School Accommodation
6. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Education if she will provide an update on the additional school accommodation application by a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8152/25]
I want to make a big push in support of the additional school accommodation application that has been made to the Department by Scoil Seanáin Naofa, better known in my locality as Clonlara National School. Last September I brought the principal, Donnchadh Kelleher, and the chairman of the board of management to meet with the then Minister, Deputy Foley. Subsequent to that, there has been correspondence over and back with the building unit in the Department. Now is the time to approve it. The school is in a decrepit state. It is desperately in need of new accommodation. I hope the Minister can try to progress it.
I thank Deputy Crowe very much for the question on Clonlara. I can confirm to him that the Department is in receipt of an application for funding for major capital works from the school in question. The application has been assessed under the Department's additional school accommodation, ASA, scheme.
For background, since 2020, the Department has invested more than €5.7 billion in schools throughout the country, involving the completion of more than 1,150 school building projects, with construction currently under way on approximately 300 other projects, which includes 40 new school buildings, some of which are being delivered in phases. The 300 projects currently at construction involve a total State investment of more than €1.3 billion.
Between projects currently under construction and projects moving to construction in this latest phase, investments by the Department of Education are adding more than 550,000 sq. m of new and modernised capacity to the school estate. This is a record level of investment in school buildings and is testament to the priority the Government has and is placing on educational investment. It will expand the number of school places, significantly increase provision for special education, and upgrade and modernise school infrastructure. The impact of this will be felt in communities the length and breadth of the country.
Following a site visit by the Department of Education, I am pleased to advise the Deputy that the accommodation brief for a significant extension at the school has been approved by the Department. The accommodation brief will include replacing some existing accommodation to provide new modern facilities and increased capacity for the school. The school authority notified my Department last week that it welcomes and accepts this project brief. The next steps will involve finalising the formal project brief, which will then enable the school authority to be approved to commence the procurement process for the design team.
I thank the Minister State for that. That is indeed a very positive update. The school has applied for the replacement of its old prefab classrooms. In total, there are five classrooms in an older block of the school that was built in 1968. The school has applied to the Department to replace these and provide a new staffroom and entrance area. The classrooms are small, draughty, cold and damp. The walls are decaying on the roof has perished. I have first-hand experience of some of these classrooms because, as the Minister of State knows, I taught for 16 years prior to my election to the Dáil. During the Covid pandemic, when there were staff shortages due to illness, I did a couple of unpaid subbing days in the school. I was in one of the old classrooms. The wind howls around it and the walls are actually buckled because they are so old. Some of the windows have dislodged from where they were first fixed. The classrooms need to be replaced. What we are hearing today is really positive but there needs to be an acceleration because, when I think of the beautiful new schools I see around the country, I note Clonlara school is not one of them. Its classrooms are not fit for teaching in and the staffroom is not fit for the staff. It does not fit the modern curriculum. While there is good news, acceleration is needed.
There is no doubt that when lived experiences of being and working in the classrooms is brought to the floor of the Chamber, it brings the matter very much to life in the political forum.
Clonlara school applied for major capital works. An application is assessed following the site visit by the Department’s technical team. A brief of accommodation was issued to the board of management. This brief included the proposal for the demolition of the 1968 school building, which was poorly insulated and lacks direct internal connections to the old facilities, and for removing all prefabs currently on site once the additional accommodation is delivered. The proposed brief of additional accommodation consists of seven mainstream classrooms, three special education tuition rooms and two education classes. Currently, no SEN class is open. The proposed brief was issued by the Department and the board of management very recently accepted this proposed brief of accommodation. The next steps will involve finalising the formal project brief, which will allow the school authority to be approved to commence the procurement process for the design team.
I thank the Minister of State. This is really good news. I am aware that representatives of Clonlara school are watching this morning. This amounts to a new school, but, for all the reasons I have outlined, it is desperately needed.
There is also an inaccessibility issue because, as one notes if coming in the main doors of the school or going down the corridor, the school is built on two levels. It is a split-level building and there is a very precarious ramp. In the past, there were children who had to use wheelchairs to get up and down it. That is not the case within the current enrolment but the ramp is precarious and nowhere near compliant with building regulations. It needs to be addressed.
There are other issues also, including accessibility to the PE curriculum. We cannot eat up all the school’s open space when we eventually build the new building. Overall, however, the development is positive. I thank the Minister of State and the Minister, but I thank the previous Minister, Deputy Foley, in particular. On 13 September last, she met me and two representatives of the school in Mungret, County Limerick. Subsequent to that, there were visits by the Department. It is going well. The school will be delighted to accept the brief but acceleration the project is key.
I thank the Minister of State and Minister and wish them the best of luck in their new positions.
I thank the Deputy. I accept the point. In the departmental documents, it is clearly stated there is no direct internal connection to other facilities. The Department clearly understands the challenges in Clonlara. What we have to do now is ensure the project proceeds through the various stages so the building can be got up and running. I commit to working with the Deputy to ensure this happens in a timely fashion.
Education Welfare Service
7. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education the current number of full-time equivalent educational welfare officer positions across Ireland, by county, in tabular form; the number of these positions currently vacant; the timeline for filling these vacancies; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8491/25]
What is the current number of full-time equivalent educational welfare officer positions across Ireland, by county? How many of these are currently vacant? What is the timeline for filling the vacancies? Will the Minister make a statement on the matter?
I acknowledge the work and role of the educational welfare officers who work within the educational welfare service. Their key focus and objective is to ensure every child attends school regularly and receives the minimum education to which he or she is entitled to and deserves. It is a really important role, particularly given that the rate of absenteeism has increased significantly since Covid. It has increased not just at primary level but also at post-primary level. In DEIS areas in particular, there has been an increase. At post-primary level, there has been an increase, but at primary level the increase has been almost 42%. Therefore, almost one in two children is missing more than 20 days. We need to address that. I am absolutely committed to doing so. Educational welfare officers have a key role to play in this. They work as part of the Tusla education support service, which includes the welfare service. Only recently has it fallen under the remit of my Department, but I believe this is the appropriate place for it to sit. There is a considerable amount of work under way. The service works not only with children and young people but also with parents and families experiencing difficulty with school attendance.
The number of education welfare officers has increased significantly since 2021, from around 90 to 154. Also, there has been the restructuring of the various regions. There are now six regions based on child population and they are fully aligned with the Tusla regions. The officers are assigned to schools, not just counties, so there will be a cross-county aspect at times. There is flexibility in the assignment of schools to officers to ensure an effective and efficient service across the country.
The 154 officers working across the six regions are supported by regional managers. There are 21 teams operating across the regions, supported by a senior welfare officer. Among the 154 educational welfare officers, who are whole time equivalents, are 23 officers who provide services to the most vulnerable children.
There are 23 vacancies at present. I stress that 34 new positions were sanctioned only last year. Some of them have been filled and there are ongoing competitions to fill the remainder. I fully expect the positions to be filled. The Deputy can see the significant increase and the priority being attached to this matter, for the very obvious reasons I have mentioned.
I thank the Minister. She mentioned the rate of chronic absence from schools has more than doubled after Covid. More than a quarter of primary schoolchildren and more than a fifth of secondary school students missed at least a month of school days during the 2022–23 school year. As the Minister said, the figure is even higher in disadvantaged areas, with 42% of children attending DEIS primary schools having missed 20 days or more during the 2022-23 school year.
I welcome the increase in the number of officers and agree they have an important role to play. The reason I am asking my question is that school leaders recognise the importance of the role and are appreciative of it and also recognise there are absences. When they seek support, it is not available. When does the Minister expect the recruitment to be completed? When does she expect the positions will be filled?
Regarding the 23 vacancies, 34 positions were approved only last year, so there is obviously momentum. I expect the posts to be filled within this year. The vast majority of counties have zero vacancies. My county, Meath, has zero, as do Tipperary, Wexford, Kerry, Mayo, Clare, Kilkenny, Laois, Offaly, Cavan, Roscommon, Monaghan, Carlow, Longford and Leitrim. They have also their positions. In other counties, there are one or two vacancies. Dublin has a higher vacancy rate. I note there are challenges in general when it comes to filling positions but we are absolutely committed to filling those.
There is a really strong plan in place. We are two years into it now. It is being led through the Tusla education support service. There is a five-year action plan to consider specifically how we can improve school attendance. That includes the work of the education officers and the school completion programme. I have already asked my officials to ascertain where the work already done is showing positive results and incorporate the work into our development of DEIS+ but also account for the OECD report of last year that considers disadvantaged areas so as to put forward a very clear plan for the coming years to support, in particular, young people who are more disadvantaged, who we see are spending fewer days in school.
I thank the Minister. I believe she will be providing me with the figures. I realise providing figures in tabular form does not always work well when taking oral questions.
I am also hearing from school leaders that there has been a shift in protocol in terms of the expectations and demands of schools before Tusla educational welfare officers are engaged. From some of my engagement with school leaders, I have learned this puts an additional burden on schools that they do not have the capacity for. It is not an improvement on the previous experience, whereby they could engage earlier. Could the Minister look into that? I am sure she has heard about it.
It may be a matter of tweaking the protocol and ensuring there is better engagement. Perhaps when some of these posts are filled, it might fill some of the gap. We need to ensure that the system works well and there is a fair level of responsibility between Tusla and the individual schools.
