Carol Nolan (Offaly, Independent)
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740. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the actions he plans to take in order to address concerns that social welfare payments are not moving in tandem with the rising cost of living; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [48170/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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As Minister for Social Protection, I am committed to making the case for a fair budget that protects the people most in need in our society - particularly families on low incomes and those people, including pensioners and carers who are dependent on social welfare payments.

As part of Budget 2025, a €2.6 billion Social Protection package was secured. This was, for the third year in a row, the largest in the history of the State.

This package provided a mixture of lump sum cost of living payments, along with across the board €12 weekly rate increase in primary payments.

Each year, the ESRI produces a post-Budget analysis of the main tax and welfare changes in the Budget. This analysis shows that the package of measures introduced under Budget 2025 will result in average gains in income for most households next year. It also shows that incomes have remained largely stable since 2020 despite a number of crises including the COVID-19 pandemic and the rise in the cost of living.

I am therefore satisfied that the most recent Budget protected the most vulnerable in our society.

In July, I met with many stakeholders at my Department's annual pre-budget forum with a view to continuing this progress. I listened to their priorities for the forthcoming Budget. This will be a key input to my thinking on Budget formulation and the measures that I will bring forward for consideration of Government, particularly in the context provided by the Programme for Government's commitments in relation to core welfare payments.