Parliamentary questions

Departmental Reports

Claire Kerrane

1. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection when the report of the child maintenance review group will be published; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50416/22]

Citizens Information Services

Cathal Berry

2. Deputy Cathal Berry asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide an update on the implementation of the Citizens Information Board's strategic plan in respect of the use of volunteer staff; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50989/22]

Social Welfare Benefits

Claire Kerrane

3. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide an update on the processing of additional needs payment applications; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50417/22]

Social Welfare Benefits

Danny Healy-Rae

4. Deputy Danny Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason that persons on benefit payments are still not eligible for the fuel allowance. [51021/22]

Cost of Living Issues

Joan Collins

5. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Social Protection when she will publish the child maintenance review (details supplied). [50612/22]

Social Welfare Offices

Ruairí Ó Murchú

6. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Social Protection if additional resources are being given to Intreo centres, in particular community welfare offices, in order to deal with the huge number of additional requests for supplementary welfare and exceptional needs payments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49886/22]

Community Employment Schemes

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor

7. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Social Protection her plans, if any, to review the community employment scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50108/22]

Social Welfare Benefits

Emer Higgins

8. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Social Protection her views on the feasibility of extending child benefit to children who are 18 years or over, but are still in full-time post-primary education; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50309/22]

Personal Public Service Numbers

Paul Donnelly

9. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Social Protection her views on the delay with the issuing of personal public service, PPS, numbers by her Department; and if there are plans to tackle this delay. [49787/22]

Social Welfare Offices

Rose Conway-Walsh

10. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Social Protection the additional resources that were put in place to deal with the surge in applications for supplementary welfare allowance and additional needs payments, given that these are being promoted as a source of additional emergency income for those with increased energy costs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50716/22]

Cost of Living Issues

Emer Higgins

11. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide a timeframe for the introduction of the cost-of-living payments announced in budget 2023 that are due to be issued before Christmas 2022; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50308/22]

Social Welfare Rates

Claire Kerrane

12. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection the way that her Department will ensure that social welfare payment rates are adequate and that the social protection system protects persons from poverty considering the announcement of a €12 increase to the weekly core payment rates in budget 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50411/22]

Social Welfare Benefits

Niamh Smyth

13. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of working family payment applications currently awaiting a decision per county in tabular form; the steps that her Department is taking to clear this backlog; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50271/22]

Social Welfare Offices

Sorca Clarke

14. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Social Protection if additional staff have been recruited or seconded to community welfare sections in INTREO offices to deal with the additional applications for supplementary welfare allowances; and if not, if she plans to bring in additional staff to deal with the extra workload. [50731/22]

Pension Provisions

Neale Richmond

15. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide an update on the auto-enrolment workplace pension scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49690/22]

Energy Prices

Mick Barry

16. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Minister for Social Protection the instructions that have been issued to community welfare officers in relation to people who present to them seeking assistance due to having difficulties in keeping their prepaid gas or electricity meter topped up; the criteria that will be applied to assess claims; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50714/22]

Social Welfare Benefits

Claire Kerrane

17. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will review means testing for the carer’s allowance including a review of the removal of means testing requirements to qualify for these payments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50414/22]

Rural Schemes

Seán Canney

18. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Social Protection if she intends to increase the number of participants on rural social schemes to meet the demand for the services delivered by the rural social schemes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [44769/22]

Pension Provisions

Bernard Durkan

19. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the extent to which she and her Department remain sensitive to any issues arising from the availability of an adequate pension where applicants are factually deemed not to be unable to continue in employment and may not qualify for an appropriate pension on whatever grounds; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50593/22]

Energy Prices

Thomas Gould

20. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Social Protection the way in which additional needs payments will be used to ensure that those with pay-as-you-go electricity meters do not face disconnection this winter. [49679/22]

Social Welfare Benefits

Brendan Smith

21. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will improve the criteria for the free fuel allowance in circumstances where a family member returns to live on a temporary basis with a parent or a sibling who are in receipt of the free fuel allowance and ensure the continuation of this payment where the changed household composition is of a temporary nature; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50388/22]

School Meals Programme

Catherine Connolly

22. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of the review of the school meals programme; the timeline for the completion and publication of the review; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50745/22]

Social Welfare Benefits

Paul Kehoe

23. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Social Protection if her Department will pre-process applications for fuel allowance for new applicants who will qualify in January 2023 as a result of measures included in Budget 2023 to avoid any backlog; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50286/22]

Social Welfare Rates

Paul Murphy

24. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection if she considers that the €2 increase in the qualified child payment is sufficient to tackle child poverty in the context of the cost-of-living crisis; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50725/22]

Social Welfare Benefits

Brendan Smith

25. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Social Protection the proposals to improve the criteria for the free fuel allowance in cases in which a family member, due to housing or domestic difficulties, may return to live with a parent on a temporary basis and that parent normally resides on their own and had been in receipt of free fuel allowance; if she will ensure that such a recipient of this allowance will continue to receive this payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50387/22]

Social Welfare Benefits

Paul Murphy

26. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will bring forward the extension of eligibility for the fuel allowance, currently not due to come into effect until January 2023, given that the cold weather starts long before then; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50722/22]

