1340. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Social Protection if his attention has been drawn to the fact that means-testing, actual or prospective of the back-to-school allowance is misaligned (details supplied). [44950/25]
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
1342. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Social Protection if a second carers allowance application for a person (details supplied) will be expedited; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44969/25]
1343. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Social Protection his plans to provide an additional level of child benefit to a remaining parent in circumstances where the other parent has passed away; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44984/25]
1345. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Social Protection the cost of increasing the PRSI threshold for employers in line with a minimum wage increase of €1.35; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45026/25]
1346. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Social Protection if the fuel allowance thresholds will be increased for those in receipt of the State Pension contributory and the State Pension non-contributory in the upcoming budget; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45032/25]
1350. Deputy Robert O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Social Protection his views on the disparity whereby from budget 2026 the flat rate maternity benefit of €289 per week will be lower than the new jobseeker’s pay related benefit, which can provide up to 60% of previous earnings; if he will introduce a pay-related maternity benefit to ensure fairness, gender equality, and protect women’s pension entitlements; and i…
1352. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will extend the back-to-school allowance to all children in State care by removing means testing for foster families, including the requirement to be in receipt of a qualifying social welfare payment, in recognition of children's rights under the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission and Equal Status Acts 2000-2018, and to ensure they are n…
1354. Deputy Aidan Farrelly asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide an estimate of the cost of increasing the capital disregard for the jobseeker’s allowance means test from €20,000 to €30,000; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45330/25]
1355. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Social Protection to outline whether any additional supports are currently available to parents who give birth to twins, or other multiple births; if there are any plans to expand these supports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45402/25]
1356. Deputy Emer Currie asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will consider expanding child benefit for parents who give birth to twins or other multiple births; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45404/25]
1358. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection if his Department will update the reference baskets used for means tests and payments to reflect higher grocery inflation given headline CPI of 1.7% year-on-year but food inflation of 4.7% in July 2025; and if not, the reason. [45469/25]
1360. Deputy Joanna Byrne asked the Minister for Social Protection the current processing times for disability allowance, carer's allowance and social welfare appeals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45494/25]
1361. Deputy Martin Daly asked the Minister for Social Protection the commencement date for the Auto-Enrolment Retirement Savings Scheme in view of previous deferrals; and if he will clarify whether it remains the case that the scheme will begin on 1 January 2026. [45520/25]
1364. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will clarity the entitlements of a widow to her husband’s accumulated contributions (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45583/25]
1370. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Social Protection whether he will consider moving the payment of the back-to-school allowance to an earlier point in the school year (details supplied). [45653/25]
1383. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding the increase in income disregards for carer's allowance as committed to in the programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46206/25]
1385. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection the first year and full year cost of increasing jobseeker’s transitional payment by €1. [46301/25]
1386. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection the first year and full year cost of increasing the income disregard for jobseekers transitional payment by 10%. [46302/25]
1387. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection the first year and full year cost of increasing the income disregard for working family payment by 10%. [46303/25]
1388. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection the first year and full year cost of introducing a part-time rate of job seekers for self employed making less than a 40 hour week at the current minimum wage. [46304/25]
1392. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will review the structure of the State maternity benefit to consider moving to a pay-related model similar to jobseekers pay related benefit, in order to better reflect prior earnings and contributions and reduce the long-term financial disadvantage faced by women, particularly in light of the long-term impact on pension entitlements. [46414/25]
1395. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will consider amending the rules on carer’s allowance in order that a person who is in receipt of a State pension would also be eligible to qualify for the full rate of carer’s allowance, as many older people are providing full-time care for a loved one in need, this care is crucial to the State; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [465…
1396. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of international protection applicants in receipt of the daily expenses allowance who are also in employment; the measures in place to prevent double payment or welfare dependency; and the policy rationale for continuing the allowance when applicants have income from work. [46533/25]
1397. Deputy Ken O'Flynn asked the Minister for Social Protection the total cost to the Exchequer of the daily expenses allowance provided to international protection applicants in each of the past three years, broken down by those in employment and those not in employment. [46534/25]
1399. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Social Protection the responsibility that is on his Department to ensure that citizens are appropriately educated and informed about the terms of individual social welfare payments and the potential implications of availing or not availing of a particular payment, for example that some count as credits for a State pension and others do not; and if he will make a sta…