I thank the Deputy. There are often varied and complex reasons why a young person is not in school or needs support from an education and welfare officer. The only way we can deal with this is through everybody working together. That means the schools working with the programmes provided by the Tusla education support service. There is also an opportunity outside of school. I see a real opportunity, now that responsibility for youth is passing to the Department of Education, to provide out-of-school-hours support to create that link and to make it even stronger, but also to provide extra supports for our teachers and schools. That is where DEIS plus and the expansion of the programme that is positively impacting many young people's lives is vital. We must ensure that we identify at the earliest possible stage the challenges that young people are facing, what is going on at home and how we can provide extra resources, and, importantly, how we can work with parents and families to be able to provide wraparound support and services. There is a role for everybody, including our schools and school leaders, our education and welfare officers and our school completion programme, in the overall development of our DEIS plan to ensure it all fits and works well together.
Education Policy
8. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education how she intends to deliver on the programme for Government commitment to expand opportunities for students to attend Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí; if it is her commitment, as it was her predecessor’s, to “work towards doubling the number of young people currently in Irish-medium schools” (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8490/25]
How does the Minister intend to deliver on the programme for Government commitment to expand opportunities for students to attend Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí? Is it her commitment, as it was her predecessor's, to work towards increasing the number of young people currently in Irish-medium schools, as was committed to in the previous programme for Government but is not committed to in the current programme? Will she make a statement on the matter?
Go raibh maith agat, a Theachta, as an gceist sin a chur. As the Deputy rightly mentioned, there is a commitment in the programme for Government to expand opportunities for pupils and students to attend Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí. I intend to prioritise the publication of a new policy on Irish-medium education outside of the Gaeltacht. The policy, together with an action plan, is currently being developed and I intend to bring it to Government for approval in the coming months. This has come about following a significant amount of stakeholder engagement and I have asked my officials to examine how we can create more opportunities for children and young people to receive their education through the medium of Irish. Engagement and collaboration with the Irish-medium education sector will be key to progressing this. Under this policy, we will work with key stakeholders to examine opportunities and support more children to receive their education as Gaeilge.
By way of information, over the past five years the amount of capital investment in Irish-medium schools is €405 million, which is significant. Of course, we all want to see more. I also intend to launch a survey of primary school communities in the coming months. We have been working through the survey and hope to announce it shortly. This survey will ensure that we have a better picture. It is important to get a picture of the needs, what it is that parents and students want, so we can plan for the future. It is planned that the survey will ask parents for their preference for the primary language of educational provision in their school, whether it is to be provided as Béarla or as Gaeilge. The results of the survey will help us to plan how we will provide education at primary level into the future. This initiative, along with other work, will help to identify the opportunities for increasing Irish-medium provision at primary and post-primary level.
This is all about ensuring that parents have a choice. If parents want to send their children to a school that is English-speaking or Irish-speaking, we want them to have that choice within their communities and in the vicinity of where they live. For that to happen, we need to have a clear picture and the survey will, therefore, be very important. A considerable amount of stakeholder engagement has happened to date and that will feed into the policy. That will be important to our ability to plan and project.
What is needed is action. I appreciate the action plan and the survey have roles in that regard. I emphasised in my question a number of pieces that were included in the previous programme for Government but are not included in the current one, including increasing the emphasis on spoken Irish in the classroom, working towards the doubling of the number of young people currently in Irish-medium schools, providing a comprehensive policy for the Irish language from pre-primary level to teacher education for all schools, and increasing supports to An Chomhairle um Oideachas Gaeltachta agus Gaelscolaíochta. I hope the commitment is still there and that we see it in an action plan, along with a range of other measures. Most importantly, I hope those measures are actioned.
Sinn Féin will bring a comprehensive motion relating to Irish-language education to the Dáil next week. I hope there is a lot in that for the Minister to take and run with. There is enormous opportunity. We all benefit. There is a richness to an Irish-language education that our children have a right to.
I thank the Deputy. In order to inform the development of the policy, there has been a comprehensive public consultation and it is important that we get the views of all stakeholders who have a say in this. That is key to informing what we do next. One of the issues that has been raised with me regularly relates to the development of Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí. We need to cast the net a bit wider and consider a greater number of feeder schools to be able to determine whether there is a requirement in an area. That is something I have asked my officials to examine. That takes into account a lower number when it comes to the projections for our schools. Some 600 are required for post-primary but when it comes to Gaelcholáistí, the relevant number is 400. There is an acknowledgement that there is not the same level of demand, but at the same time, there is significant demand there.
It is also not just about the buildings but is about ensuring that we teach the language in the best way possible. We have seen changes to the junior cycle specifications. There are currently significant reviews happening to see how that is working and how it is benefiting young people. When it comes to the senior cycle, an enormous amount of work is happening to ensure that when there is change to tranche 4, it can be rolled out in the best way possible.
I thank the Minister. It is all about action on this issue. In the area the Minister and I represent, there is appetite for this. In south Meath are Gaelscoil na Rithe, Gaelscoil Thulach na nÓg, Gaelscoil na Mí and Gaelscoil na Cille. There is a thriving Irish-language community at primary level and yet while we repeatedly built secondary schools in that area, none of them have been Gaelcholáistí. There is a real job of work to ensure that avenue is there for students.
Referring again to the area the Minister and I represent, and it is reflected in other areas, there is a challenge for níonraí to sustain themselves and to be supported to ensure that our children have a pathway from pre-school to secondary school and third level. There is a big opportunity. I would like to think that this Government will make progress on the issue. It will certainly have willing co-operation from us in the Opposition.
I am committed to ensuring that parents, students and young people have that choice. In our county of Meath, we can see the huge number of developments and, in particular, the number of Gaelscoileanna that have been built in recent years in the south of the county. We also have established Gaeltacht areas, of which we are all proud. When children go to post-primary school, I want them to have the choice of moving to Gaelcholáistí. That is why the plan is important to ensure we have the right structures in place and an understanding of what is needed. The survey will feed into that and help us to discover the demand at primary level. That then helps to feed into the post-primary level. There is work to do. I am committed to working with all stakeholders and, in particular, ensuring that we support our níonraí, teachers and parents to make the right choices for them and their families. When children are in school, we must ensure the best possible curriculum for them. That is why the reform of the junior cycle and the review of it is important. As we progress the senior cycle review, it is important we get it right and work with stakeholders.
School Accommodation
9. Deputy Michael Murphy asked the Minister for Education the status of the delivery of a complete modular build of 18 classrooms with facilities to meet the accommodation crisis at a school (details supplied). [6191/25]
I ask the Minister for an update on the delivery of a completely new modular build of 18 classrooms with facilities to meet the accommodation crisis at Scoil Aonghusa national school in Cashel, County Tipperary. This centre of excellence has been waiting since 2015 to proceed to design and planning stage. The current situation is having enormous implications for the 150 students with complex special needs who attend this school. As the Minister knows, this has been my number one priority since entering this Chamber. It is also a key priority for my colleague at local level, Councillor Declan Burgess.
I thank the Deputy. The expansion of capacity at special schools is an important priority for me, the Minister of State, Deputy Michael Moynihan and my Department.
I know this is an absolute priority for the Deputy and indeed for Councillor Burgess. Both of them have raised this consistently with me. The Deputy raised it when he became a Member of the House and when I entered this position. I wanted to acknowledge that and his support for this school.
My Department has been working closely with the school in question on an ongoing basis to assess its accommodation requirements with respect to classrooms and ancillary accommodation to determine the most appropriate delivery mechanism for meeting that overall need. As part of that process, my Department’s team have undertaken a number of site visits to the school and met the school authority. Back in 2023 the Department approved the provision of modular accommodation of four classrooms for the school in question to cater for its immediate needs and I am pleased to say this accommodation was completed in 2024. Following analysis by my Department and engagement with the school authority, I am pleased to confirm the accommodation brief for the remaining 14 classrooms and associated ancillary accommodation has recently being issued to the school authority for its approval. My Department considers that this accommodation could be delivered for the school with the support of the project managers under the Department’s timber frame modular framework. As this is a very significant project that will add capacity and transform facilities for the school my Department will engage extensively with the school leaders to ensure we can roll this out as soon as possible.
The Deputy will also be aware my Department will be establishing a new special school in Nenagh as part of its broader forward planning for additional special school places. To my colleague's comments earlier, it is vital every child had access to the education they are entitled to in the place they want it to be in, as far as possible, but also that they get the supports they need. This school is vital to that in the Deputy's county, but there is an acknowledgement more needs to be done not just in Tipperary but across the country as well. We are absolutely committed to providing that support, that expansion and that important education.
I welcome that confirmation. It is a huge boost to everybody involved in the centre of excellence that is Scoil Aonghusa. I acknowledge all the team in the school who do such fantastic work that creates such a positive environment for these young students to reach their maximum ability in. The board met on Tuesday night last and obviously welcomed this approval. As I said, they have been waiting for this since 2015. I think some further clarity is being sought. There are 24 teaching posts in the school. Only six existing classrooms adhere to the departmental specification so there is some back and forth between the board and the Minister's officials. It is approximately 18 classes versus 14. I ask the Minister to follow up with her officials so we can get that additional clarity around the number of classrooms.
I understand the provision of the modular accommodation of the four classrooms was to cater for the immediate need but that it is included and is part of the 18, so the need is 18 and that is the absolute commitment by the Department. It will obviously take time as this will require planning. The most important thing now is we can move on to those stages and then get to construction so students will benefit from this as soon as possible.
As I have mentioned, of the 124 special schools nationwide, four special schools are new for this school year where further capacity will be added into the overall system. A further five have been established for the 2025-26 school year in counties Cork, Dublin, Monaghan and Tipperary, specifically in Nenagh, as I mentioned. This will bring to 16 the number of new special schools opened in recent years. Of course, my Department will be only to happy to continue to engage with the school and the principal on support needed. I acknowledge their work and the unbelievably positive impact they are already having on many young children, and have had in the past. It is important they are supported with the right environment to be able to provide that important learning.
