I thank the Deputy for her question and correspondence on this issue. On the nutritional value of school meals, I am very aware of the concerns that have been expressed. It is important to note that each week, parents are provided with a menu of food options and it is the parents who select the food to be served to their children in that week. It is important, in my view, that parents continue to have this role. Second, the menu of food options presented to the parents is required to comply with standards set by the Department. These standards, the nutritional standards for school meals, were developed by a technical nutrition subgroup comprised of dieticians from the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute, the HSE, Safefood, and the Food Safety Authority of Ireland. These standards are available to all schools and suppliers and are publicly available on gov.ie. My Department provides the funding for the meals directly to the school. All schools are responsible for choosing their school meals supplier in a fair and transparent manner in accordance with public procurement rules. These rules clearly define the successful tenderer's responsibilities and obligations, including in particular adherence to the nutritional standards. My Department does not select the suppliers. In that context, if a school were to contract meals on wheels as its supplier, then that would be permitted, subject to procurement, nutrition and the other applicable requirements being met. The Department conducts site visits and inspections in schools to identify if, among other things, the menu options are compliant with the specified standards. I have directed that a review of the scheme’s nutritional standards be undertaken. This will be conducted by a dietician who will be supervised by the Department of Health in co-ordination with the interdepartmental group on school meals. I have asked for a report on those standards be submitted by the end of the year. In the meantime, food that is high in saturated fat, sugar and salt will be removed from school menus by September 2025.
Sentiment score: 0.17
I would certainly be happy to consider that. There would be logistics issues. Some schools feed hundreds of students every day with a range of meal options. It could work, from a nutritional point of view as well, in that locally supplied food is generally healthier in this context. It is something we might even ask the nutrition review to consider as well. Anything we can do to help in the not-for-profit sector in this space, which is doing really amazing work as it is, I would be happy to do.
Sentiment score: 0.36
I join the Deputy in wishing a happy 50th to Balbriggan meals on wheels; it is welcome to the club. I agree with the Deputy. We will certainly have a look at it. The first thing to do is review the nutritional standards. We will complete the roll-out of the school meals programme into every remaining primary school in September. That is a good time to stand back, take stock and see how we can improve it. This is a very substantial investment on the part of the Department. Many of the suppliers are not complete corporate monoliths; they are small local companies as well doing local things. I want to give credit to the local companies in this. We will have a chance to take stock and the issues the Deputy raised are definitely worth reflecting on.
Sentiment score: 0.39
The staff in my Department are acutely aware of the challenges faced by young people who leave care and are available to them to assist with the provision of social protection income and employment supports. The Department's staff engage with a range of stakeholders and advocacy groups working with vulnerable people. For instance in Dublin, staff engage with the Dublin Regional Homeless Executive and in the local network of children and young people's services committees as part of the process of co-ordinating the delivery of supports to vulnerable people, including the group the Deputy has referred to, those leaving care. There is legislative provision that age-related reduced jobseeker’s allowance rates do not apply to young jobseekers who were in the care of Tusla for any period during the 12 months immediately before their 18th birthday. The full standard rate of personal jobseeker’s allowance of €244 per week is payable in these circumstances. With regard to the specific issue mentioned by the Deputy, we operate a person-focused national protocol in conjunction with other agencies to help those who are homeless. Importantly, a person does not need a permanent address to apply for a social protection payment or service or to receive a social welfare payment. Where necessary, short-term rent supplement can be paid by my Department. This scheme provides financial support to people living in private rented accommodation whose means cannot meet their accommodation costs and where accommodation is not available to them from any other source. That could include somebody leaving care on their 18th birthday. Also, additional needs payments are available to assist those who have essential expenses such as rent deposits, rent in advance and household bills that they cannot pay from their weekly income. This full range of supports is available to young people leaving care. We work in conjunction not just with the statutory authorities but with advocacy groups as well to address this. I am more than open to suggestions as to how we tighten this up.
