Parliamentary questions

Social Welfare Benefits

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

871. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of families that receive child benefit payments; and the number of children these are in respect of. [31166/21]

Social Welfare Benefits

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

872. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated full-year cost of making a one-off annual double payment of child benefit to all recipients in September 2021. [31167/21]

Social Welfare Benefits

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

873. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost of increasing the school meals programme budget by 5%, 10%, 20% and 25%, respectively; and the estimated cost of extending the programme budget to include provision for breakfast in addition to lunch. [31168/21]

Social Welfare Benefits

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

874. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of children availing of free hot school meals; the cost of same; and the cost per child and school of delivering same. [31169/21]

Social Welfare Benefits

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

875. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost of providing hot free school meals to all children currently availing of free school meals. [31170/21]

Social Welfare Benefits

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

876. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost of providing free hot school meals to all children attending DEIS schools. [31171/21]

Community Employment Schemes

Brendan Griffin

877. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Social Protection if a community employment placement will be extended in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31199/21]

Social Welfare Benefits

Michael Creed

878. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Social Protection if a person (details supplied) in County Cork is entitled to the full rate of carer’s allowance. [31207/21]

Social Welfare Benefits

Michael Healy-Rae

879. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of an application by a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31218/21]

Irish Sign Language

Pa Daly

880. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of the review by her Department of the functioning of the IRIS application; if she will consider keeping the on-demand element open on an interim basis whilst the review is completed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31226/21]

Departmental Data

Violet-Anne Wynne

881. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Social Protection if her Department can withhold personal data for up to seven years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31234/21]

Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment

Violet-Anne Wynne

882. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Social Protection if there can be a grace period of reopening for business owners who are on the pandemic unemployment payment and are taking tentative steps to rebuild their business model to reflect this time such as in the case of a person (details supplied). [31235/21]

Parental Leave

Róisín Shortall

883. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will consider matters raised in correspondence (details supplied) regarding parent’s leave benefit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31263/21]

Social Welfare Schemes

John Lahart

884. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will consider eligibility for the free travel scheme for persons who are disqualified from driving due to epileptic or breakthrough seizures in order that they can maintain their independence and continue in work or in education; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31267/21]

Departmental Funding

Violet-Anne Wynne

885. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason a training fund of up to €1,000 is available for persons in receipt of jobseeker’s payment but is not available for participants of JobPath who can only avail of job related training on a discretionary case by case basis such as in the case of a person (details supplied). [31274/21]

Departmental Websites

Holly Cairns

886. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Social Protection the way in which her Department and agencies under her remit are meeting the requirement to have a statement on the compliance of their websites and mobile applications with the regulations under the directive 2016/2102 (EU), as articulated in SI No. 358/2020 - European Union (Accessibility of Websites and Mobile Applications of Public Sector Bodies) Regulations 2020; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31290/21]

Departmental Websites

Holly Cairns

887. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Social Protection the way in which her Department and agencies under her remit are meeting the requirement to subject to Regulation 6, public sector bodies shall, in accordance with Regulation 3, take necessary measures to make their websites and mobile applications more accessible by making them perceivable, operable, understandable and robust under the directive 2016/2102 (EU), as articulated in SI No. 358/2020 - European Union (Accessibility of Websites and Mobile Applications of Public Sector Bodies) Regulations 2020; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31308/21]

Pension Provisions

Michael Creed

888. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Social Protection if a person (details supplied) in County Cork is entitled to arrears of a contributory pension. [31368/21]

Social Welfare Schemes

Seán Canney

889. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Social Protection the threshold for earned income in order to qualify for deserted wife’s benefit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31381/21]

Social Welfare Schemes

Seán Canney

890. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Social Protection when the existing level threshold for earnings to qualify for the deserted wife’s benefit was last reviewed; if she plans to review the threshold limit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31382/21]

Covid-19 Pandemic Supports

Robert Troy

891. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Social Protection if Covid-19 supports will remain in place for certain sectors beyond September 2021; and her views on whether certain employment such as wedding bands will not be able to take up full employment again on the lifting of restrictions and will have to wait for bookings to start coming in. [31396/21]

Social Welfare Schemes

James Lawless

892. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Social Protection if the carer’s benefit allocation of a person (details supplied) will be examined; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31419/21]

Departmental Staff

Róisín Shortall

893. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of employees who are on secondment from her Department to other organisations; the number of these who are in receipt of a higher duty allowance; the number of staff who were previously seconded and subsequently returned to work in her Department on a lower grade than their secondment position; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31424/21]

Departmental Schemes

Pauline Tully

894. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Social Protection the amount spent on the wage subsidy scheme for persons with disabilities in 2019, 2020 and to date in 2021; the amount spent on the grants for employers to retain employees with disabilities in 2019, 2020 and to date in 2021; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31434/21]

Departmental Schemes

Pauline Tully

895. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated additional cost of extending current supports which encourage and incentivise employers to hire and retain a person with a disability such as the wage subsidy scheme for persons with disabilities and the grants for employers to retain employees with disabilities to allow self-employed persons with a disability apply for these supports to hire and retain themselves; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31435/21]