I thank the Minister. As I said, I am conscious we are talking about a physical building but of course Scoil Aonghusa and many other special schools around the country are so much more than that. They are the positive environment in which our children, especially children with special needs, can reach the maximum of their ability. I wish to acknowledge in the Chamber the principal and her amazing team of teachers, nurses, ancillary staff, the board, volunteers and everybody associated with Scoil Aonghusa. Will the Minister consider visiting the school at the earliest opportunity? We have another centre of excellence in the area of special needs in Scoil Chormaic in Cashel. I ask the Minister to visit both schools at the earliest opportunity. I welcome this approval. It is a huge boost to everybody involved in the centre of excellence that is Scoil Aonghusa.
I would be happy to visit and would certainly love to meet the whole school community and see at first-hand the wonderful work that is being done. I stress it is the intention of the Minister of State and I to get to a position where we have the capacity we need for every young child to be able to attend school, to attend a school that is most appropriate for them and that this can be done in the most timely manner so that at the same time of the year every child, irrespective of where they are going to school, will know where they are going, when they are going and will have time to plan. I am aware one of the biggest at the moment is ensuring parents know well in advance where their children are going and that they have that appropriate space. There is a lot of work happening through the NCSE, the expansion of its teams, the development of our SENOs and the huge capital investment. That work will continue as a priority so every parent and every child are supported.
Question No. 10 taken with Written Answers.
Scoileanna Gaeilge agus Gaeltachta
11. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Education her views on the importance of promoting the provision of Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7382/25]
Is í mo cheist chun an Aire inniu ná faoin tábhacht a bhaineann leis an nGaeloideachas, na Gaelcholáistí agus Gaelscoileanna a chur chun cinn. I am wondering about the Minister's views on the importance of promoting the provision of Gaeloideachas, Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí. I ask her to make a statement on the matter.
Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as an gceist sin a chur. I fully support the important role Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí play in the promotion of the Irish language. We have committed very clearly in the programme for Government to expand opportunities for pupils and students to attend Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí, to establish more Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí where there is demand and also, of course, to support parents choosing Irish-medium education for their children as well as supporting our naíonraí and our teachers who are providing this wonderful education.
I intend to prioritise the publication of a new policy on Irish-medium education outside the Gaeltacht in the coming months. One of the key objectives of this policy will be to consider actions we can take to increase the overall provision of Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí. In order to inform the development of the policy a comprehensive public consultation process was conducted to gather the views of various stakeholders, which of course includes children and young people. Sealbhú, a research centre in DCU, also carried out an analysis of the information gathered throughout the consultation, as well as a review of national and international literature. The draft policy framework was discussed at a consultation event held in September 2024 and stakeholders identified the provision of Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí was a key issue. I will bring this new policy, together with an action plan, to Government for approval in the coming months. I hope it will be September. In developing the policy I have asked my officials to consider in particular the priorities that have been identified by stakeholders during the consultation process. These are being examined in light of existing provision for Irish-medium education, looking at estimated demand in the education system, as well as questions about teacher supply, the Department’s budgetary and legislative context and whether there is more we need to do in that regard. Tá mé ag súil go mór leis an obair thábhachtach seo a chur chun cinn.
I appreciate both the Minister's commitment and the commitment in the programme for Government to Gaeloideachas. There is a huge need. The Minister referred to providing more Gaelscoileanna and Gaelcholáistí where there is demand for it. I assure her there is demand for it, and I will come back to that in a second. There are, as far as I know, only 79 Gaelcholáistí in the country and 291 Gaelscoileanna. We only have two Gaelscoileanna and two Gaelcholáistí in my constituency of Dún Laoghaire, namely Coláiste Íosagáin and Coláiste Eoin, which are colocated on a campus in Stillorgan. The two Gaelscoileanna are Scoil Lorcáin and Gaelscoil Phádraig in Ballybrack. The latter requires resettlement to a site in Ballyowen Meadows. The school is waiting for a survey to be done on that and I hope the Minister will also progress that matter for it.
It is clear from the statistics we have many more Irish-medium primary schools than post-primary schools. We will be conducting a survey shortly with primary schools to get a clear assessment of whether we have that figure right or whether we need to do more. I want to ensure that will feed into the possible demand and increased need for post-primary schools or Gaelcholáistí. It is about providing choice. It is about ensuring those who wish to study through the medium of Irish and whose parents wish to choose that their child goes to a Gaelscoil have that choice and have that choice in their area. I mentioned earlier something that comes up regularly with me, or has done in the past number of weeks on this issue, is that there potentially needs to be a greater catchment area and number of feeder schools when we are looking at the criteria for whether there is a demand for a school or Gaelcholáiste in an area.
As I said, it has been assessed at a lower number when it comes to the overall school population that is required, namely 400, 600 to 1,000 for a post-primary school set up not through the medium of Irish, but that is what the overall review is examining and the engagement has discussed. I hope to set out whether there will be any changes in the months ahead.
That is exactly the issue that has led me to ask this question, namely the criteria and how the Department assesses whether there is a demand. In my constituency, as I said there are two Gaelcholáistí colocated, Coláiste Íosagáin and Coláiste Eoin, but there is an enormous demand because although there are only two Gaelscoileanna in the adjacent areas - it must be remembered that in Dublin constituencies there are more condensed geographic areas - there is a demand for secondary education trí mheán na Gaeilge.
In Cherrywood in south Dublin, a site is earmarked for a school. As far as I know, planning and everything else has been done. The Department has yet to decide on the patronage for the school. The problem is that if the Department uses a narrow geographic criteria which it currently uses, it will only ask the community immediately adjacent to Cherrywood. Of course, Cherrywood is on the Luas and is at the end of many bus lines. Therefore, there is easy access to the area for a much wider geographic community. I need the Department to look at wider criteria and the widespread community of people whose children are in Gaelscoileanna nó a labhraíonn Gaeilge sa bhaile so that they can be included in those criteria.
I am aware that there has been engagement in the Cherrywood area, not just regarding primary but also post-primary schools. Decisions are yet to be made. The most important thing is that we do everything we can to provide choice and opportunities for young people. That is exactly what I am committed to.
The programme for Government sets out very clearly that we need to do more. As I mentioned in an earlier response, it is not just about the buildings; it is also about making sure we support our teachers and school leaders and that the curriculum is modern and supports young people in the best way possible. Young people enjoy learning Irish and we can have more fluent speakers where possible, if that is what is wanted by our student population. All of the work that is being done at the moment will feed into the new plan I hope to publish in September. I look forward to engaging with the Deputy and other colleagues on that.
Questions Nos. 12 and 13 taken with Written Answers.
Pupil-Teacher Ratio
14. Deputy Eoghan Kenny asked the Minister for Education her plans to reduce the pupil teacher ratio to 19:1 in the lifetime of this Government; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8312/25]
I ask the Minister to outline her plans to reduce the pupil-teacher ratio to 19:1 over the lifetime of the Government. It is an important question. As the Minister knows, a lot more work is feasible in a classroom if a teacher has a smaller number of pupils.
I thank the Deputy. The most important thing is that we continue to invest in our schools and support our teachers to be able to provide the best education possible. We know in certain settings that the fewer pupils there are, the more targeted a teacher can be and the greater attention and focus they can give to pupils. In that regard, the Government is investing a record €11.8 billion in education and schools through our budget for this year alone. I of course hope to see that figure increase in the coming budget and will work towards that.
This record level of investment has allowed the Government to invest in tackling educational disadvantage and supporting those with special educational needs to achieve their full potential. It has enabled huge investment in the school buildings programme, curriculum reform, school leadership and continuous professional development. As the Deputy said, the programme for Government commits to aim to reduce the general pupil-teacher ratio at primary level to 19:1 over the term of this Government and introduce targeted measures in schools with very large classes. This will build on the progress made by the previous Government.
The general average of pupils to teachers in the primary staffing schedule improved from 26:1 five years ago to 23:1 for the current school year. Average class sizes in primary schools have improved from 24.1 to 22.5 through the investment we have made. The Department’s primary staffing schedule is the key factor in determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level. This school year, the primary staffing schedule operates on a general average of 23 pupils to every one teacher, which is historically the lowest ever ratio of pupils to teachers at primary level. More favourable ratios were implemented for DEIS urban band 1 schools. This happened for important reasons, so that measures can be as targeted as possible for children.
The numbers employed in our schools have now reached the highest level ever. This is important if we want to continue to reduce the overall pupil-teacher ratio. Teacher numbers at primary level have increased by over 5,600 between 2018 and 2024. This has led to a steady improvement in the pupil-teacher ratio and average class size statistics during this period. I will respond further.
I thank the Minister and appreciate her response. I want to work with the Minister and Minister of State, Deputy Moynihan. Ultimately, the Department is trying to benefit students. The most important people across the country are those who need a good education and start in life. We have serious issues when it comes to the number of teachers in our classrooms. That is firsthand knowledge. This issue ranges across not just the Department of Education, but other Departments.
One of the biggest issues for teachers is housing, followed by the cost of childcare and cost of living. I know that goes outside of the Minister's Department, but the lack of affordable accommodation and childcare are real concerns for many teachers.
We do not have the necessary school accommodation. Last week, the Minister outlined to me the amount of money that has been spent since 2020, but the reality is that we still do not have that accommodation. Classes across the country are being taught in prefabs. I ask the Minister to investigate the number of prefabs that are being used and the level of additional accommodation that is necessary in schools in order to move forward with the reduction in the pupil-teacher ratio.
