Dara Calleary
Mayo · Fianna Fáil · Ireland
“Agriculture is the backbone. We have all been in the Mansion House today, or everyone has said they were anyway. Energy security is key and crucial. Everybody wants energy security but nobody wants wind energy. We have to strike a balance and get a real discussion, but food security is most important.”
“While we have gaps there, we are addressing them. The Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, has announced the minor injury units, which will take the pressure off major hospitals and ensure services are available.”
“Recent figures from the CSO show that there is a 5.8% increase in the number of people living in rural areas between 2016 and 2022. In areas classified as highly rural and remote, the increase was 6.4%.”
“Enterprise Ireland is investing in Irish-owned, Irish-founded companies. Similarly, 59% of IDA investments were located outside the Dublin region. We will continue to work, looking at the progress we can make through the IDA, Enterprise Ireland and, as Senator O'Loughlin said, through supporting our local enterprise offices.”
“That is something we do daily and they are used where is necessary. The plan will be supported by ambitious, clear, practical and measurable actions. I have spoken to some of the funding programmes available within my Department.”
“Táim tar éis cuairt a thabhairt ar gach ceantar Gaeltachta chun plé fairsing a dhéanamh leis na pobail sin chun a fháil amach uathu féin cén cineál tacaíochta ar féidir a chur ar fáil dóibh chun cabhrú leo. Táim chun leanúint ar aghaidh leis an obair sin sa bhuiséad le teacht agus na buiséid eile.”
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“I am certainly very aware of the situation and very much acknowledge the work of our branch managers around the country in the delivery of our services. The introduction of auto enrolment in January 26 2026 sought to address the employee pension coverage gap that exists in Ireland in order to provide all employees with greater comfort and security regarding their retirement income. As the Deputy knows, each social welfare branch office is operated and managed under a contract for service by our branch managers. As independent contractors, branch managers do very significant work on a commercial contract for service that is subject to public procurement rules. As is standard in commercial agreements, each branch manager is expected to meet operating costs from within the agreed pricing.”
“Those making these applications deserve that level of support and that level of consistency from medical professionals with regard to the completion of their application forms.”
“It is not tangential. It is really crucial that we get consistency of information and a certain level of information and engagement. I will revert with regard to that. During quarter 1 of this year, nearly 9,000 disability allowance decisions were accepted and approved so we also have to look at the overall approval rate, which continues to be quite high. I will follow up with engagement with the various organisations regarding the consistency of information that is provided. It is important our medical assessors and appeals teams have engagement and consistency around the information that is provided. What the Deputy said was not tangential. It is crucial to the quality of the application.”
“We have tried to ask our team to engage with medical professionals so that there is consistency in the information that is provided. I accept that this is a very difficult process and I do not want to make people's difficult journeys even more difficult but, equally, there is a minimum threshold of information we need to make a decision and we continue to engage with medical professionals in particular in that space.”
“I have emphasised that 60% did not go into an appeals process. There was engagement with the person through that. As I said, in other jurisdictions, the person would be asked to submit an entirely new application. In respect of the 40%, if that decision remained unchanged, the appeal went to a formal determination by the appeals officer. The appeals officer then examined the documentary evidence that was presented and considered the appeal. Where an oral hearing is required, the appellant is generally given up to two or three weeks advance notice. A person can avail of an oral hearing. Regarding going back to the original team and providing extra information, I have drilled into this quite considerably over 15 months as Minister. It is getting about the information, which can be difficult at times, and getting the medical information.”
“By referring the appeal papers back to the deciding team for a review, the process is more flexible. It does not require a person to restart his or her entire claims process. As a result, 606 of the 1,096 disability allowance appeals granted in quarter 1 of 2026, which is about 60%, were made by way of revised decision of the scheme deciding officers.”