Sentiment score: 0.35
Tusla has a duty under section 45 of the Child Care Act 1991 to make a decision whether each person leaving care has a need for assistance and then to provide services in accordance with the legislation, subject to the resources. On reaching the age of 18, a young person is deemed to have left State care. Young people who have a care history with Tusla are entitled to an aftercare service based on their eligibility and assessed needs. The assessment considers a number of factors, including the young person's educational and accommodation needs. If deemed necessary, Tusla will provide financial support to eligible care leavers who are engaged in a qualifying educational course or training programme. That aftercare allowance amounts to €300 per week. It is dependent on the eligible young adult attending an accredited education course, a third level course or a training programme as outlined in their own aftercare plan. The allowance is provided to cover a young adult's day-to-day costs, including accommodation, as they progress in their chosen course or training programme. I will come back in the next round on the question relating to information.
Sentiment score: 0.37
I thank the Deputy for her question and for raising this issue. As she will be aware, the Social Welfare and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2024 provided for changes to the social welfare means test to exclude child maintenance payments from assessment in all means-tested payments that my Department provides. This was one of the recommendations of the report of the child maintenance review group into the social welfare system. This change to the social welfare means test came into legal effect from June 2024. As a result of this change, the full amount of child maintenance a person receives is no longer being assessed in the means test for any social welfare payment. This change means that people on reduced rates of payment may have seen their payment increase and those who may not have qualified at all up to then may now be able to access a payment. Following the introduction of this change, my Department reviewed approximately 65,000 claims for one-parent family payment and jobseeker's transitional payment in payment. As a result, child maintenance payments were removed from the means assessments of approximately 15,800 people, something we can all agree is a positive measure. The means test or income assessments for other State services, such as the medical card, are a matter for the relevant Minister with responsibility for those payments or services. On foot of our discussions arising from the Deputy’s question, I will highlight what has been achieved in my Department with colleagues in relevant Ministries.
Sentiment score: 0.14
It is incredibly confusing for people when means tests are assessed in different ways for different schemes and services. This is the case even within my Department. There are often valid reasons for this, however. Schemes are being developed to cater for people in different circumstances and who are experiencing different and difficult contingencies. That said, the social protection system does not operate in a vacuum. The means-testing aspects of our social welfare system coexist with means tests in operation across other domains such as health services, education, housing and preschool childcare. It is a matter for each Minister. Based on our experience since last year, however, I intend to highlight and bring to their attention that experience. The report to which I referred did not examine areas outside the Department of Social Protection. That may be something for the incoming social protection committee to reflect on as it begins its work programme.
Sentiment score: -0.03
The Government recognises the additional costs associated with having a disability and is committed to improving outcomes for disabled people. In the programme for Government, we are committed to introducing a permanent annual cost of disability support payment. These commitments will build on progress made in recent years where we have taken steps to recognise the additional costs associated with having a disability. As part of last year's budget, significant supports for people with disabilities were introduced, including: an October 2024 cost-of-living bonus for people in receipt of a long-term weekly social welfare payment; a €400 cost-of-living lump sum payment for people in receipt of disability allowance, invalidity pension or blind pension in November 2024; a €200 cost-of-living lump sum payment to people who are getting a living alone allowance in November 2024; and a €12 increase in the maximum personal rate of weekly disability payments from January 2025. The Indecon report on the cost of disability, commissioned and funded by my Department, found that the extra costs of disability are due to factors including higher costs of healthcare, transport, education and other services that arise because of a higher level of dependence on these services by people with disabilities. The report noted that addressing these costs was not simply a matter of a higher welfare payment but would need to incorporate improvements in services. This report recommended that any additional public expenditure should be targeted on areas where high potential costs are creating hardship, rather than spreading resources thinly. An Taoiseach is chairing a Cabinet committee on disability with a view to driving and monitoring progress on implementing all programme for Government commitments in this area. As part of this work, my Department is examining the best way of delivering an annual cost-of-disability payment within the overall budgetary context. The Deputy can be assured this is a matter I intend to progress during my term in the Department.