Thankfully, we have a growing young population and it is important that our investment in our young people and education grows with us. That is why we have seen the capital budget increase and have the highest overall education budget. That has allowed us to make the progress I referenced when it comes to reducing pupil-teacher ratios and increasing the number of teachers.
In 2016, the ratio was improved by one and went from 27:1 to 26:1 and then 25 to 1. Budget 2022 allowed us to reduce the ratio to 24:1. Budget 2023 allowed us to bring it down to the lowest it has been, namely 23 pupils for every one teacher. My intention is that we continue in that positive direction and with the momentum that has been gained.
In order to do that, we need to make sure we have the teachers to be able to do it. We need to make sure we continue to increase the numbers registering with the Teaching Council. There has been some 30% of an increase in the past number of years, which is positive. As the Deputy said, we need even more because the children are there. This is a demand-led provision. It is an entitlement for every young person and I am committed to making sure they can access that.
I am very glad that the Minister said she is committed to increasing the supply of teachers. That is important. In 2024, the Teachers' Union of Ireland, TUI, completed a survey of new entrants to the profession. Some 35% responded and said that over recent years they did not receive a contract for full hours when they entered the profession. Some 12% said it is extremely difficult to get a full contract. When entering the teaching profession, I found that getting a full-time contract was difficult. There are maternity leave contracts or 12 or 13 hours of teaching time at second level, when a full-time contract is 22 hours. We are having difficulty in respect of contracts.
Some of my colleagues and schoolmates who have graduated have moved overseas. I do not know whether what I propose is possible under the Minister's remit; I hope it is. We should recognise overseas teaching experience in terms of incremental teaching experience in this country. I refer, for example, to a teacher who taught for five years abroad being added to that incremental scale.
I know how important it is for a young teacher to be able to get a permanent contract. It has implications in terms of looking for a mortgage and buying a home or car. It is absolutely vital that teachers can get a permanent contract. I have spoken to the TUI about that this week. I want to make sure that we do everything possible as I develop a new workforce plan to support the recruitment and retention of teachers, and also the return of teachers.
The Deputy mentioned that we do not have exact data on the number of teachers who are teaching abroad, be it in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and as far away as Australia. I want to make sure that we have the right measures, structures and supports in place to be able to encourage more people into the profession and support those who are currently in it, including making sure teachers can access full-time contracts. We also need to encourage people home and ensure that when they come home they are coming back to teach in schools and not going into any other profession.
Education Schemes
15. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Education the steps being taken to establish a new DEIS plus scheme, as per the programme for Government commitment. [8506/25]
The commitment in the programme for Government to establish a new DEIS plus scheme for schools is very welcome. What steps will be taken within the Department to develop that scheme? The existing scheme has been reflected on very positively by both schools and teachers who participate in what are currently considered DEIS schools and it has had independent verification of its success by reports from inspectors, among others. Some of the initiatives in the initial scheme have been extended to all schools, such as the free books and the free hot school meals programmes. What is envisaged in the new scheme?
I thank the Deputy for his question. assure him tackling educational disadvantage and supporting children to fulfil their potential is a key priority for me as Minister for Education and youth. As the Deputy will know, the DEIS programme is a really positive key policy of Government to tackle concentrated educational disadvantage at school level. There has been a massive investment in recent years. A total of €180 million has been invested annually and is continuing to increase on a year-on-year basis to provide those additional supports to almost 1,200 schools in the DEIS programme.
Within the programme, 306 primary schools with the highest concentrations of children at risk of educational disadvantage are included in DEIS urban band 1. These schools receive the highest level of support available. This includes a more favourable staffing allocation, DEIS grant funding and access to the home school community liaison scheme and the school completion programme.
The recent OECD Review of Resourcing Schools to Address Educational Disadvantage in Ireland has highlighted the role of the DEIS programme and, as the Deputy mentioned, what comes across very clearly is that we have a strong performance globally when it comes to supporting our young people, in particular those from disadvantaged backgrounds. I am determined to close the performance gap between DEIS and non-DEIS schools and introduce more innovative solutions. The DEIS plus scheme is part of the work that needs to be done. What is very clear is that even within DEIS schools, there is a requirement and a need for even more intensified support. This has been clearly highlighted by several schools across the country. I am absolutely committed to the roll-out of DEIS plus, which is currently being worked through. It will not be for schools to apply. We will be able to look at certain criteria to identify where particular additional support is needed.
On top of that, since coming into the Department, I have asked my team to examine the DEIS programme as it stands; the roll-out of the DEIS plus scheme; the important review done by the OECD and the recommendations it published before Christmas; where really positive work is happening within our structures and within the Tusla education support service, TESS, and how we can bring that all together; and put in a place an ambitious, targeted and long-term plan to support those who are in education disadvantage.
The Minister's comments on closing the gap between DEIS and non-DEIS schools are interesting because in a number of our schools, the teaching personnel observe a level of disadvantage among pupils that is probably not recognised under the scheme. This is even in terms of how the existing scheme is calculated, for lack of a better term, or how schools are assessed for their inclusion. One aspect schools are finding increasingly puzzling is where there is a high proportion of pupils who may be residing in international protection accommodation services, yet the school is not considered to be of sufficient disadvantage to obtain DEIS status. This is one measure we could look at. We need to review whether we are fully incorporating and analysing the number of pupils living in direct provision and attending schools, and whether that is fully recognised in the existing DEIS scheme.
I want to ensure every young person gets the support they need, particularly those who need additional support, be it through the DEIS programme, DEIS plus or any other way because we know it works. The gap in retention rates between DEIS and non-DEIS schools have halved from 16.8% to 8.4% since the programme began. We know that focus and targeted intervention works. It is about how we make sure more children benefit from it, how those children who are not in DEIS schools get that support and if further expansion of the programme is needed, that can happen. According to international studies, children at risk of educational disadvantage in Ireland have higher and better outcomes because of that targeted focus.
I also see a huge role for our youth organisations and they will come under the Department's remit. It is important the very real and tangible actions taken by our youth organisations are realised as part of this overall plan to tackle disadvantage and support those children who need it most.
One of the advantages DEIS schools enjoy over non-DEIS schools is the position of the home school community liaison teacher. This is a valuable position that would be valued in any school. The Minister might look at closing the gap between DEIS and non-DEIS schools and providing additional roles. We could arrive at a position whereby a home school liaison officer might work with several non-DEIS schools but it is certainly one of the significant advantages.
As I said in my opening remarks, some of the additional benefits of DEIS, such as the free school books and hot school meals schemes, have been extended to all schools, which is very welcome. We can take learnings from DEIS and what has worked well to see if we can extend our resources to apply them to non-DEIS settings.
There are a number of important strands here in making sure we get the best outcomes for young people with the home school liaison officers and ensuring we have counselling in primary schools. There is an important pilot scheme that has been extended to 61 urban DEIS primary schools in Tallaght, Clondalkin, Ballymun, Finglas and Darndale. I want to see that further expanded.
There have been 15 community link workers appointed to support Traveller and Roma communities, particularly for children at risk of educational disadvantage. There has been really positive work, with programmes and pilot schemes established and being rolled out. They all have the same objective. How do we provide wraparound support to children, families and communities to ensure they get the education they are entitled to and can benefit from? Keeping a young person in school for as long as possible means the vast majority of young people will have a better outcome and outlook in life. That is my objective and my priority. I look forward to working with the Deputy and all our stakeholders to ensure we can achieve that.
Question No. 16 replied to with Written Answers.
17. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Education what steps will be taken to operationalise the commitment in the programme for Government to introduce a new national small schools project for all 1,300 small primary schools to protect these school communities and develop new administrative supports. [8505/25]
Another welcome initiative in the programme for Government is the extension of a pilot scheme that has been running in several smaller schools that have come together to seek the synergy of their operations within the community and how they might get administrative support from the Department. The schools involved in this scheme went about their business in different manners and different schools sought to work together on different aspects. It would be very beneficial, however, if we could come up with a communal way of employing this administrative support and applying it across all small schools.
As someone who attended a small school where we only had three classrooms, I cannot stress the benefit and need for us to prioritise supporting our small schools and doing everything we can to retain them.
What we have provided in the programme for Government is a very clear commitment to provide measures to support small schools, including introducing a new national small schools project and trialling those new administrative supports the Deputy has mentioned. There is an established project, which brings together small schools in local clusters, enabling them to collaborate, identify common challenges and trial innovative solutions.
There are 26 small schools in the cluster in counties Galway, Donegal, Kerry, Wicklow and Waterford, consisting of between three and five schools per cluster. The feedback from schools has been extremely positive and this is reflected in the interim evaluation report. We want to make sure our small schools recognise the important role they play in our communities. They need to be retained and supported. We must ensure the staff, teachers and pupils benefit from that clustering and pooling together of resources, whether that is administrative support, sharing ideas or training. We can already see the positive feedback from the pilot work in the clusters that have been developed.
It is my intention to roll out that programme to ensure we can work with even more schools and provide for them, recognising the important role they play in our communities the length and breadth of this country. We must support them in their leadership and teaching roles and ensure our students above all also benefit from this.
We all recognise the importance of small schools within communities, particularly in communities that might have suffered the loss of other services. We are all familiar with towns and villages throughout the country that might have lost banking and post office services. There is always an outcry rightly when these things occur but the school should be sacrosanct within that. If we can support those small schools and communities to maintain their operation, it will keep the community vibrant.