“A total of 24% of appeals that were determined by appeals officers were allowed in favour of the appellant with a further 36% awarded by the decisions team without the need to complete the formal appeals process. Taken together, this means that 60% of appeals received had a favourable outcome, which represents about 13% of all disability allowance decisions that are made. It is important to note that where decisions are allowed on receipt of an appeal, this may not mean that the initial decision was incorrect. A decision can be revised because the person making an appeal provides additional information that was not made available when the decision was first made. In other jurisdictions, appellants are not allowed to submit additional information but instead are required to submit a new claim.”
“There is no direct correlation between the number and percentage of disability allowance decisions and the number of appeals that are registered during a particular time period as time differences always apply. This is particularly the case given that appeals regulations that came into effect on 28 April last year are now giving customers 60 days to make an appeal from the date of their decision. This is an increase from 21 days previously. Accordingly, appeals received in January 2026 may refer to decisions that were made in November 2025. However, as an indication of the appeal rate, 8,786 disability allowance decisions were made during quarter 1 of this year with 1,951 appeals being registered in the same period. That represents an appeal rate of approximately 22%.”
“This is the first scheme of this type introduced in the country and I want to ensure we have a very good understanding of its benefits, but also any challenges that may have arisen, inadvertently or otherwise. Once again, it is important to emphasise that any pay-related scheme is funded through increases in PRSI contributions that have already been legislated for.”
“Absolutely. As the Deputy knows, the programme for Government commits to introducing a pay-related parent's benefit and also to exploring other payments where a similar model could be applied. Parental leave and benefit were introduced in 2019. As the Deputy knows, parents can take up to nine weeks of leave in blocks of a minimum of one week in the first two years following the birth of their child. We are now going to examine the experiences from the first year of operation of jobseeker's pay-related benefit to inform thinking on extending pay-related benefits to parental and other benefits. We will be launching a public consultation to capture the views of the wider public on that process at some stage during this year.”
“In this regard, people are basically getting back what they are putting in through PRSI. We will be learning from the jobseeker's pay-related benefit scheme for the lifetime of the Government and considering how a similar pay-related approach might be applied to other schemes.”
“I thank the Deputy. His overview of people's feelings about the scheme is absolutely correct. There are 34,500 claimants of the benefit in the first year, 84% of whom qualified for the higher rates payable. Over half of those who qualified for the higher rates were paid the maximum rate, €450. We have begun an analysis of the first full year of operation, which ended at the end of March. It is too early to identify a trend or pattern from that, but most people are closing their claims before moving to the second tier of payment after 13 weeks. That is welcome and it explains the link to earnings. We will share the full analysis when we have it later in the year. It is important to emphasise that this scheme is funded through the Social Insurance Fund, through people's own PRSI contributions.”
“The jobseeker's pay-related scheme is in its early days. We are closely monitoring its impact and the pay-related approach to a benefit payment. It is still too early to make assumptions about trends or patterns. However, the data so far show that those on the scheme are returning to employment and generally close their claims before decreasing to the second tier of payment after 13 weeks.”
“People with between two' and five years' paid contributions receive 50% of previous earnings, subject to a maximum of €300 per week, for up to 26 weeks. The scheme is demand-led and cost €297 million in 2025. We have provided over €560 million for the scheme in 2026. It is important to emphasise that jobseeker's pay-related benefit costs are funded by the increases in PRSI that have been legislated for. Over 97,000 people have been awarded jobseeker's pay-related benefit within its first year. There are currently almost 34,500 claimants. Of these, the majority, 84%, qualify for the higher rates payable to those with at least five years' PRSI contributions. Over half of those who qualify for the higher rates are being paid the maximum weekly rate of €450 for the first three months of the payment.”
