Written answers
Thursday, 1 May 2025
Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection
- Public Services Card
86. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection to review the requirement for photo ID when applying for a public service card, as many people do not have a passport or... - Social Welfare Schemes
90. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of employers currently availing of the wage subsidy scheme, WSS, the number of employees employed in companies that... - Social Welfare Benefits
92. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if he will consider amending the rules of the domiciliary care allowance so that the payment is extended for the care of... - School Meals Programme
96. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the total number of schools in Meath now eligible to receive hot school meals; and if he will make a statement on the matter.... - Child Poverty
98. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the progress against the national target for reducing the number of children experiencing consistent poverty; whether a new... - Social Welfare Eligibility
100. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection when the means test for disability allowance will be abolished; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20504/25] - School Meals Programme
101. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if he will report on the review of nutritional standards in the hot school meals programme; and if he will make a statement... - Social Welfare Benefits
102. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of people who have qualified for the full amount of the jobseeker’s pay-related benefit; the proportion of... - Social Welfare Code
105. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection for an update on plans to introduce a permanent annual cost of disability support payment; and if he will make a statement on... - Social Welfare Schemes
106. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if he will explore the possibility of reducing the minimum hours of the wage subsidy scheme from 15 hours to ten hours... - Employment Support Services
107. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the financial or in-work incentives currently available to support individuals in County Offaly transitioning from welfare... - Social Welfare Code
108. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if carer’s benefit could be considered as a scheme to be transformed into a pay-related one; and if he will make a... - School Meals Programme
109. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of schools in Kerry now eligible to receive hot school meals; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21420/25] - Social Welfare Eligibility
110. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if his attention has been drawn to the fact the programme for Government commitment to allow parents aged over 66 receiving... - Departmental Schemes
111. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if he will consider removing the means test for the fuel allowance for individuals aged 70 and over, this will also make them... - Social Welfare Appeals
112. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of persons who have appealed the Department's decision to refuse them the humanitarian assistance payment in light... - Social Welfare Code
113. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if he plans any changes to the qualifying criteria for the domiciliary care allowance; and if he will make a statement on the... - Departmental Funding
114. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if he will provide an update on the operation of the funding schemes operated by his Department that offer ‘reasonable... - Community Employment Schemes
115. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection his plans to provide increased flexibility to local community employment schemes; and if he will make a statement on the... - School Meals Programme
116. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection what engagement his Department had with the Department of Education in relation to additional expenses being incurred by... - Social Welfare Eligibility
117. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if his Department has plans to alter, abolish or change the means test on the carer's allowance; and if so, the date upon... - Poverty Data
118. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection his view on the recent Central Statistics Office statistics which show an increase in the poverty rates among children in... - Employment Support Services
119. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if he will outline his plans to introduce targeted employment supports to groups facing additional challenges accessing work,... - Rural Schemes
121. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection to provide an update on the review of the rural social scheme, and when the remaining recommendations of the report will be... - Departmental Schemes
122. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection to outline if he is considering any revisions to the humanitarian assistance scheme at present, or the possible introduction... - State Pensions
125. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection his progress to date in the planned modifications or changes to support women who currently fall outside the existing schemes... - Social Welfare Benefits
126. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if recipients of carer’s allowance will be notified prior to the new household increase in income thresholds provided... - Departmental Staff
128. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of violent incidents and threats reported by social protection staff in 2022, 2023, 2024 and to date in 2025, in... - Social Welfare Payments
129. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No 160 of 9 April 2025, when the report on benchmarking and indexing working age social... - Social Welfare Benefits
130. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection to comment on the number of domiciliary care allowance applications that have been rejected from 2023; to outline the appeal... - State Pensions
131. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if he is aware that ongoing pension reviews of the over 80’s are causing great anxiety and distress; if he will act to... - Social Welfare Appeals
132. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the current average processing time for a decision by the Social Welfare Appeals Office; the number of appeals currently... - Social Welfare Benefits
133. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the steps he is taking to fulfil the Programme for Government commitment to examine improvements to key ancillary benefits,... - School Meals Programme
134. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the total number of schools in Limerick and the total number of schools in Clare that are now eligible to receive hot school... - Social Welfare Rates
136. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if he will review whether current core social welfare rates are meeting people’s basic needs, particularly in areas... - Departmental Schemes
137. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if he will outline his Department’s supports and schemes for employing people with disabilities; and if he will make a... - Social Welfare Benefits
138. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection to clarify how the new pay-linked jobseeker's benefit will be applied to someone who is working in the North of Ireland and... - Social Welfare Code
139. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection his plans to reform the disability allowance payment to remove the current means test for the payment, in line with Programme... - Social Welfare Appeals
140. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the average waiting times for disability allowance appeals and the steps being taken to expedite this process for applicants.... - Social Welfare Payments
141. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if he will act to ensure that there will be no unnecessary reviews undertaken of payments to people with acute disabilities... - Social Welfare Appeals
144. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection to clarify the simplified processes and specified response times under the new appeals regulations effective from April 2025;... - Social Welfare Payments
145. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if he will address the significant delays in processing disability allowance, carer’s allowance, and domiciliary care... - Social Welfare Benefits
146. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection to outline his plans to introduce a targeted child benefit payment during the lifetime of this Government; the work his... - Social Welfare Payments
148. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the average processing time of an additional needs payment in Cork city. [21370/25] - School Meals Programme
149. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the position regarding the review of the nutritional requirements and quality of food provided under the hot school meal... - Social Welfare Benefits
150. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if he is aware that qualified surviving cohabitants bereaved before January 22nd 2024 are not entitled to receive... - Artificial Intelligence
151. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if he is considering the use of artificial intelligence to improve the processing of claims and payments by his Department;... - School Meals Programme
152. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of schools in county Kildare that are now eligible to receive hot school meals; and if he will make a statement on... - Child Poverty
153. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if his Department has carried out any research or analysis on implementing a child poverty reduction Act, similar to the Act... - Pension Provisions
154. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if he will give an update on the pension auto-enrolment scheme; when it will be rolled out; the cause for recent delays; and... - Social Welfare Benefits
155. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if he is aware of the hardship endured by adults aged 18-24 who are denied access to the full rate of jobseeker’s... - Social Welfare Payments
156. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of people between the ages of eighteen and sixty six in casual or part-time work in receipt of social welfare... - Social Welfare Code
157. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if he will outline his plans for the Programme for Government commitment to introduce a new working age payment; and if he... - Departmental Policies
159. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the steps that could be taken to increase the uptake of disability, equality and inclusion awareness training to help make... - Domestic Violence
160. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the position regarding the commitment in the Programme for Government to examine how the social protection system can better... - Employment Schemes
161. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if he will report on the number of people engaged in work and skills week 2025; and if he will make a statement on the... - School Meals Programme
162. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of island schools receiving the school meals programme; if he is satisfied with the way in which the programme is...
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