I also welcome that the Minister outlined some feedback from the schools who operate in this scheme already. Two clusters in County Galway went separately about their business but found advantages through working together on the administrative support found in different aspects of the operation of the schools.
I know the professional dilemma school principals face when they are also charged with teaching a class. It is an extremely challenging position. Any support we can given to school principals in that position will be most welcome.
I highlight the positive benefits we have seen so far in the clusters that have been developed. First, they help to reduce the sense of isolation among school staff, particularly in rural areas and where there is a small number of staff. The Department has combined teacher allocation hours with part-time hours, where feasible, to create full-time posts and make it easier for those schools to recruit teachers. Another benefit is providing consistency in teaching and learning. Oide, the support service for teachers, has provided training on a cluster basis, rather than individually, using the clusters to help staff to deepen their relationships. The administrative supports the Deputy mentioned have been trialled in an effort to ease the administrative burden on teaching principals. Two administrative roles with a different focus are being trialed in two separate clusters, in Gort and Donegal, for the next 18 months. It is about sharing knowledge and best practice and encouraging joint pupil-teacher participation, including in sport and music. Above all, it is about recognising the important role our rural schools play and making sure we do everything possible to support and retain them.
Grant Payments
87. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of new baby grants that have been made to parents in Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8460/25]
Déanaim comhghairdeas leis an Leas-Cheann Comhairle sa ról nua atá aige agus leis an Aire chomh maith. Ba mhaith liom fiafraí den Aire Coimirce Sóisialaí cé mhéid deontas de naíonáin nuabheirthe atá tugtha anois do thuismitheoirí i gContae Chill Dara agus an ndéanfaidh sé ráiteas ar an ábhar. How many newborn baby grants have been made to parents in Kildare and will the Minister make a statement on the matter?
Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta. Déanaim comhghairdeas leis as a bheith tofa agus ar a leanbh nua i gCill Dara. Comhghairdeas leis féin agus lena bhean chéile agus guím gach rath orthu.
A newborn baby grant of €280 was announced in last year's budget to be paid to families of babies born on or after 1 December 2024. This grant is paid alongside, but in addition to, the first month's child benefit payment of €140, so parents of newborns will receive a total first payment of €420. This increased payment during the first month is an important recognition of the additional costs that accompany the birth of a child.
The benefit is payable in respect of newborn babies from the month after birth. Parents of children born in one month can, therefore, receive the child benefit payment, including the newborn baby grant, from the next month onwards. Given that the newborn baby grant is paid automatically with child benefit payments, there is no additional application for the grant. Therefore, parents of newborns do not need to do anything extra to receive the grant.
Child benefit, as the Deputy may be aware, is a monthly payment to the parents or guardians of children under 16 years of age. Child benefit can also be claimed for children aged 16, 17 or 18 if they are in full-time education or training or have a disability and cannot support themselves. At present, child benefit is in payment to 679,000 families in respect of 1.27 million children, with an estimated expenditure of €2.2 billion for 2025. The first payments for newborns issued on 11 February to more than 4,400 customers in respect of 4,522 children. These included 329 payments for County Kildare. To date, 6,345 customers have been paid the newborn baby grant in respect of 6,448 children. I congratulate all our new parents and wish them health and happiness on their journey.
Naturally, I welcome the grant. In the programme for Government, there are a number of very good commitments for families and young children and this grant, for example, goes a long way towards helping with the costs that come with having a newborn. There is talk in the document of examining the extension of parent's leave and benefit and providing additional flexibility. I ask that consideration also be given to that leave in the Houses of the Oireachtas. No formal paternity leave is granted to TDs and Senators and that is something we should look at in a modern Parliament to reflect what happens in wider society.
Separately, while I understand this is not directly part of the Minister's brief, childcare remains a major hurdle. We are going a long way as a Government towards assisting with the cost of childcare but access continues to be an issue. These are combined issues for new families and parents.
I welcome the level of work the Government and the Department in particular are doing.
I thank the Deputy. As I look around, I think that, apart from the Leas-Cheann Comhairle, I am the longest serving Deputy in this House, and on every day of those 18 years, I have heard references to trying to make ours a family-friendly Oireachtas, although we seem to be going further away from that. Even so, a lot of work has been done in respect of parental leave for Members of the Oireachtas and that should be continued during this term. I see that Deputy O'Gorman is in the Chamber, and I acknowledge his support for the newborn baby grant in the previous Government. That was something on which both he and my predecessor, Heather Humphreys, led out. It is to acknowledge that at what is a very happy time, there is also additional expense, and we have tried to make it as easy as possible for parents to access this payment at what is a very busy time in their lives.
On childcare, there are commitments in the programme for Government, on which the Minister, Deputy Foley, will be leading out, to improve access to it and to improve supports for parents as they rear their children and get through the early stages of their child's life. That is certainly something she will lead out on.
I thank the Minister. I also commend the fact the new baby grant is made automatically with the child benefit payment, without the need for an additional application.
Social Welfare Offices
88. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Social Protection the current number of appeal officers working in the appeals office; the number for the past three years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8583/25]
How many appeals officers are working in the social welfare appeals office and how many have been working there over the past three years, and will the Minister make a statement on the matter?
I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The social welfare appeals office is responsible for considering and determining appeals of first-instance decisions of the Department's deciding officers in relation to people's social welfare entitlements. The appeals service is designed to provide free-of-cost access to a second opinion by an officer at a senior grade within the Department. Prior to submitting an appeal to the appeals office, applicants also have the option of seeking a review of the decision by the relevant section in the Department. Those appointed as appeals officers are required to be independent in their decision-making functions.
The current number of appeals officers working in the appeals office is 65, four of whom are work-sharing, and three deputy chief appeals officers. The number of appeals officers working in the appeals office in 2024 was 44, four of whom were work-sharing. There were also two deputy chief appeals officers. The number of appeals officers working in the appeals office in 2023 was 44, with five work-sharing and two deputy chief appeals officers. The number of appeals officers working in the appeals office in 2022 was 43, with three work-sharing and two deputy chief appeals officers. The increase in the number of serving appeals officers during 2024 reflects the measures the chief appeals officer has put in place to deal with the increased volumes of appeals to be processed. Twenty additional staff were assigned and attended training in December and January. They have now been appointed as appeals officers and are making decisions.
The implementation of a new IT system last year, which includes an online option for submitting appeals, makes it easier for customers to lodge appeals. New appeals regulations have been signed to come into effect from April this year which provide for simpler processes and specified response times. These should help to further reduce processing times.
I thank the Minister. I welcome that there are 20 additional appeals officers but, unfortunately, as far as I am concerned, appeals times are still growing. I am dealing with a large number of carer's appeals that have been in train for 12 or 14 months and invalidity pension appeals that have been live for more than six months. The problem is that it is very difficult to explain to a person who is under stress and who needs a payment that he or she will have to go through this system. We get letters stating that the relevant papers are with the appeals office in Longford. I would love if someone could explain why officials have to write such letters. Surely, as the Minister mentioned, all of this should be done online. The review should come very quickly from Longford and be with the office in D'Olier Street in Dublin. It is an unnecessary step that the appeals office has to look for the information first. That takes a number of months, and then more months pass before the appeal goes through. Will the Minister outline the plans for streamlining appeals that he hopes to put in place?
The backlogs are a matter of concern to me. That is why there has, as stated, been a lot of investment in additional appeals officers. A new IT system went live in November 2023. This facilitates an online capability to provide a more efficient and streamlined service for people who are making appeals. At end of 2024, a new update provided functionality on mywelfare.ie for people to make appeals. This new feature supports the end-to-end electronic processing of appeals and addresses some of the issues raised by the Deputy. It has reduced the administrative burden of validating and registering appeals. In addition to the appointment of new appeals officers at the end of 2024, this will begin to make a very big difference in the context of waiting times.
The new appeals regulations have been signed. They will also simplify the process and give more specified response times. The chief appeals officer has assured me that she is monitoring processing times and that they are making every effort to process appeals. However, the drive for the kind of efficiency that the Deputy and I agree on has to be balanced in order to ensure that decisions are consistent and of a high quality. We also endeavour to acknowledge that many people availing of the service do not have electronic capabilities, so we still rely on a lot of old-style communication to strike a balance to allow individuals to access the service in a manner that suits their specific circumstances.
I welcome the independence of the appeals office. It is a great system whereby we get a second opinion, and it is something I have used during my time as a public representative. I have always found the appeals officers to be very helpful.
With regard to the new appeals procedures, does the Minister have any indication of what the timelines for appeals will be or what he is working towards? That somebody is waiting for an appeal in respect of carer's allowance for over a year is simply not good enough in this modern age. I welcome the fact that there are 20 additional appeals officers, but what can we expect from the new appeals procedures? Something we discussed at the social protection committee in the previous Dáil - this was one of the biggest issues - was the length of time the process takes.
Are there are plans to continue to hold oral hearings as part of the appeals procedure? I have used this in the past as well. It is a very effective mechanism and allows people go and meet the appeals officers, but there seems to have been a lack of oral hearings in recent times. Was this down to a shortfall in the number of appeals officers?
For context, the average time taken to process an appeal in 2024 was 23.5 weeks. That jumped from 16 weeks in 2023. The average processing time for an appeal dealt with summarily in 2024 was 24.5 weeks, which, again, was an increase on 2023. As of 31 January last, the current processing times for social welfare appeals is 19.4 weeks. We are beginning to make progress. I will be very focused on reducing that to the shortest period possible. It has to capture the information, give people a chance to engage in the process and ensure consistency and fairness across the service.