Departmental Schemes

Pauline Tully

896. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated additional cost of permitting self-employed persons with a disability to apply for and the grants for employers to retain employees with disabilities and the wage subsidy scheme for persons with disabilities for themselves as if they were an employee; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31436/21]

Departmental Schemes

Pauline Tully

897. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated additional cost of permitting self-employed persons with a disability to be considered as an employee for the purpose of accessing the grants for employers to retain employees with disabilities and the wage subsidy scheme for persons with disabilities to hire and retain themselves as if they were employees; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31437/21]

Pension Provisions

Claire Kerrane

898. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection the measures her Department has in place to address concerns of seconded local employment scheme and community employment scheme employees with regard to their employment particularly in relation pension allowances and unpensioned portions of salary which constitute core pay; if direct engagement and mediation is in place to address pension-related concerns in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31507/21]

Departmental Schemes

Pauline Tully

899. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated additional cost of increasing the funding to the EmployAbility Service by 5%, 10% and 25% respectively; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31525/21]

Departmental Funding

Pauline Tully

900. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated additional cost of increasing the funding to the walk peer programme to extend the service to each county; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31526/21]

Departmental Schemes

Pauline Tully

901. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Social Protection if the disregard which now applies to disability allowance recipients who have been granted bursaries, stipends or scholarships towards completing a PhD will be extended to students who have been granted bursaries, stipends or scholarships towards completing a PhD who are on other means tested disability payments such as the blind pension; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31532/21]

Departmental Schemes

Pauline Tully

902. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated additional cost of extending the disregard which applies to disability allowance recipients who have been granted bursaries, stipends or scholarships towards completing a PhD to students in receipt of the blind pension who have been granted bursaries, stipends or scholarships towards completing a PhD; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31533/21]

Social Welfare Appeals

Michael Healy-Rae

903. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of an appeal by a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31545/21]

Social Welfare Appeals

Michael Healy-Rae

904. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of an appeal by a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31546/21]

Departmental Schemes

Seán Sherlock

905. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will make the form for the benefit payment for 65-year olds available to download and print rather than on request only. [31554/21]

Departmental Schemes

Paul Murphy

906. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason her Department recognises cohabiting couples as a family unit and therefore pay them full amount for the main would be earner with an allowance for an adult dependant, and if applicable, their children, not as two individual single persons both receiving the full rate for a single adult given that for taxation purposes cohabiting couples are viewed as two individual single persons even those who have children together. [31578/21]

Departmental Schemes

John Brady

907. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide the full details of the plans of her Department which propose to introduce a new service in January 2022 to replace the existing EmployAbility service model; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31591/21]

Covid-19 Pandemic Supports

John Paul Phelan

908. Deputy John Paul Phelan asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of artists that have qualified to date for State supports under the various Covid-19 pandemic support schemes; the full breakdown of those qualifying by heading; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31602/21]

Departmental Schemes

Bernard Durkan

909. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the progress to date in the determination of an application for a carer’s allowance in the case of a person (details supplied); if all documentation has now been received; when the application will be concluded with a view to the granting of the payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31632/21]

Departmental Schemes

Bernard Durkan

910. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection if a person (details supplied) qualifies for the back to work enterprise allowance or any other scheme or payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31643/21]

Departmental Data

Claire Kerrane

911. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of referrals to each job club by location in 2019, 2020 and to date in 2021, in tabular form. [31644/21]

Maternity Leave

Kathleen Funchion

912. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost to extend maternity leave by 52 weeks. [31655/21]

Employment Schemes

Claire Kerrane

913. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons accessing employment services through INTREO in each of the years 2019, 2020 and to date 2021, in tabular form. [31661/21]

Departmental Strategies

Claire Kerrane

914. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection when the pathways to work strategy 2021-2024 will be launched; if further information on the announced work placement experience programme will be included in the strategy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [31662/21]

Parental Leave

Kathleen Funchion

915. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost of introducing six weeks of parental benefit which would be the same rate as maternity benefit but which could be taken by either parent or shared between the two at the end of the period of maternity leave. [31664/21]

Departmental Data

Kathleen Funchion

916. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Social Protection the estimated cost of increasing maternity, paternity and adoptive benefit by €10 per week. [31666/21]

Departmental Schemes

Seán Sherlock

917. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Social Protection if there will be an extension for those on community employment schemes beyond 2 July 2021 after receiving little or no training due to the Covid-19 pandemic. [31838/21]

Covid-19 Pandemic Unemployment Payment

Catherine Murphy

918. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection the way in which persons contracted to airline companies that are rostered to pilot but are only paid when flying may access the pandemic unemployment payment or other financial supports while grounded for prolonged periods of time due to public health guidelines. [31846/21]

Departmental Schemes

Paul Murphy

919. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of job coaches employed in regard to the use of job coaches for disabled jobseekers as a way of improving access to the labour market; the cost for the relevant Department or State agency to recruit a job coach; and the amount allocated for her Department to spend on job coaches. [31867/21]

Departmental Staff

Róisín Shortall

920. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of employees in her Department and the bodies under the aegis of her Department who have been in receipt of a higher duty acting allowance for over two years. [31881/21]