“I thank Deputy McCormack for his question. Jobseeker's pay-related benefit is a new social insurance income support that replaced the jobseeker's benefit scheme for people who became fully unemployed since 31 March 2025. This is a significant reform that brought Ireland in line with many other European countries. Jobseeker's pay-related benefit means that the income support is directly linked to a person's previous earnings. People with five years' PRSI contributions receive 60% of previous earnings, subject to a maximum of €450, for the first 13 weeks. After that, the rate reduces to 55% of earnings, subject to a maximum of €375, for the following 13 weeks. A further 13 weeks sees a payment at a rate of 50%, up to a maximum payment of €300.”
“Our community welfare teams, including the local ones we all engage with but also the central one, through mywelfare.ie , are available to assist people in any given situation. The supports are available and open. Once again, we will make information available on them. With regard to the fuel allowance, an investment of over half a billion euro is very significant.”
“As I said earlier, this year, 2026, we are going to spend €557 million on the fuel allowance. We have extended it to May. It is being paid right until the beginning of May. It has been extended by four weeks and increased by €5 per week. It has been extended to 50,000 people who are on the working family payment. That is a significant extension. In 2020, we spent €290.4 million on the fuel allowance. This year, we will spend €557.4 million. The household benefits package continues to be paid. I am very much open to getting information about additional needs payments out. A household with two children on €45,000 a year can still qualify for an additional needs payment.”
“There is an awareness of the difficulties people are under there, from feedback from Deputies. If the Deputy feels we need to do more in the Cork area in terms of information, we will do that. We have tried to use Oireachtas channels to provide that information; if there are other channels, we will use them.”
“I share the Deputy's concern about the low number. That is why we put in considerable effort, following submissions from the Deputy's colleague, Deputy O'Reilly, and other Deputies in recent months, to bring the community welfare service here. We had a very good afternoon in the audiovisual room a few weeks back. Each community welfare service had a clinic in every part of the country for Oireachtas Members to attend, meet them and get information. We have provided considerable information to every Member in recent weeks about that contact point, the qualification, the means test and so on. I will give the Deputy's office that information again. I want people to avail of these services. We have done a lot of work in relation to feedback about the ESB and, in particular, meters - the so-called pay as you go.”
“We have done a lot of work in recent weeks to connect that service to Oireachtas Members through mywelfare.ie or through the community welfare contact centre.”
“I have a tabular statement for this reply and will provide it to the Deputy separately. It outlines the number of additional needs payments registered and awarded, by category, in County Cork in quarter 1 of 2025 and 2026. In 2025 there were 1,078 awarded in quarter 1, compared with 1,038 in quarter 1 in 2026. The largest number of claims fall into the general category, followed by housing and then clothing. The figures do not reflect the number of claims that have been withdrawn, cancelled or are awaiting further information. Applications are assessed on the basis of identified need, income, available resources and essential expenditure. I would encourage anybody to engage with the community welfare service.”
“Under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme, my Department may make additional needs payments to help meet essential expenses that a person cannot pay from their weekly income or other personal and household resources. This includes supplements to assist with ongoing or recurring costs that cannot be met from the customer’s own resources and which are deemed to be necessary. The main items eligible for assistance include utility bills, repairs to household appliances, clothing, child-related items such as cots and prams, assistance with funerals or burial costs, and travel costs. The reporting of this scheme was revised in 2022 to give more complete information; therefore, the format requested by the Deputy is not available for previous years, including 2019.”
“We will publish the roadmap for social inclusion 2026-30 before the summer recess. That will focus on child poverty. The child poverty unit in the Department of the Taoiseach continues to keep every part of Government focused on this space.”
“Absolutely. I think I have taken it on. We have directed our resources through a €320 million package in this year's budget. My new measures package was €1.2 billion and €320 million of that went specifically to child poverty measures - a 25% increase in child support for children over 12 and 16% for those under 12. They are making a difference. A lone-parent family with one child will have an increase of nearly €1,800 in their payments from the Department this year while a two-adult household will see an increase of just over €2,300. That is a direct difference and is making a difference in weekly payments as we speak. There is the increase in and, particularly, the expansion of the fuel allowance. The working family payment will assist children under the pressure the Deputy outlined.”
