Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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1863. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if an application for disability allowance can be approved for a person (details supplied). [43792/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Disability Allowance (DA) is a weekly allowance paid to people with a specified disability who are aged 16 or over and under the age of 66. This disability must be expected to last for at least one year and the allowance is subject to a medical assessment, means test and Habitual Residency conditions.

The processing time for individual DA claims may vary in accordance with their relative complexity in terms of the three main qualifying criteria, the person’s circumstances and the information they provide in support of their claim.

I confirm that my Department received an application for DA from the person concerned on 07 July 2025. The medical section of the form, typically completed by a doctor/consultant was not received with the application.

Given the gaps in financial information supplied and their asset holding, the DA claim is currently with a Social Welfare Inspector (SWI) for a report on this person’s means.

Separately, an information request letter issued to the person concerned on 16 July 2025, requesting completion of the medical report form Part (11B).

On receipt of the required medical report, and once the SWI has submitted their report, a decision will be made on the application as quickly as possible and the person concerned will be notified directly of the outcome.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Mark Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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1864. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated cost of providing a Christmas bonus double payment of each weekly social welfare payment on the same basis as in 2024, in tabular form; to provide a breakdown of the costs by each weekly payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44025/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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The estimated cost of providing a 100% Christmas Bonus to recipients of long-term social welfare payments is €360.15 million.

This estimate is costed on the same basis as the Christmas Bonus paid in December 2024 and is based on the estimated number of recipients at the end of 2025. It should be noted that this costing is subject to change in the context of emerging trends and associated revision of the estimated numbers of recipients for 2025.

A detailed breakdown of the cost by scheme is provided in the below table.