Parliamentary questions

Citizens Information Services

Pádraig O'Sullivan

51. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will ensure that the Citizens Information Board remains a fully functional service despite the recent changes to the organisation; if she has engaged with the CIB in relation to same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50216/22]

Social Welfare Benefits

Richard Boyd Barrett

52. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will ensure that those on so-called short-term social welfare payments will also receive the Christmas bonus and the one-off cost-of-living support; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50099/22]

Budget 2023

Kieran O'Donnell

53. Deputy Kieran O'Donnell asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide an update on the changes to the fuel allowance scheme as announced in Budget 2023; the additional number of people that will be able to avail of the allowance; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50599/22]

Rural Schemes

Seán Canney

54. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Social Protection if she has had any discussions with the Department of Rural and Community Development with a view to addressing the anomaly whereby some persons on rural social schemes cannot access the fuel allowance due to the fact that they were not in receipt of the allowance when they started on the scheme, especially in light of rising fuel and energy costs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44765/22]

Budget 2023

Alan Farrell

55. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide the details of the implementation of the expansion to fuel allowance eligibility; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49599/22]

Budget 2023

Paul Murphy

56. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will reconsider the failure to increase social welfare rates, in particular for single parents, above the rate of inflation in Budget 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50719/22]

Social Welfare Payments

Aindrias Moynihan

57. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Social Protection the measures that are being taken to deal with the long processing times for carer's allowance; carer's benefit, invalidity pension, disability allowance and additional needs payments applications; the measures that are being taken to deal with the long processing times for reviews on the previously listed applications; the measures that are being taken to ensure no delays in files transferring to the appeals department on all social welfare appeal requests; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50594/22]

Social Welfare Benefits

Thomas Gould

58. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Social Protection if she is increasing resources to reduce processing times of additional needs payment claims. [49678/22]

Food Poverty

Steven Matthews

59. Deputy Steven Matthews asked the Minister for Social Protection the steps that her Department is taking to tackle the issue of food poverty; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50429/22]

Cost of Living Issues

Colm Burke

60. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection when cost-of-living payments scheduled before Christmas 2022 will issue to recipients; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50532/22]

Budget 2023

Alan Dillon

61. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will outline eligibility for the working family payment; and the impact the changes will make to this payment in respect to Budget 2023. [50709/22]

Social Welfare Payments

Neasa Hourigan

62. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Social Protection her response to the Commission on Taxation and Welfare's recommendation that the individualisation of payments made to qualified adults should be progressed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50608/22]

Departmental Policies

Gary Gannon

63. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Social Protection her views on the latest Central Statistics Office figures which state that one in ten households cannot afford to pay for school trips, while 12% of one-parent families cannot afford to pay for them; and the steps that her Department is taking, if any, to counter this. [50748/22]

Social Welfare Benefits

Brendan Griffin

64. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Social Protection her plans for the implementation of the expansion of the fuel allowance scheme for persons over 70 years of age; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50616/22]

Community Employment Schemes

Catherine Connolly

65. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide details of any analysis carried out by her Department into providing support with redundancy payments arising from the closure of local employment services and jobs clubs around the country as a result of the roll-out of the new local area employment services; if her Department has carried out any analysis on redundancies arising from the change to the new local area employment services, and in particular, the number of persons who have been made redundant and their length of service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50746/22]

Cost of Living Issues

Bernard Durkan

66. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the extent to which it continues to be possible to address particularly sensitive issues in respect of family income and the cost of living impact; if she is satisfied regarding the adequacy of her Department's resources to address such circumstances; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50592/22]

Social Welfare Benefits

Rose Conway-Walsh

67. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Social Protection her views on reports of substantial waiting times for supplementary welfare allowance and additional needs payment applications to be processed and paid out; the current estimated processing times for an application to be processed and paid out; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50717/22]

Pension Provisions

Mark Ward

68. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Social Protection her views on the right of community employment supervisors to secure pension entitlements; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50728/22]

Domestic Violence

Fergus O'Dowd

69. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide an update on the social protection supports currently being considered to improve the overall departmental response to domestic abuse situations; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49597/22]

Social Welfare Benefits

Marc Ó Cathasaigh

70. Deputy Marc Ó Cathasaigh asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding her Department’s modelling of the impacts of the increase in the thresholds of the working family payment; the number of additional families likely to be able to avail of the payment; the distributional impact of same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50398/22]

Departmental Policies

Claire Kerrane

71. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide an update on her plans regarding recognising the additional cost of disability; the way that she intends to ensure that this additional cost is reflected within the social protection system; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50415/22]

Disability Services

Holly Cairns

72. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Social Protection her views on the key conclusion in a report (details supplied) that “the levels of disability payments and allowances should be changed to reflect the very different costs of disability by severity and type of disability”. [50327/22]

