and 21 October 2026.
822
questions
801 written, 21 oral
114
TDs have asked
10
parties and groups
Independents counted together
10
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 | 3 |
| February 2025 | 94 |
| March 2025 | 13 |
| April 2025 | 40 |
| May 2025 | 36 |
| June 2025 | 43 |
| July 2025 | 40 |
| August 2025 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 20 |
| October 2025 | 8 |
| November 2025 | 94 |
| December 2025 | 28 |
| January 2026 | 75 |
| February 2026 | 42 |
| March 2026 | 25 |
| April 2026 | 69 |
| May 2026 | 38 |
| June 2026 | 62 |
| July 2026 | 30 |
| August 2026 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 48 |
| October 2026 | 14 |
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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66
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48
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36
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35
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29
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27
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26
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25
Asked of
Debated under the same heading
Debates whose official heading is exactly these words.
The questions
97. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of first-time applications for domiciliary care allowance that have been received to date in 2025, the number that were refused; the number of those that were appealed or reviewed; the number of those that had their appeal allowed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62179/25]
98. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Social Protection the current average waiting times for decisions on disability allowance and domiciliary care allowance applications, disaggregated by county, in tabular form; the steps being taken to reduce delays for families awaiting essential supports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62165/25]
99. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Social Protection if he intends to review the current weekly means limit for the increase for qualified adult allowance for recipients of the State pension, with a view to increasing the current means limit of €100 which has remained unchanged for several years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62134/25]
101. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide an update on the implementation of the Government’s commitment to establish a permanent annual cost of disability support payment; to outline the eligibility and payment level that will be established; the number of recipients expected to be impacted in the coming year; the means by which his Department will progress the phasing-out of t…
102. Deputy Ryan O'Meara asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of applications for domiciliary care allowance received to date in 2025; the number approved; the number rejected; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62130/25]
104. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Social Protection the measures being taken to ensure that older people living alone receive timely access to the living alone allowance and the household benefits package, particularly where delays in processing applications are causing hardship; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62166/25]
105. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Social Protection for an overview of the Budget 2026 measures to support carers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62061/25]
112. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Social Protection the total amount of social-welfare payments written off in the past two years; the proportion that relates to deceased recipients; the steps his Department is taking to reduce future write-offs (including digital checking, beneficiary verification, and inter-agency data sharing); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61987/25]
113. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons who have been refused the disability allowance in each of the past ten years; the numbers of whom were successful in their appeal against the refusal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61981/25]
115. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of successful domiciliary care allowance applications for the past three years; the number refused; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62024/25]
117. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will consider making the disability allowance into a non-means tested benefit rather than an allowance. [61674/25]
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]