“We can take action in the Department of Social Protection but it also requires input from the Departments of children, health, transport and education. That is also happening. We will be in a position to make reports on that in the context of the Taoiseach's office and the roadmap for social inclusion. I will be publishing a new roadmap before the summer recess, which will have a specific focus on child poverty on a cross-government basis.”
“In budget 2026, we introduced record increases in the child support payment, which are making a direct impact for families as shown by the figures I have provided. In relation to a targeted child benefit payment, I want to announce to the House that I am introducing a public consultation, opening next Tuesday, 5 May, and look forward to the input of Members of the House around that. It will be aligned with a consultation on a working age payment. Both payments are aligned and will have impact. We will review what comes back from that consultation. Through the Taoiseach's intervention, we have a child poverty unit in his Department which is driving all of us across government to take the appropriate action.”
“While the impact of some of these non-cash measures will never be fully reflected in poverty statistics, I am confident that, together, they will bring us closer to achieving our target, which I am determined we will meet.”
“Taken together, the increases in core rates, the child support payment and the fuel allowance as well as the recent four-week extension in the payment of that fuel allowance means that a lone parent family with one child will see an increase of over 9%, or nearly €1,800, in payments from the Department and a two-adult household will see an increase of just over 8%, or €2,300, in their payments. Budget 2025 extended the hot school meals scheme to make it available to all primary schools. This additional investment supplements other cross-government supports such as free schoolbooks, free GP visit cards and enhancements to early childhood care and education schemes.”
“Budget 2026 included some of the most significant investments any government has made in tackling child poverty in order to make progress towards our new child poverty target. Budget 2026 contained a €320 million social welfare package specifically to reduce child poverty. Key measures included the largest ever increases to child support payments, with a 16% increase for children under 12 and over 25% increase for children over 12, higher income thresholds for the working family payment and expanded access to the fuel allowance and the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance.”
“I thank the Deputy. The key national metric relating to the measurement of poverty is that of consistent poverty. It records those households who are both at risk of poverty and are experiencing deprivation. It is independently measured by the CSO through the survey on income and living conditions, SILC. SILC 2025, which is based on income data from 2024, was published in March. This shows a reduction in the child consistent poverty rate in 2025, from 8.5% to 7.8%. This is equivalent to an 8% reduction year-on-year. As SILC 2025 is based on 2024 income data, the survey does not take into account Government measures to reduce child poverty that were included in budgets 2025 and 2026.”
“We have the retrofit programmes and various support programmes, but for many older people it is a very big project to take on. I am going to be doing a lot of work in that space.”
“We have made considerable changes to the fuel allowance in recent years. We have considerably increased the disallowance in the context of means. A lot more people have qualified for it. We have gone from €290.4 million in 2020 to €557.4 million in 2026. A total of 470,000 households qualify. We need to do more work on the living alone allowance to cater specifically for the kind of cohorts that the Deputy spoke about. In many cases, for the fuel allowance and somebody living on their own, many people will qualify. We will do some more work around communicating the new means. I will be specifically targeting the living alone allowance to address that kind of cohort of people, particularly those who are left on their own, either by death or separation, with large expenses. The Deputy is absolutely right.”
“I am very conscious of those living of their own and older people living on their own and the very disproportionate bills that they face, oftentimes without any warning or notice. I am going to be very focused on the living alone allowance in the context of budget 2027.”
“Absolutely. The Deputy's question was framed in the context of the fuel allowance, but the living alone allowance would be the payment in relation to those people. It is a payment that I intend to focus on in this year's budget. There is no doubt that people on their own have extensive outgoings, particularly those who may end up on their own following the death of their partner or separation. It is an area that I am going to be very focused on in the context of this year's budget. The proposal to give an automatic entitlement to the fuel allowance for somebody who is over 70 would require significant resources and would take away from my capacity to do something on the living alone allowance, but also de-target some of the necessary element of the fuel allowance which we can target at people.”
