Barry Heneghan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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104. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the measures being taken to ensure that older people living alone receive timely access to the living alone allowance and the household benefits package, particularly where delays in processing applications are causing hardship; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62166/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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The Living Alone Increase is an extra payment for people on social welfare payments who are living alone. The Living Alone Increase is paid at the rate of €22.00 per week.

The Household Benefits Package comprises of an Electricity or Gas allowance, and a Free Television Licence. Only one Household Benefits Package is payable per household. The payment is made on a monthly basis at the rate of €1.15 per day, which equates to approximately €35.00 per month.

The package is generally available to people living in the State aged 66 years or over, who are in receipt of a social welfare type payment, or who satisfy a means test. The package is also available to some people under age 66 who are in receipt of certain social welfare payments. For customers aged 70 or over, there is no requirement to be in receipt of a qualifying payment or to satisfy a means test.

My Department understands the many pressures faced by customers and always seeks to ensure that Household Benefits Package and Living Alone Increase applications are handled quickly and efficiently.

In relation to the Living Alone Increase which is administered across different primary schemes, applications for the Living Alone Increase are currently being processed within 3 weeks.

The target for processing Household Benefit applications is 90% within 4 weeks of date of receipt. I can confirm that this target has been consistently met and exceeded throughout 2025.

If the Deputy has any particular case in mind, please get in touch with my officials and the matter will be examined without delay.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Cormac Devlin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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105. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection for an overview of the Budget 2026 measures to support carers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [62061/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Last month, as part of Budget 2026, I announced a number of measures to support family carers, these include:

• A Christmas Bonus double payment will be paid in December 2025.
• From January 2026 there will be a €10 increase in the maximum rate of Carer's Allowance and Carer's Benefit. There will be proportionate increases for people getting a reduced rate. This is the fifth successive rise in weekly welfare rates which have increased by €51 over the last five years.
• Also in January, there will be a €20 increase to the monthly Domiciliary Care Allowance payment, bringing it to €380. This payment has increased by €70.50 per month since January 2023.
• From July 2026, there will be an increase in the Carer's Allowance income disregard to €1,000 for a single person and €2,000 for a couple. Since June 2022, this amounts to cumulative increases to the disregards of €667.50 and €1,335 respectively, or an increase of just over 200%.
• In line with Carer’s Allowance, the earnings limit for Carer’s Benefit will also increase next year from €625 to €1,000, after tax.
• Where eligible, Carer’s Allowance recipients will benefit from the increase to the Fuel Allowance payment of €5 per week.
• For carers with children the weekly rates of the Child Support Payment will increase by €16 to €78 for children aged 12 and over, and by €8 to €58 for under 12s in January 2026.

I trust this clarifies the issue for the Deputy.