The new IT system has given us much more online capability. The new online channel is improving people's experience and facilitating the new option we introduced via mywelfare.ie.
I will revert to the Deputy on the issue of oral appeals. I very much agree about the importance of oral appeals, and I will revert to the Deputy with figures relating to such appeals.
Social Welfare Benefits
89. Deputy Martin Daly asked the Minister for Social Protection his plans to provide better support to carers who are providing full-time care and attention to more than one person; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8382/25]
I formally congratulate the Leas-Cheann Comhairle on his election.
Thank-you.
What are the Minister's plans to provide better support to carers who are providing full-time care and attention to more than one person?
I take this opportunity to officially congratulate the Deputy on his election.
Spending on income supports for carers by the Department of Social Protection is expected to amount to over €1.9 billion this year. The carer’s allowance scheme is the main scheme by means of which my Department provides income support to carers in the community. In 2025, the expenditure on the carer’s allowance scheme is estimated to be over €1.2 billion, which will provide an allowance to more than 98,311 people.
The carer's allowance payment is intended to provide an income support to a person whose capacity to earn an income from employment is restricted. In other cases, the requirement for an income support may arise due to illness, disability or unemployment. In the case of carers, the requirement arises due to their need to forgo full-time employment to allow them to take up caring responsibilities.
Where a person is providing care to more than one person, the personal rate is increased by up to 50% of the standard rate. In addition, the annual carer's support grant, which is not means tested, is paid in respect of each person being cared for - that is €2000 or doubled, in other words, to €4000.
These two provisions are intended to recognise the particular challenges faced by people caring for more than one person. We are committed to further examining how we can better support carers who are providing full-time care and attention to more than one person including a commitment in the programme for Government to increase the carer's support grant. I am very happy to engage with the Deputy on suggestions and proposals he may have in this space.
I thank the Minister. In Fianna Fáil, we recognise the major contribution carers make to this society, many giving up careers and job opportunities and often providing full-time care to their loved ones. They take away a huge burden that would otherwise have to be met by the State by means of the use of third-party residences and institutional care for people who are disabled or had special or additional needs is something we moved away form many years ago.
Fianna Fáil has been the party of the carer's allowance. It introduced the carer's allowance and the half-rate carer's allowance, and it is important that we take a lead on this. Will the Minister comment on the programme for Government pledge regarding parents who are over 66 and receiving both the carer's allowance and a pension?
I assure the Deputy that we will continue the work of recent Governments in terms of supporting the work of carers, which we feel is very important.
We have already discussed this morning the increases in the income disregard, the weekly increase to carer's allowance and carer's benefit and the increase in the carer's support grant. Since January, the carer's allowance is now included as a qualifying payment for the fuel allowance, which is opening up that payment. The income disregard has increased from €20,000 to €50,000 since June 2022. As and from July of this year, we will ensure that carer's benefit payment is extended to the self-employed for the first time. In that context, the earnings limit will increase from €450 to €625.
I will revert to the Deputy with regard to carers over 66 years of age and the work we are doing in that space. It is very important that the work we will do at the committee on social protection be aligned with the work of the committee on health in order to ensure that there is agreement between the two on the importance of carers and that there is co-ordination in respect of the proposals around that. I will engage with both committees to ensure that carers are as supported as possible in order to keep people in their homes, where possible, and that carers are recognised for that very important work.
I welcome the Minister's reply. I also welcome the increases in the income rates to allow people to qualify for the carer's allowance. I recognise and welcome the commitment of the Government to a phasing out of the means test for the carer's allowance.
I welcome the improved benefits under the carer's allowance scheme, the extension of the allowance to the self-employed and the provision of access to the State pension. It is absolutely important that we continue to support carers in their very onerous tasks. Many of them do it without any complaint because of their commitment to their loved ones. It is very important that the State continues to recognise their contribution to society in this regard.
I do not think anyone here would disagree with the Deputy's assessment. I will ask my Department to do a lot of work on the supports that are available to carers. They are often so engaged in giving the care that they do not have the chance to know of the full supports that exist, many of which are not mean tested, including the carer's support grant, carer's benefit, the domiciliary care allowance and the various other supports that are available. We will be asking the Department to do a great deal of work on that this year in order to provide information to carers on the channels and the full range of supports available and to ensure that they are using those supports, which are in recognition of the very important work they do.
As stated, prior to the budget later this year, I will be engaging with the carers groups at the annual carers forum. That forum provides family carers with a voice at policy level and gives officials from my Department the opportunity to engage directly with people experiencing care issues. The forum will allow us to plan our approach to the next budget, with carers at the heart of that approach.
Disability Services
90. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Social Protection his plans for ensuring that the social welfare system is progressive and empowers people with a disability to live full and independent lives; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8462/25]
Fiafraím den Aire maidir lena na gcuid pleananna chun a chinntiú go bhfuil an córas leasa coimirce forásach agus go gcumhachtaítear do dhaoine faoi mhíchumas saol iomlán neamhspleách a chaitheamh agus an ndéanfaidh sé ráiteas ar an ábhar? What are the Minister's plans for ensuring that the social welfare system is progressive and empowers people with disabilities to live full and independent lives?
Go raibh maith ag an Teachta agus tá sé thar a bheith tábhachtach go seasaimid le daoine faoi mhíchumas agus is rud an-tábhachtach don Rialtas nua é go mbeidh athruithe sa chuidiú sa Roinn Coimirce Sóisialaí do dhaoine atá faoi mhíchumas. My Department already provides a range of income and employment supports to people with disabilities. These include payments such as the disability allowance, the invalidity pension and blind pension. Also included in these supports are the partial capacity benefit, the wage subsidy scheme, the work and access programme, and the EmployAbility service.
People with disabilities are also supported in pursuing further education and training programmes through payments such as the back to education allowance and direct referral to training courses via Intreo and the EmployAbility service. This combination of income support payments and education and employment supports is being developed to help people with disabilities live full and independent lives.
Over successive budgets, payment rates have been increased and supports have been improved for people with disabilities, including: a €41 increase to disability income support payments since budget 2021; an increase in the earnings disregard for disability allowance by 38% since budget 2021; and a suite of once-off lump sum and double payments to assist disabled people with the cost of living.
In recent years, my Department has also reformed grants for reasonable accommodations and introduced an early engagement model for young and newly disabled people interested in work. I will also launch a reform of the wage subsidy scheme in the coming weeks.
We have a lot more to do. We recognise that people with disabilities face higher poverty and lower employment rates than others in society. That is why the programme for Government prioritises investment in services and supports for people with disabilities, including commitments to improve income and employment supports to empower people with disabilities. These will include: an annual cost of disability support payment; a reform of the disability allowance payment and means test; a review of the minimum hours requirement and examination of the payment rate for the wage subsidy scheme; and an expansion of successful programmes like WorkAbility, EmployAbility and work and access. That work is being led by a newly created Cabinet committee specifically dedicated to disability issues.
Go raibh maith ag an Aire. It is great to see the progress the Government and the Minister and his Department are making in such a short space of time. As the Minister outlined, people with disabilities face additional costs, be it in the context of healthcare, medication, transport of whatever. It is important that we provide people living with a disability with the ability to not just live but also to thrive, that we ensure there is no hindrance on the part of the State and that we are assist them as much as possible.
In the context of the additional positive measures outlined in the programme for Government, such as a permanent annual cost of disability support payment, an increased weekly disability payment and a domiciliary care allowance, are there timelines for the introduction of these?
I thank the Deputy. This is a key priority for the Government. The Taoiseach convened a meeting on Monday to discuss support across government for people with disabilities. About seven Ministers were present at that meeting.
The Department of Social Protection commissioned Indecon to research issues around the cost of disability. Indecon's report was published in 2021. It identified the additional costs of disability across a number of areas of expenditure, including housing, transport and health. It found that there is not a single typical cost to disability. Rather, it is a spectrum from low to high additional costs of disability which depend on everybody's individual circumstances. The report concluded that a multifaceted whole-of-government approach is required to address the cost of disability which will be a key priority for the new Cabinet committee and that is why the Taoiseach is leading out on this.
The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, under the Minister, Deputy Foley, and the Minister of State, Deputy Naughton, is in the process of developing a new national disability strategy. Officials in the Department of Social Protection are contributing to the development and implementation of that strategy with a view to supporting people with disabilities through schemes from my Department.
It is great to see the amount of work that is happening in the Department. I ask that those involved in dealing with this matter might look at the councils in how they approach this issue. The likes of the housing adaptation grant should be more readily available. People should have greater opportunities to apply for that grant in order to allow them to have the works it covers carried out.
I agree with the Minister that there are increased costs for those with disabilities and their families. There has been a failure to address this. That is a matter we need to look at. Has the Minister had an update on the reasonable accommodation fund and the disability awareness support scheme? The idea is to look at this from the point of view of facilitating employers as much as possible - I dealt with the previous Minister on this - and ensuring that there are reasonable accommodations, whether they are technological or operational in nature, in the workplace. On many occasions, there has been a reliance on an employer applying for schemes when some of what was involved could have been done beforehand. It is about ensuring that we streamline the system and ensure delivery.
I also agree with Teachta Ó Cearúil on the housing adaptation grant. While that is beyond the remit of the Minister, it needs to be looked at in the context of those with disabilities. What is happening at present does not really cut the mustard.