“In budget 2026, we allowed those who leave their disability payment to take up employment to continue to receive the fuel allowance for five years after exiting the payment. We do not hold data on household composition to be able to identify where a member of the household is over 70 years of age, and therefore, cannot provide a costing for the measure that is proposed by the Deputy. However, the criteria for the fuel allowance are framed in order to direct the limited resources that are available to my Department in as targeted a manner as possible. Extending the eligibility to include automatic entitlement to the fuel allowance for those over 70 years of age could change the targeted nature of the fuel allowance payment. It would require additional funding and would need to be considered in the context of overall budgetary negotiations.”
“The weekly means threshold for those aged under 66 was also increased by €80, to €200, above the appropriate rate of the contributory State pension. In response to the rise in fuel prices, the Government has approved the extension of the 2025 to 2026 fuel season by four weeks, until the end of this week. This provides an additional €152 to some 470,000 households at an estimated cost of €71.4 million. A number of other important improvements to the scheme have been introduced. In budget 2025, we allowed the carer's allowance to be considered as a qualifying payment for the fuel allowance for the first time. The fuel allowance was extended in budget 2026 to recipients of the working family payment from January 2026.”
“I thank the Deputy for his question. There have been significant improvements in recent years to the fuel allowance scheme, which has resulted in more than 100,000 additional households qualifying for the payment. The budget for the fuel allowance scheme has increased significantly, to €557.4 million in 2026. That compares with €290.45 million in 2020. In January 2023, enhanced fuel allowance measures for people aged 70 or over were introduced. These have since been extended to those aged 66 or older. This included a new weekly means threshold, which now stands at €534 for a single person or €1,068 for a couple. In addition, the amount of capital that is disregarded in the means test was increased from €20,000 to €50,000.”
“We will be prioritising the cost-of-disability payment from the Department of Social Protection in this year's budget but other Departments are going to have to come to the table as well with supports to allow to people to travel, use medical services, access primary medical certs, avail of motorised transport and deal with the various costs that are there. A whole-of-government approach is necessary. We will work closely with the Minister, Deputy Foley, and other Ministers in relation to this.”
“I have absolutely no doubt that the Department of foreign affairs is fully monitoring that situation. Our thoughts are with all of those Irish citizens this morning and with their families here at home. Regarding the Deputy's question, the cost of disability and the challenges facing those with disabilities is not solely a matter for the Department of Social Protection. It is essential for transport costs and employment costs - there are other supports from the Department of Health, obviously - that all of those Departments are part of this conversation. That is our intention and our priority as regards both the summit and the paper that will inform decisions.”
“I encourage people to ensure that they have access to those payments and have engaged with the network in respect of them. We have done a lot of work in recent weeks to make information about those payments available to Members of the Oireachtas so that they can pass it on.”
“I thank the Deputy for his input. We will be having the summit on 13 May, which is next Wednesday week. Following the summit and the consultation process, we will be preparing a paper that will outline the key learnings and any tangible outcomes that support how we deliver in this area going forward. I will work with my colleagues in government in relation to a potential proposal around the eligibility for the payment, who should get the payment and how it should be paid. We will have engagement around that with the committee on social protection. I wish to emphasise that we have made increases this year to the fuel allowance and the weekly rate of disability allowance. Additional needs payments are also available through the community welfare office network.”
“Accessible ways to partake were widely used, with almost 60 submissions made over the phone, 20 received by post and seven by video. I thank all of the contributors, including Members in the Chamber, for taking the time to make a submission to the process. The summit will now be held on Lansdowne Road on 13 May. It will be an in-person event, with online access also available. The summit and the submissions received through the consultation process will help inform the approach to be taken in delivering on our programme for Government commitment.”
