Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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1411. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the details of all services, grants, loans and payments available to individuals or households funded by his Department and agencies under his remit; the eligibility requirements and any conditionality for receiving the service, grant, loan or payment (details supplied); and the monetary value, or range of values, of the service, grant, loans or payment, where applicable. [19180/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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The Department of Social Protection's mission is to promote active participation and inclusion in society through the provision of income supports, employment services and other services. The Department serves a wide and diverse group of people including families, people in employment, unemployed people, people with illnesses and disabilities, carers, older people, and employers through the administration of more than 140 schemes and services.

The schemes are broadly classified as social insurance-based, social assistance or means-tested schemes, or universal schemes.

Payments made under the social insurance system are funded by contributions from employers, employees and the self-employed with any deficit met by an Exchequer subvention. Entitlement to social insurance benefits is conditional upon the claimants meeting the conditions of the particular scheme and having a certain number of contributions paid or credited in a specific period of time. The requirements and contributions conditions vary according to the different insurance schemes. For example, in the case of jobseeker's benefit and the new jobseeker's pay-related benefit a claimant must be actively seeking employment. Social insurance schemes primarily cover areas including pensions, illness, invalidity, occupational injuries, caring, jobseekers, maternity, paternity, treatment benefit, guardians, adoptive and health and safety.

Social assistance schemes are financed entirely by the Exchequer. One of the basic requirements to qualify for payment under the social assistance schemes is that the claimant must satisfy a means test in addition to the requirements for the specific scheme type. These schemes provide support for a range of contingencies including pensions, supplementary welfare allowance, farm assist, jobseekers, people parenting alone, caring and disability.

The Department also administers child benefit which is a universal payment funded entirely by the Exchequer and is payable in respect of qualifying children regardless of family means.

Full details of the Department’s schemes and services, including eligibility requirements and conditionality, are available on Gov.ie.

I trust this clarifies the position for the Deputy.