Parliamentary questions

Pension Provisions

Robert Troy

21. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Social Protection her assessment of the impact of the Supreme Court's recent decision to award a pension to a widower who was not married but had children with his former partner; if this will have an impact on other retrospective and future cases; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18202/24]

Pension Provisions

Catherine Connolly

22. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Social Protection what value-for-money analysis has been carried out in relation to the different rates of participation in the proposed automatic enrolment pension scheme; the different rates of opt-outs; the different rates of suspension; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18377/24]

Social Welfare Eligibility

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

23. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide an update on her examination of the issues facing kinship carers who receive nominal contributions from birth parents and who may then be prevented from receiving guardianship allowance. [18470/24]

State Pensions

Paul McAuliffe

24. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Social Protection her plans to provide a State pension for those currently in receipt of the increase for qualified adult under their partner’s pension; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18366/24]

Pension Provisions

Niamh Smyth

25. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Social Protection the specifics regarding the pension entitlements being worked on for carers by her Department presently; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18134/24]

Labour Activation Measures

Brian Stanley

26. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Social Protection the amount that was allocated in 2019 to 2023 to companies engaged by her Department in providing labour activation programmes; the number of clients they assisted; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17614/24]

State Pensions

Aindrias Moynihan

27. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Social Protection to allow for caring periods under 20 years to be included for long-term caring contributions for the purposes of the State pension (contributory); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18355/24]

Employment Rights

Brendan Griffin

28. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Social Protection what threshold needs to be cleared for an appeal to be granted by her Department’s appeals office in respect of challenges to decisions by her Department's scope section against employers in relation to findings on bogus self-employment; if applications for appeal are scrutinised, what percentage of appeal applications by employers in respect of scope decisions on bogus self-employment were granted in 2023; the average time such an appeal takes to be heard and decided upon; the number (and percentage) of appeal hearings in 2023 initiated by employers in respect of scope decisions on bogus self-employment, where the appellant subsequently did not present for the hearing; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18381/24]

Poverty Data

Gino Kenny

29. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Social Protection if she is aware that one in five (19.7%) people unable to work due to disability live in consistent poverty, that this is almost four times higher than the national average (5.3%); what measures will she take to lift people with disabilities out of poverty; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9513/24]

Social Welfare Benefits

Violet-Anne Wynne

30. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Social Protection her plans in respect of the means test for the carer's allowance; how she plans on ensuring that more carers can avail of the payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18269/24]

Social Welfare Benefits

Thomas Gould

31. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Social Protection her plans to reform payments to family carers. [18408/24]

Parental Leave

Paul Murphy

32. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will allocate funding to extend paid parental benefit to cover at least the first year of a child’s life; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18330/24]

Social Welfare Appeals

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

33. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection whether she is aware of the substantial discrepancies that exist between initial applications for domiciliary care and the level of success of appeals with regard to same; and what she intends to do to address this. [18473/24]

Departmental Bodies

Jennifer Murnane O'Connor

34. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Social Protection when we can expect to know the findings of the interdepartmental working group between her Department and the Department of Health concerning a reform of the disability payments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18079/24]

Employment Support Services

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

35. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide an update on the tender for EmployAbility which was due to be published in April 2023; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18471/24]

Disability Services

Gary Gannon

36. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Social Protection how the green paper on disability reform will impact students in higher education receiving disability payments. [9087/24]

Employment Support Services

Matt Carthy

37. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will review the position regarding the mandatory retirement age for participants on the job initiative scheme to ensure that those who wish to can remain on the scheme past the State pension age. [17717/24]

Social Insurance

Paul Murphy

38. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection if she is concerned at the impact proposed cuts to employers’ PRSI will have on the Social Insurance Fund; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18331/24]

Social Welfare Payments

Pauline Tully

39. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will consider altering the Social Welfare and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2024 to apply the reduced rate of social welfare payments to Ukrainian people who arrive after a particular date instead of the current approach of connecting the reduced payment to new designated centres; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18412/24]

Social Welfare Eligibility

Thomas Gould

40. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Social Protection whether ME is eligible for disability allowance. [18407/24]