Social Welfare Benefits

Pauline Tully

73. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will consider reviewing the means test for disability allowance in order that as well as assessing income the application process also takes into account the additional cost of disability; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50600/22]

Cost of Living Issues

Neale Richmond

74. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Social Protection the cost-of-living supports her Department announced in budget 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49689/22]

Community Employment Schemes

Bríd Smith

75. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Social Protection if the current tendering out of a service (details supplied) will be subject to any review or oversight by her Department in terms of its effects on the unemployed and their access to services, or the effects in terms of those employed in providing these services; if the process has resulted in any deterioration in terms of pay and conditions of staff affected, as well as the quality of services provided; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50628/22]

Social Welfare Benefits

Paul McAuliffe

76. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Social Protection her plans to quickly expedite the large number of persons over 70 years who will be eligible for fuel allowance come January 2023 following changes in Budget 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50613/22]

Departmental Policies

Neasa Hourigan

77. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Social Protection her response to the Commission on Taxation and Welfare's recommendation that working-age payments should be reformed to move towards an income-related working-age assistance payment available to all households; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50609/22]

Social Welfare Benefits

Alan Dillon

78. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Social Protection her plans to review the eligibility criteria for carers and provide further financial supports to those who provide full-time care. [50710/22]

Social Welfare Benefits

Niamh Smyth

79. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide an update on additional needs payment applications; if community welfare officers are dealing with an increase in applications at present; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50272/22]

Social Welfare Benefits

Paul Murphy

80. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will reintroduce the Covid enhanced illness benefit given that statutory sick pay will not start until at least January 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50724/22]

Social Welfare Benefits

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill

81. Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will support a matter relating to the working family payment and the closure of a person’s (details supplied) application for renewal; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49481/22]

Cost of Living Issues

Kieran O'Donnell

82. Deputy Kieran O'Donnell asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will outline all of the cost-of-living measures and payments due in 2022; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50598/22]

Public Services Card

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor

83. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Social Protection her plans, if any, to increase staffing resources in INTREO centres to meet demand for public services card appointments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50109/22]

Social Welfare Benefits

Matt Carthy

84. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Social Protection if she intends to amend the income disregard, the eligibility criteria and the schemes which attract the disregard in the means test, for the farm assist scheme. [50587/22]

Pension Provisions

Claire Kerrane

85. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide an update on a State pension solution for long-term family carers given her commitment to providing a solution but no inclusion of such a measure in Budget 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50412/22]

Social Welfare Benefits

Joan Collins

86. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will re-organise community welfare officers back into the community for at least two to three days per week, but preferably permanently (details supplied). [50624/22]

Budget 2023

Colm Burke

87. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection the supports for pensioners announced in Budget 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50531/22]

Nursing Homes

David Stanton

88. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Social Protection if her Department has a policy to take excess payments made in respect of the fair deal scheme into account as a result of over-payment of the State pension (non-contributory); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50363/22]

Social Welfare Benefits

Aindrias Moynihan

89. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will consider expanding the children's allowance payment to include children after the age of 18 years who are still in second level education; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50595/22]

Community Employment Schemes

Sorca Clarke

90. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will consider extending the time allowed on community employment for those aged over 50 years. [50730/22]

Departmental Policies

Paul Murphy

91. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection if she considers that the ongoing cost of disability can be adequately addressed through one-off payments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50723/22]

Employment Schemes

Paul Murphy

92. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection if an access-to-work scheme will be introduced for deaf and hard-of-hearing persons; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50639/22]

Departmental Policies

Cathal Crowe

93. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Social Protection if he proposes to establish a new metric for gathering data on childhood poverty in Ireland; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50384/22]

Childcare Services

Kathleen Funchion

94. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the assistance that he can provide to a service (details supplied) that is currently operating out of a club; if he will provide assistance to the service manager to draw down funding to expand this vital community service and provide much-needed places in the local area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50610/22]

Disability Services

Bríd Smith

95. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the reason that the Government has not ratified the optional protocol to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities which would provide a mechanism for people to challenge when their rights are not being upheld; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51023/22]

Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence

Kathleen Funchion

96. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the support that his Department is giving in terms of personnel, expertise and resources to the Minister for Justice in order that she can fulfil her duties in regard to supporting victims of domestic violence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51017/22]

Disability Services

Verona Murphy

97. Deputy Verona Murphy asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will provide an update on the position of the Government to ratify the optional protocol of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities which would allow people with disabilities to take a case to the United Nations over violation of their rights; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50741/22]

Mother and Baby Homes Inquiries

Catherine Connolly

98. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the status of the development of the mother and baby institutions payment scheme Bill 2022; when the Bill will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50718/22]

Children in Care

Thomas Gould

99. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth the actions that he is taking to increase foster care allowance. [49682/22]

Childcare Services

Neale Richmond

100. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth if he will provide an update on the engagement he has had with childcare providers in Dublin regarding core funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49692/22]