“This is being led by my Department, but it should, must and does include other Departments as well as disabled people and their advocates. We have had a series of meetings with a number of organisations, including disabled persons organisations, DPOs, to discuss the structure and content. A public consultation process is also being established on how a cost-of-disability payment can best be achieved. That was launched on Friday, 20 February. It ran for just over six weeks until Tuesday 7 April. I am pleased that there was an exceptional response, with over 1,000 submissions received. Some 87 submissions were from groups and organisations and 12 were from disabled persons organisations and disabled persons representative organisations.”
“Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as ucht na ceiste ar son na ndaoine faoi mhíchumas. Gabhaim buíochas leis as a shuim san ábhar seo. Tá sé ráite sa chlár Rialtais go mbeimid ag seasamh le daoine faoi mhíchumas agus go bhfuil muid ag obair go crua air sin. Supporting disabled people is a key priority for this Government. That is why the programme for Government is introducing a number of commitments to improve the position of people with disabilities, including a commitment to introduce a permanent annual cost-of-disability support payment. Under the National Human Rights Strategy for Disabled People 2025-2030, which was developed with significant input from disability groups and advocates, it was agreed to establish a strategic focus network summit on the cost of disability.”
“We get it, but we also have to be honest. We cannot support all of those pressures, and we have to do this in a manner that is feasible and allows us to respond when the winter comes when energy prices and energy pressures will possibly be worse.”
“I acknowledge that pressure. We see that as well - we are not immune from that - but we also have to be honest with people about our ability to make interventions. We cannot make interventions every few months. There will be an intervention in the context of the forthcoming budget. We have made a €750 million intervention since March in two packages, which has reduced the day-to-day cost of fuel for people and has brought in a targeted extension of the fuel allowance payment, giving people access to the fuel allowance to the beginning of May. This was not previously available to those 469,000 households. Some 500,000 households are benefiting from the households benefits package, which will be paid all year around, including the summer. We will continue to review all of the pressures people are under.”
“That is a very targeted intervention to those 469,000 households in receipt of the fuel allowance. We continue to pay the household benefits package. Over 500,000 households are in receipt of that. That is a direct payment that people can use in relation to fuel and energy supports. We have just finished a run of engagements across the country with Members of the House around availability of additional needs payments. That may be something we can come back to.”
“We have acted. I again emphasise the increase in the fuel allowance and the extra four weeks of the payment bringing it to the end of this week, which is the beginning of the month of May. That has not been done previously. We increased the fuel allowance by €5 per week. As I said, the increase in the fuel allowance is a 32% increase for the 469,000 households that are in receipt of it. For the first time, the fuel allowance is now being paid to working families. Those in receipt of the working family payment were eligible for the fuel allowance. We made a back payment to the beginning of January so that those in receipt of the working family payment received a lump sum for January and February at the beginning of March and now have the benefit of the extension.”
“Combined, the changes in fuel allowance equate to a year-on-year increase of nearly 32%. The fuel allowance is paid to just under 469,000 households across the country. Taken together, the increase in core rates, the child support payment and the fuel allowance mean that, for example, a lone parent family with one child will see an increase of over 9%, or nearly €1,800, in payments from the Department, while a household comprising two adults will see an increase of over 8% percent or €2,300 in their payments. Those increases are significantly ahead of inflation and we will continue to monitor the situation and cost-of-living pressures, including those arising from any developments. I will continue to revert to the House on that.”
“In 2026, my Department will spend €28.9 billion on schemes and services, which includes €1.15 billion in new measures, comprising an above-inflation increase of €10 per week in core rates and a range of targeted supports, including €320 million in measures that are alleviating child poverty. This also includes the largest ever increase in the child support payment. The budget also provided significant support to help households with the cost of heating and other energy bills. The fuel allowance has increased by €5 per week, or 15%. For the first time, families in receipt of the working family payment qualify for the fuel allowance. The Government has also extended the period of time during which the fuel allowance is paid by four weeks to the end of this week.”