Sentiment score: 0.48
I do not have a specific timeline yet but we are working on it. There are a number of different reports on the cost of disability, which have widely varying figures. One of the first things I am trying to do is address and come up with a figure that actually reflects the reality of it. When we have a figure we can work on, we will look at a timeline. From next week, applications for domiciliary care allowance can be made online, which is a small but important change that gives people the chance to avail of that option. I am absolutely focused on this space in order that we can do it in a way that reflects not just the cost but also the pressures that people with a disability and their families are under at this time and in a way that treats them with respect and dignity. It is something we will examine, working through the Cabinet committee on disability, which meets monthly, to come up with a timeline on it.
Sentiment score: 0.22
I will work closely with the committee. It has always been a very collegial committee and has the interests of those with disabilities at heart. I am determined to work with the committee to come up with solutions and reforms. This applies not just to social protection but across services as well. We have a lot of work under way in this space and I hope that by the time we come to the end of our term in government that there will be a lot of positive change in this space.
Sentiment score: 0.38
I had this question down on behalf of Deputy O'Gorman but I thank Deputy Murphy for the question. The carer's allowance is the main scheme by which my Department provides income support to carers. There are currently 99,256 people in receipt of carer's allowance. Expenditure in 2025 is estimated at more than €1.24 billion. In common with other social welfare payments, the primary objective of the carer's allowance payment is to provide an income support to people experiencing a contingency that significantly limits their ability to earn an income through employment. Carer's allowance is means tested under current social welfare legislation. Within the social welfare system, means tests are used as a means of targeting income transfers to those most in need, in a progressive and equitable manner. However, it is also important that income limits used in means tests are calibrated to reflect the ability of recipients to earn income from other sources and, in so doing, reduce their dependence on a welfare payment. In this respect, the income disregards for carers are already the most generous in the social welfare system and are being further improved. This July, the weekly income disregard will increase from €450 to €625 for a single person, and from €900 to €1,250 for carers with a spouse or partner. This means that a carer in a two-adult household with an income of approximately €69,000 will still retain their full carer's payment and even with an income of €97,000 will retain a partial payment. As the Deputy said, the programme for Government commits to continue this process and to significantly increase the income disregards for carer's allowance in each budget, during the lifetime of the Government, with an aim to ultimately phase out the means test during the lifetime of the Government. I will work with my colleague the Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform to give effect to this commitment over a number of budgets. Other supports for carers are also provided by the Department that are not based on a means assessment. These include the carer’s support grant, carer’s benefit and the domiciliary care allowance.
Sentiment score: 0.31
I thank the Deputy. I meant to clarify in reply to Deputy O'Reilly earlier that we are conducting a review of the means test process across all schemes in the Department. Means tests are important but they are how the process is implemented. I look forward to hearing people's views on that. We will engage with the Minister for public expenditure on this issue. He is aware of the commitment in the programme for Government. If we look at the changes that have been made in recent years to the income disregard, they show a direction of travel that we intend to continue. The commitment is there in the programme for Government. It is based on me having the resources to do that and I am determined to fight for those resources on an annual basis during the term of this Government.
Sentiment score: 0.14
The commitment has to be looked at in light of the improvements that have been made in recent years, which I am determined to continue. In the context of the Deputy's final remarks, the long-term carer's contribution scheme was introduced in January 2024. Under this scheme, a person who has been a full-time carer - and yes, the Deputy is right that they are predominantly women - for an incapacitated dependant for at least 20 years, now get long-term carer's contributions that will cover gaps in their contribution record and help them to qualify for a contributory State pension. As part of budget 2025, the carer's support grant was increased by €150 to €2,000. That is the highest rate ever for this grant. As we have also reflected, the carer's allowance weekly income disregard will increase in July from €450 to €625 for a single person and from €900 to €1,250 for a couple. Since June 2022, there has been a cumulative increase of €292.50 for a single carer and €585 for a carer who is part of a couple. We increased the capital disregard in June 2022 so a carer with a spouse or partner can now have capital of up to €100,000. The trajectory of the commitment in the programme for Government is backed up by the changes that have been made over the past number of years. Those kinds of changes and level of commitment to carers will continue.
Sentiment score: 0.35