I thank Deputies Ó Cearúil and Ó Murchú for raising this. I agree with them on housing. We will bring that to the Minister, Deputy Browne for attention. Deputy Ó Murchú raised the reasonable accommodation fund. My Department published a review of that scheme in 2023 and we have made changes. The new scheme offers seven supports to help reduce and remove barriers in the workplace for people with disability, including support for communication, job coaches, personal readers, work equipment, workplace adaptations and training. Jobseekers, employees, self-employed people and employers can apply for those supports both for business premises and remote workplaces. The scheme is being expanded to all non-public sector employees, including the community and voluntary sector. In July 2024, we launched the work and access to replace former schemes. We published a review of the wage subsidy scheme. Through the WorkAbility programme, which is a fantastic programme nationwide, we are bringing much more awareness of supports available for people with disabilities in work spaces but also supports that are available for employers. That touches on the Deputy's concerns that we are not communicating enough to employers about the supports that are there to assist them to employ people with disability. As a former Minister of State with the Department of enterprise, I will be focused on bringing communication to employers that there are supports there, not just to adapt their premises but to support them as employers to take on people with disability and allow them to make a full contribution to society.
Social Welfare Payments
91. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of children who have benefited from the baby boost triple child benefit payment to date; the number his Department estimates will benefit from it in 2025; the estimated additional cost in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8526/25]
I congratulate the Leas-Cheann Comhairle on his election, and I congratulate the Minister on his appointment. Last October, the Green Party and I championed the idea of a baby boost payment of an additional €280 when a new child is born. I was happy to see it included to see it included in budget 2025 and it was implemented in late 2024. Will the Minister give an update on its uptake around the country and its costs to date?
I thank the Deputy for his good wishes. I acknowledge him for his work in this area, and also that of my immediate predecessor, Heather Humphreys who was committed to the newborn baby grant of €280, which was announced in budget 2025 and was paid to families of babies born on or after 1 December 2024. Taken together with the normal first month’s child benefit of €140 parents of newborns will receive a total first payment of €420, which is three times the normal payment. The Deputy and his colleagues led strongly on this. I am sure he will agree that it is a welcome initiative that recognises the extra costs incurred by a family, and by parents, at a very happy time.
It is important to note that the newborn baby grant is paid automatically with child benefit payments, so there is no additional requirement for an application process. That payment will be made with the first payment in the month after the child is born. The first payments issued on 11 February to more than 4,400 people in respect of 4,522 children. They included payments for children born on or after 1 December. To date, 6,345 people have been paid the newborn baby grant in respect of 6,448 children. The total number of payments to be made is demand driven and obviously depends on the birth rate. Looking at recent trends, we estimate that in 2025 newborn baby grants will be paid in respect of 54,000 children and that will cost €15 million. I hope that clarifies the matter.
Getting this idea over the line was surprisingly pretty hard. It was a long negotiation to get full agreement to get this into budget 2025. That surprised me considering that it is quite a small overall cost of €15 million compared with €180 million to do the double payment on child benefit. In light of that fight to get it over the line, I want the Minister's assurance that he sees the baby boost as a staple part of range of social welfare supports given and paid to families to support them and that he sees this continuing at least at the current rate from budget 2026 onwards.
Everything with the Department of public expenditure is hard in terms of negotiations. I agree with the Deputy that this is an important payment at what is a happy time, but which can also be a stressful time in terms of a new arrival. It can also be an expensive time. It is important that we support families and give them the best start at the very start. My Department is certainly committed to doing that. We will continue to support this and other supports available for parents at this time. Now that it is there, I do not see any circumstances where it would be removed. It is a statement of intent on the part of the State to support newborns and parents at a time they are under a lot of pressure. It was also designed to ensure that there would be minimal administrative pressure on parents. That is a reflection that we understand the pressure people are under. We want to get payments and support to them with as little burden on them as possible at a time their time is under so much pressure.
I appreciate the Minister's clarification that the baby boost payment is here to stay. It is an initiative that the Green Party and I are proud to have led in introducing. A universal payment that is targeted at a particular time in a family's life where almost every single family is under pressure financially when a new baby arrives is a meaningful step the Government and the State can take to help. The programme for Government makes reference to other targeted payments, particularly looking at a new targeted child benefit payment. When will we find out more information about the Minister's and his Department's thinking on this? Does he see it as simply bringing together some existing payments such as the working family and qualified child benefit payment or is he thinking about this as something new, which will give additionality to children and families who are maybe most at risk of child poverty?
Addressing child poverty is a key priority for the Government and the Taoiseach has made it clear to me in my appointment that he wants this prioritised. As the Deputy has said, one of the commitments in the programme for Government is to explore a targeted child benefit payment and examine the interaction that would have with existing targeted supports to reduce child poverty, including the working family payment and the child support payment. My Department is beginning to progress this work under the auspices of the newly established Cabinet committee on children, and with regard to a lot of evidence and work that has been done in this space, including by the ESRI, NESC and the Commission on Taxation and Welfare. Among other matters the work will have to consider is how a targeted child benefit might interact with existing payments. That will be considered as part of the broader examination of the potential design. We are at early days in this, so we are not in a position of looking at timelines, but I am open to suggestions for it. We are putting a lot of work into the new committee for social protection, but that will also be a good forum in which to discuss it.
92. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of newborn baby grants that have been made to parents in both counties Kilkenny and Carlow; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7937/25]
I congratulate the Minister on his new role. I look forward to working with him for the betterment of the civilians throughout the country. My question is on a similar theme to other speakers relating to the number of children who have benefited from the newborn baby grant in the counties of Carlow and Kilkenny.
I thank the Deputy and formally congratulate him on his election. I look forward to working with him. The newborn baby grant of €280 was announced in budget 2025 and is paid to families of babies born on or after 1 December 2024. This grant is paid alongside, but in addition to, the first month’s child benefit payment of €140. Parents of newborns will receive a total first payment of €420. The benefit is payable in respect of newborn babies from the month after birth. Parents of children born in one month, therefore, can receive the child benefit payment, including the newborn grant, from the next month onwards. As the newborn baby grant is paid automatically with child benefit payments there is no additional application for the grant, so parents of new babies do not need to do anything to receive it. As the Deputy will be aware, child benefit is a monthly payment to the parents or guardians of children under 16. Child benefit can also be claimed for children aged 16, 17 and 18 if they are in full-time education, full-time training or have a disability and cannot support themselves. At present, child benefit is in payment to 679,000 families in respect of 1.27 million children with an estimated expenditure of €2.2 billion for 2025.
The first newborn payments issued on 11 February to more than 4,400 people in respect of 4,522 children.
The number of newborn baby grants paid to parents in Carlow is 88 while 104 payments have been made in respect of children from Kilkenny. Nationally, 6,345 people have been paid the newborn baby grant. This corresponds to 6,448 children.
It is really important to give credit where credit is due. In my constituency, almost 200 families have benefited from the newborn baby grant. It is a fantastic initiative that is to be welcomed. I am thrilled the Minister said that it is here to stay. I absolutely welcome that. As he will know, there are substantial additional costs when starting a family. Unfortunately, my days of starting families are over - my youngest is ten years of age - so I will not be in a position to personally benefit from it but, in fairness, hundreds of families around the country will. It is a fantastic initiative. Considering the popularity of the newborn baby grant when people are starting their families, could we look at the once-off payment of a lump sum for those coming towards the end of child benefit? There are an awful lot of costs when children are starting college and so on. While it is fantastic that we are looking after those people who are starting families, in the context of budget 2026, could we look at some kind of bonus payment when people are coming to the very end of their child benefit?
The introduction of this payment is a highly popular initiative of the Department. Unfortunately, we cannot backdate payments ten years or longer in these cases. On the question of a potential payment at the other end of the spectrum, we are certainly open to any suggestions in the context of the budget, although that process will not get under way for a while. We have made changes in respect of child benefit in recent years. As I have said, these changes relate particularly to children who are in full-time education. The payment used to be cut off at the age of 18 regardless of where you were. We have made some changes there. We recognise that end of the spectrum is particularly challenging and expensive for parents. Supports are available there. As I previously said to Deputy O'Gorman, I am very focused on the area of child poverty and how the child benefit payment interacts with existing payments. It is something I intend to do a lot of work on during my time in this Ministry.
I appreciate the Minister's comments and note his commitment to this issue, which is most welcome. I know committees have not been set up yet, which is a little frustrating, but when they are set up, the committee on social protection can examine this. The double payment of child benefit, which is separate from the baby grant, has been really welcome in recent years. However, monthly costs are increasing. The cost-of-living crisis is still there and people are still struggling every month. Again in the context of budget 2026, could we look at the possibility of additional monthly payments instead of or in addition to the double payment, if finances allow?
Again, we will look at all issues and proposals in the context of budget 2026, which will be delivered later this year. At the moment, our priority is to get these payments out and to get work on child poverty very much under way within the Department in the context of programme for Government commitments. We are looking at targeted child benefit payments and how these would interact with existing payments. We are looking at work that has been done by the ESRI, the NESC and the Commission on Taxation and Welfare and how a new child benefit payment might interact with the working family payment, which is also available for people facing any kind of income pressure, and the child support payment. That will be looked at as part of a broader examination of the design of the new targeted child benefit payment. Right across government, we are very focused on child poverty; it is not just the Department of Social Protection. We are asking all other Departments that engage in this space to come to the table with proposals as to how we can work collectively to assist children in poverty.
School Meals Programme
93. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection how Healthy Ireland nutrition standards and specific dietary requirements are enforced in the school meals programme. [8362/25]
We understand the importance of the school meals programme but it is equally important that when kids are availing of this programme, the food is decent, of good quality, healthy and nutritious. I know from talking to teachers in my constituency that, for some kids, these meals may represent a significant proportion of the food they eat on any given day. It is important that those standards are upheld.