Social Welfare Rates

Joan Collins

27. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Social Protection the evidence on which she based the increase of €2 per week, 30 cent per day for the qualified child increase for children under the age of 12 years. [50621/22]

Budget 2023

Fergus O'Dowd

28. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide an update on the announcement made to support carers in Budget 2023; if she will also provide an update on plans to allow carers to qualify for contributions for State pensions for the first time; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49596/22]

Social Welfare Benefits

Alan Farrell

29. Deputy Alan Farrell asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons who will benefit from the double payment of child benefit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49598/22]

Legislative Measures

Éamon Ó Cuív

30. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Social Protection if she intends to introduce reforms to social welfare means testing in the Social Welfare Bill 2022; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50319/22]

Pension Provisions

Matt Carthy

31. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Social Protection the intended timeframe to introduce legislation underpinning the provision of pensions to carers. [50586/22]

Community Employment Schemes

Mark Ward

32. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Social Protection the responsibility that her Department has in making changes to the Community Employment Procedures Manual; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50729/22]

Departmental Policies

Marc Ó Cathasaigh

33. Deputy Marc Ó Cathasaigh asked the Minister for Social Protection her response to the Commission on Taxation and Welfare’s recommendation that Government undertakes a regular benchmarking exercise in respect of all working-age income supports including supports for persons who are unemployed, people with disabilities and persons parenting alone, following which multi-annual targets should be set for social welfare rates which provide for regular incremental progress; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50397/22]

Budget 2023

Joan Collins

34. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Social Protection if she has read a post-Budget 2023 analysis (details supplied) that highlights that after the Q4 2022 cost-of-living measures are implemented, a one-parent family with two children, one in primary and one in secondary will face a shortfall of €9.40 and for those with an older child, this rises to €82.73; and if she will address same. [50640/22]

Social Welfare Benefits

Pádraig O'Sullivan

35. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Social Protection if her attention has been drawn to the significant backlog in her Department for the exceptional needs payment that many applicants have been waiting upwards of eight weeks; if she is concerned with this given that it is supposed to be an urgent payment for those in exceptional need; her plans to tackle the backlog; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50215/22]

Departmental Properties

Cathal Crowe

36. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Social Protection her plans, if any, to upgrade the INTREO centre in Ennis, County Clare, or to recruit additional staff for this valued facility; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50382/22]

Social Welfare Benefits

Maurice Quinlivan

37. Deputy Maurice Quinlivan asked the Minister for Social Protection the steps that are being taken to address the backlog in assessments for applicants of the additional needs’ payment and supplementary welfare allowance within the community welfare service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50273/22]

Social Welfare Benefits

Joan Collins

38. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason that the fuel allowance has not been extended to working family payment recipients. [50629/22]

Social Welfare Benefits

Éamon Ó Cuív

39. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Social Protection the rationale behind the method for means testing capital for means-tested social welfare payments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50320/22]

Disability Services

Holly Cairns

40. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Social Protection her views on a key conclusion in a report (details supplied) that “measures to address the additional costs of disability should be based on a multi-faceted approach involving increased cash payments, enhanced access to service provision and specific targeted grant programmes”. [50328/22]

Social Welfare Benefits

Mairéad Farrell

41. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Social Protection if she has given consideration to allowing increased mortgage costs as part of the means test for carers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49482/22]

Community Employment Schemes

Paul McAuliffe

42. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Social Protection her plans to reform the CE and Tús schemes, in order to make them more appealing to potential candidates; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50614/22]

Budget 2023

Bríd Smith

43. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Social Protection if applicants for the fuel allowance under the new threshold guidelines announced in Budget 2023, who will now qualify for the payment from 1 January 2023, will receive the additional grant support of €400 announced for fuel allowance recipients; if not, the additional supports which she intends to provide for such vulnerable persons in the coming months; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50627/22]

Disability Services

Claire Kerrane

44. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide an update on work underway in her Department examining long-term disability income supports; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50413/22]

Budget 2023

Richard Boyd Barrett

45. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will ensure that the €400 one-off payment to those in receipt of fuel allowance is extended to those who will become eligible for fuel allowance with the new means test in January 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50098/22]

Social Welfare Benefits

Brendan Griffin

46. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Social Protection when she expects to be able to provide the bonus child benefit payment to families; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50617/22]

Social Welfare Benefits

Paul Kehoe

47. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will consider removing the means test for the carer's allowance or raising the thresholds to allow more persons to avail of the payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50280/22]

Energy Prices

Mick Barry

48. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Minister for Social Protection the budget that has been allocated to community welfare officers in relation to those seeking assistance due to an inability to keep their prepaid gas or electricity meters topped up; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50715/22]

Social Welfare Benefits

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill

49. Deputy Jennifer Carroll MacNeill asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will detail the specifics of the extension of the working family payment; if there is an estimate of the number of additional families that will now be eligible; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [49480/22]

Cost of Living Issues

David Stanton

50. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Social Protection the timeline for cost-of-living payments issued before Christmas 2022; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50367/22]