102. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Social Protection whether his Department has engaged with a company (details supplied) regarding difficulties experienced by free travel pass holders when attempting to book journeys online; if alternative booking arrangements, including telephone reservations, are available for passengers who have difficulty using online booking systems; and if he will engage with…
Topics / Social Welfare Schemes
A subject heading for parliamentary questionsSocial Welfare Schemes
492 questions from 102 TDs, between 5 February 2025 and 21 October 2026.
492
questions
483 written, 9 oral
102
TDs have asked
11
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
| Month | Questions |
|---|---|
| January 2025 | 0 |
| February 2025 | 30 |
| March 2025 | 44 |
| April 2025 | 20 |
| May 2025 | 55 |
| June 2025 | 12 |
| July 2025 | 44 |
| August 2025 | 0 |
| September 2025 | 56 |
| October 2025 | 7 |
| November 2025 | 14 |
| December 2025 | 4 |
| January 2026 | 44 |
| February 2026 | 23 |
| March 2026 | 33 |
| April 2026 | 34 |
| May 2026 | 7 |
| June 2026 | 41 |
| July 2026 | 4 |
| August 2026 | 0 |
| September 2026 | 13 |
| October 2026 | 7 |
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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67
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23
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21
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18
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16
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15
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12
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11
Asked of
Debated under the same heading
Debates whose official heading is exactly these words.
The questions
486. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Social Protection the assistance available to children who no longer qualify for domiciliary care allowance upon turning sixteen-years-of-age, yet do not qualify for disability allowance. [71692/26]
487. Deputy Conor D. McGuinness asked the Minister for Social Protection if he has considered extending the age limit for domiciliary care allowance from sixteen to eighteen-years-of-age. [71688/26]
500. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection the timeline for a decision to be made on a carer's allowance (details supplied) review. [71992/26]
508. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Social Protection the amount being spent on free bus travel for Ukrainian people; and the number of Ukrainians who have free public transport. [72149/26]
509. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide a breakdown of the current waiting times on social welfare applications. [72415/26]
388. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of employers that are currently in receipt of the wage subsidy scheme in each of the three bands; the number of employers that avail of Employment Assistance Officers under Band 3; the number of employment assistance officers employed; and the cost of strand three in each of the past five years. [69916/26]
86. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Social Protection If he will review the case of a person (details supplied); and if he will provide an update on the application. [67401/26]
88. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason working family payment recipients cannot access the fuel allowance in two lump sums; and if he will consider this option (details supplied). [67476/26]
89. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost of increasing the disability allowance income disregard to €1,000 per week. [67460/26]
90. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will consider reforming the disability allowance means test to assess a disabled person’s own income rather than that of their partner or other family members, in order to improve financial independence and reduce poverty among disabled people. [67459/26]
91. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will examine the impact of the current disability allowance means test on recipients who live with a working partner who also receives carer’s allowance, particularly where the partner’s earnings reduce the disabled person’s payment. [67458/26]
92. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will consider increasing the weekly income disregard for Disability Allowance to €1,000 as part of Budget 2027, in line with a pre-Budget submission (details supplied). [67457/26]
379. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Social Protection the income supports available to people who are unable to work, or whose capacity to work is significantly reduced, as a result of long Covid; and whether consideration has been given to the particular long-term financial impact of long Covid on affected individuals. [66317/26]
253. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of applications received by the Community Welfare Service for basic supplementary welfare allowance, for additional needs payments and for exceptional needs payments, at each office at which Community Welfare Services are provided, in each of the years 2024, 2025 and in the period 1 January 2026 to 1 July 2026; and the number of such applic…
263. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons aged between 60 and 65 years-of-age who are in receipt of full carer’s allowance, by year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [66098/26]
265. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will outline the financial supports currently available to assist low-income households with healthcare-related access costs, including travel and accommodation expenses associated with attending medical appointments or receiving treatment; if she will provide details of any eligibility criteria and application processes for such supports; if co…
268. Deputy John Clendennen asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of households in Offaly consisting of a person aged over 70 who are entitled to claim the Household Benefits Package; the number currently receiving the payment; and the number not in receipt of the payment, in tabular form. [66245/26]
767. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 1545 of 13 January 2026, the approximate financial cost to the State of removing the means test for carers allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [64993/26]
794. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full-year cost of abolishing the means test for carer’s allowance and providing access to all who meet the other criteria. [65829/26]
290. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Social Protection the average wait time for an urgent needs payment in Cork. [54169/26]
291. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Social Protection the average wait time for a supplementary welfare allowance in Cork. [54170/26]
292. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of applications for an additional needs payment in Cork, by reason, in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024 and to date in 2026, in tabular form. [54171/26]
440. Deputy Ann Graves asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason a person (details supplied) has been penalised by the rules adopted; and if he will consider amending current legislation to ensure early retirees can also access the treatment benefit scheme. [52659/26]
536. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 624 of 16 June 2026, to state how the 5,364 EU/EEA nationals and 2,606 nationals from other countries are entitled to disability allowance; are entitled to have been on it continuously for over five years; which such individuals are the subject of restrictions on their right to reside in Ireland, such as finding ade…