I thank the Deputy. I really appreciate her raising this issue today. This is something I will be focused on. A specific nutritional standard was set for school meals. This is based on the Food Safety Authority of Ireland food-based dietary recommendations for healthy eating. These were developed by a technical working group led by the health and well-being programme of the Department of Health, Safefood and the HSE's healthy eating and active living programme.
The Department of Social Protection has an oversight role in relation to the school meals programme. It conducts regular inspections of schools. Under the existing audit process, 400 schools are inspected annually. Every school must submit a sample menu with its application for the school meals programme. Funding will not be provided for food that does not comply with the standards I have referred to. All participating schools must also submit to my Department a signed service level agreement that clearly sets out the school’s responsibilities in terms of compliance with nutritional standards. It is important to note that there are a range of food options on the menu including lactose-free, vegetarian and gluten-free options. It is the parents who select the food choices for their children.
In December 2024, the Department of Social Protection established an interdepartmental working group, which includes the Departments of Health, Education, and Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth to make recommendations on the operation of the scheme including recommendations on nutrition. In addition, my Department participates in the Department of Health’s obesity policy implementation oversight group.
Under the programme for Government, my Department will continue to expand and improve the hot school meals scheme and we will ensure that suppliers adhere to robust guidelines on the nutritional value of meals and the dietary requirements of students, reduce food waste and utilise recyclable packaging. On any occasion there are specific concerns about food choice or the quality of food provided under the scheme, these should be brought to my Department’s attention. I assure the Deputy that the nutritional side of this scheme is very important to me. It is something I will very much focus on. I will ask the interdepartmental working group being established within my Department to focus on delivering the best value nutritionally as well as best value everywhere else.
Irish Country Living has found that traceability of the food can be poor and that ingredients are often just listed as "pasta sauce" on the website. This has been widely reported in the media. We also know that the same amount of funding, €3.20 per meal, and the same portion sizes are given to children from junior infants right up to sixth class. That should be looked at because children's nutritional needs change and grow as they get older. I am concerned that of the 2,200 schools availing of the scheme, only 400 will be assessed this year. That is a fraction. I absolutely respect the Minister's bona fides and I know that, if he says this will be a priority, it will be but I wonder how that information will get to him. It is not an efficient system for him to wait for complaints to be made. Increasing the number to be assessed is important, as is eliminating the use of catch-all phrases like "pasta sauce". The ingredients should be known. As I have said, for some kids, these meals represent a significant proportion of the food they will eat in any one day.
I do not want catch-all phrases. We cannot do that any more. That day is gone. I want to see what people are eating. There are also students with different dietary needs and we are not in a good space to account for those needs if we are using catch-all phrases. This is something I will look at. I have asked for full information on the audit process and what is involved in it because, like the Deputy, I have had feedback from parents and teachers on the operation of this scheme. We have come a long way and it is important to acknowledge how successful this scheme has been. We now have 1,884 schools in the scheme. We will expand that again later. The reason this scheme was implemented in the first place was to ensure consistency of nutrition for our students across all cohorts. Let us not forget that consistency or the original intention of the scheme. Let us not forget the importance of nutrition in anyone's life and particularly a child's. We have had a lot of feedback regarding the issue the Deputy has just raised, the different tastes of kids of different eras.
We all know how difficult it is. This is something I will zero in on and particularly the entire audit process.
We all saw the Jamie Oliver programmes in England and his war on turkey twizzlers and all of that. We have an opportunity to not let the situation get to that level. I welcome the Minister's commitment to monitoring the system. The Department must be very proactive as a significant amount is being spent here. That buying power should be used to drive up and maintain standards rather than allow standards to slip.
It may not be the best idea to wait for complaints to be made; they will come, and I will be happy to channel them in to the Department. I agree with increasing the number of schools inspected from 400 so that schools and providers know there is a high likelihood they are going to be assessed. At the moment there is a very low likelihood of that happening. No one wants to see the standards slip. Everyone wants to see kids get good quality, decent food. A little increase in the surveillance would be very helpful in that regard.
I disagree with very little of what the Deputy said. I will certainly look at that. This year we will introduce a pilot project based on the Department of Education's summer programme to ensure that schools that are eligible for the school meals programme will be able to make meals available for the summer programme. That will support approximately 40,000 of the most vulnerable children who have complex special educational needs, who are at risk of educational disadvantage. We will work with the Department of Education to ensure that gets rolled out.
I am very focused on the nutritional side of this scheme. The initiative has been a wonderful success. I thank the officials in my Department who have worked very hard to get it right. We want to make sure that it is working and does what we all want it to do, which is to give a minimum nutritional value to the youngest citizens of the country and to ensure that everybody gets it, regardless of income. I am aware of the impact it has. Yesterday, I joined Tesco in regard to its Stronger Starts programme for vegetables. I saw some fantastic examples of that programme around the country. None of us understands the impact of good nutrition for younger children, which is what this scheme is intended to be about.
Question No. 94 replied to with Written Answers.
Social Welfare Benefits
95. Deputy Michael Cahill asked the Minister for Social Protection his plans for phasing out the means test for the carer's allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8262/25]
I too congratulate the Minister on his recent appointment and wish him the very best going forward. Carers do great work and a provide a great service for the State. In that context, means-testing for the carer's allowance should be phased out. What are the Minister's plans for the phasing out of the means test?
I thank the Deputy. I formally congratulate him on his election and welcome him back to Leinster House.
The carer's allowance is the main scheme by which my Department provides income support to the very important work done by carers in the community. The primary objective of the carer's allowance payment is to provide an income support to those carers whose earning capacity is substantially reduced. There are currently 98,311 people in receipt of carer's allowance and expenditure in 2025 is estimated to be more than €1.24 billion.
A number of significant improvements have made to the means test in recent years. As part of budget 2025, 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 amounts to cumulative increases to the disregards of €292.50 and €585, respectively, since June 2022.
An interdepartmental working group involving the Departments of Health and Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth was established last year to examine and review the system of means-testing for carer payments. I hope to have the report on its findings in the coming weeks.
The Government is very aware of the key role family carers play in society and the challenges they face on a daily basis. We have set out a timeline that commits to significantly increasing the income disregards for carer's allowance in each budget over the course of the next five years, with the ultimate view of phasing out the means test during the lifetime of the Government.
It will be a priority for me to do that, as I have discussed this morning, over the five budgets that will be presented by the Ministers for Finance and Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform during the lifetime of the Government. This is a key commitment in the programme for Government and it is something that will be a priority for me as Minister in the Department of Social Protection.
Recent media reports suggest the cost of abolishing the means test for carer's allowance is in the region of €3 billion per annum. I understand that is the Department's own estimate. In the Minister's opinion, how definitive is this estimate?
In March 2023, the Parliamentary Budget Office estimated the cost of fully abolishing the means test at €397 million. It also costed raising the income threshold so that all households earning under €100,000 would qualify for carer's allowance at €387 million. In 2024, the Parliamentary Budget Office, using new CSO data from 2022, provided three costing scenarios - low, central and high - which gave an annual cost estimate at the central level of €375.3 million. In April 2024, the Department of Social Protection estimated the additional cost of abolishing the means test at €600 million. It seems extraordinary that it could now be five times that amount.
There is a range of costs. The figure of €3 billion only arises in the context of everybody who self-declared as a carer in 2022 census qualifying. Even if only 70% of those carers were to qualify, the cost would go up to approximately €2 billion.
The very important work done by carers is recognised. It has been recognised consistently by this Government and the previous one. We have made substantial changes to the supports available. In budget 2025, the carer's support grant increased to €2,000, which is the highest rate ever for this grant. The carer's allowance weekly income disregard will increase to €265 for a single person and to €1,250 as part of budget 2025. That is a very substantial increase in the payment in recent years. I will continue to engage with carers and their representative organisations, including at the carer's forum in the summer to ensure their voice is central to the work ahead of the next budget to support carers in the very important work that they do.
Following budget 2025, the carer's allowance income disregard will be increased to €625 for a single person and €1,250 for a couple from July 2025. How many additional carers are now likely to qualify on the basis of this change? Does the Minister intend to increase the disregard year on year, over five budgets?
It goes without saying that the means test must be removed for carers. We all know the financial impact on a home of dealing with a child with additional needs. The issue must be addressed.
I also agree that the discrepancy in the figures must be addressed. There must be some element of flexibility for carers who work as carers, who sometimes go over the 18.5 hours, in particular in cases where they are making up for somebody not coming in. Could we deal with the time over a longer period to allow for that and also deal with these anomalies? We need to make it possible to provide information on working hours on a more regular basis. This must be done with the Department. I have come across people who suddenly get a huge bill and they owe tens of thousands of euro. We need to deal with this issue.
A lot of points have been raised. I ask the Deputy to come back to me on the last issue he raised.
I assure all Deputies that we are very focused on the work done by carers, which is incredibly important. As I said earlier, it should be work done across the Oireachtas, not just in the committee on social protection but also the health committee. It is the Government's intention, over its lifetime, and by means of the five budgets that we hope to present, to remove the means test. It will be done in a manner that is reflective of the budgets at the time.
This is a major priority. Supporting carers and the very important work they do is not just a priority for the Government; it is a priority for me. I intend to champion it during my time as Minister for Social Protection.
Is féidir teacht ar Cheisteanna Scríofa ar
www.oireachtas.ie
.
Written Answers are published on the Oireachtas website.