Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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1227. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if he will ensure an application for working family payment is approved for a person (details supplied) in County Westmeath. [59847/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Working Family Payment (WFP) is an in-work payment which provides additional income support to employees on low earnings with children. In order to qualify for WFP, an applicant must have a qualified child and be engaged in full-time paid employment as an employee for not less than 38 hours per fortnight.

To qualify for Working Family Payment a person must be in employment working a minimum of 38 hours per fortnight as defined in legislation. Article 175 of S.I 142/2007 refers.

A Working Family Payment claim, which was due for renewal on 27 August 2025, was submitted by the person concerned on the 18 June 2025. From the information provided and our records at the time of renewal the person concerned did not meet the condition of being in employment for a minimum of 38 hours per fortnight and the claim was disallowed.

The person concerned reapplied for WFP on 13 October 2025 but did not meet the condition of being in employment for a minimum of 38 hours per fortnight and the claim was subsequently disallowed.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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1228. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if persons residing in Ireland under international protection or temporary protection who apply for an exceptional needs payment are subject to verification of declared means, including any assets, income or bank accounts held outside of Ireland; if such checks are carried out in practice; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59959/25]

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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1229. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of exceptional needs payments that have been approved for persons residing in Ireland under international protection or temporary protection since 2022; the total value of these payments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59960/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1228 and 1229 together.

Under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme, my Department may make Additional Needs Payments to help meet essential expenses that a person cannot pay from their weekly income or other personal and household resources.

Payments are made at the discretion of the officers administering the scheme, taking into account the requirements of the legislation, and all the relevant circumstances of the case in order to ensure that the payments target those most in need of assistance.

The decision process involves consideration of the need presented and the ability of the person and their household to meet that need. This entails an assessment, as opposed to a specific means test, of an applicant’s weekly household income, their savings and investments, their outgoings and the type of assistance needed.

The application form for Additional Needs Payments requests details from customers in respect of any savings or accounts in any financial institution in the State or another country, as well as any other financial resources or income that may be available to them. In order to make an appropriate decision on the claim, as with all applications for Additional Needs Payments, the customer must provide evidence of same.

Entitlement only arises where a person can demonstrate that the expenditure is essential and that they have no means of funding the expenditure themselves.

Table 1 shows the number of Additional Needs Payments awarded and associated expenditure made annually to International Protection Applicants in receipt of Daily Expenses Allowance from 2022 to 2025 (to end of September).

Table 2 shows the number of Additional Needs Payments awarded and associated expenditure made annually to Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection from 2022 to 2025 (to end of September).

The total Additional Needs Payments expenditure this year for International Protection Applicants in receipt of Daily Expenses Allowance and Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection, equates to just over 6% of overall Additional Needs Payments expenditure of almost €48m, to date for 2025.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Tabular Statement

Table 1 - Number of Additional Needs Payments awarded and associated expenditure made annually to International Protection Applicants in receipt of Daily Expenses Allowance from 2022 to 2025 (to end of September)

Table 2- Number of Additional Needs Payments awarded and associated expenditure made annually to Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection from 2022 to 2025 (to end of September)

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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1230. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if persons residing in Ireland under temporary protection from Ukraine are eligible to apply for carer’s payment; if applications from such persons are subject to the normal means test; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59961/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BoTPs) who are resident in a State provided Designated Accommodation Centre where meals and utilities are provided are disqualified from entitlement to social assistance payments, including Carers Allowance.

Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection who do not reside in Designated Accommodation Centres are entitled to social welfare benefits, including Carers Allowance, on the same basis as Irish citizens and may qualify for payments, subject to meeting the eligibility conditions. The means assessment is the same for all applicants for Carers Allowance, and includes means, savings, or assets held outside of Ireland.

My Department is committed to ensuring that only those people who are eligible receive welfare and other payments. All schemes are subject to periodic control reviews and continuing eligibility checks to ensure that recipients continue to satisfy the conditions for the scheme. At all times, every effort is made to conduct and complete reviews as quickly as possible to avoid any undue stress to the customer.

I trust this clarifies matters for the Deputy.

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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1231. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection where persons residing in Ireland under temporary protection from Ukraine apply for carer’s payment, the way in which means, savings, or assets held outside of Ireland are assessed; if there are mechanisms to verify assets in foreign bank accounts; the way in which this assessment is comparable to the way Irish citizens are means-tested; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [59962/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BoTPs) who are resident in a State provided Designated Accommodation Centre where meals and utilities are provided are disqualified from entitlement to social assistance payments such as Jobseekers Allowance, Disability Allowance and Carers Allowance.

Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection who do not reside in Designated Accommodation Centres are entitled to social welfare benefits, including Carers Allowance, on the same basis as Irish citizens and may qualify for payments, subject to meeting the eligibility conditions. The means assessment is the same for all applicants for Carers Allowance, and includes means, savings, or assets held outside of Ireland.

My Department is committed to ensuring that only those people who are eligible receive welfare and other payments. All schemes are subject to periodic control reviews and continuing eligibility checks to ensure that recipients continue to satisfy the conditions for the scheme. At all times, every effort is made to conduct and complete reviews as quickly as possible to avoid any undue stress to the customer.

I trust this clarifies matters for the Deputy.

Ken O'Flynn (Cork North-Central, Independent Ireland Party)
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1232. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if persons from Ukraine residing in Ireland under the temporary protection directive who have entered employment remain eligible for income supports such as child benefit, jobseeker’s payments, or supplementary welfare supports; the criteria used to determine continued eligibility where income is earned; and if his Department has undertaken any review to ensure that supports are aligned with employment status and income thresholds. [59963/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BoTPs) who are resident in State provided Designated Accommodation Centre where meals and utilities are provided are disqualified from entitlement to social assistance payments such as Jobseekers Allowance, Disability Allowance and Carers Allowance. BoTPs who reside in Designated Accommodation Centres continue to have an entitlement to Child Benefit and to Additional Needs Payments if eligible. They may also be entitled to the BoTP weekly payment administered by my Department on behalf of the Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, which is paid at the weekly rate of €38.80 per adult and €29.80 per child, subject to an income test.

Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection who do not reside in Designated Accommodation Centres are entitled to social welfare benefits on the same basis as Irish citizens and may qualify for payments, subject to meeting the eligibility conditions, including employment income thresholds if applicable to the particular scheme.

My Department is committed to ensuring that only those people who are eligible receive welfare and other payments. All schemes are subject to periodic control reviews and continuing eligibility checks to ensure that recipients continue to satisfy the conditions for the scheme. At all times, every effort is made to conduct and complete reviews as quickly as possible to avoid any undue stress to the customer.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.