Written answers
Tuesday, 29 September 2026
Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection
Departmental Data
John Paul O'Shea (Cork North-West, Fine Gael)
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526. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of people in receipt of domiciliary care allowance, by county, for each of the years 2020 to 2025 and to date in 2026. [68951/26]
Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Domiciliary Care Allowance is a monthly payment for a child with a severe disability. The payment is not based on the type of disability, but rather on the impact of the disability.
The number of recipients of Domiciliary Care Allowance by county at the end of each year from 2020 to 2025, and at the end of August 2026, are provided in the table below.
Table 1: Domiciliary Care Allowance recipients, by year and county
| County | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 (end August) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carlow | 702 | 677 | 759 | 818 | 859 | 881 | 949 |
| Cavan | 651 | 694 | 763 | 837 | 933 | 1,029 | 1,104 |
| Clare | 1,019 | 1,083 | 1,158 | 1,223 | 1,268 | 1,308 | 1,323 |
| Cork | 6,130 | 6,386 | 6,875 | 7,285 | 7,706 | 8,287 | 8,709 |
| Donegal | 1,380 | 1,385 | 1,454 | 1,576 | 1,680 | 1,807 | 1,881 |
| Dublin | 10,795 | 11,412 | 12,493 | 13,362 | 14,301 | 15,863 | 16,951 |
| Galway | 2,057 | 2,118 | 2,267 | 2,462 | 2,620 | 2,832 | 3,028 |
| Kerry | 1,382 | 1,393 | 1,488 | 1,548 | 1,634 | 1,730 | 1,805 |
| Kildare | 2,083 | 2,147 | 2,325 | 2,525 | 2,695 | 2,968 | 3,140 |
| Kilkenny | 773 | 881 | 936 | 1,013 | 1,095 | 1,211 | 1,280 |
| Laois | 948 | 1,065 | 1,156 | 1,233 | 1,333 | 1,457 | 1,511 |
| Leitrim | 258 | 260 | 290 | 310 | 338 | 384 | 393 |
| Limerick | 2,303 | 2,394 | 2,567 | 2,706 | 2,826 | 3,027 | 3,124 |
| Longford | 428 | 446 | 484 | 519 | 541 | 604 | 656 |
| Louth | 1,259 | 1,299 | 1,435 | 1,553 | 1,675 | 1,901 | 2,027 |
| Mayo | 979 | 1,003 | 1,106 | 1,197 | 1,263 | 1,356 | 1,397 |
| Meath | 1,818 | 1,970 | 2,215 | 2,408 | 2,649 | 2,890 | 3,090 |
| Monaghan | 482 | 505 | 551 | 602 | 672 | 739 | 781 |
| Offaly | 965 | 1,031 | 1,095 | 1,176 | 1,242 | 1,348 | 1,399 |
| Roscommon | 627 | 661 | 716 | 759 | 827 | 863 | 890 |
| Sligo | 512 | 525 | 560 | 605 | 645 | 708 | 757 |
| Tipperary | 1,687 | 1,765 | 1,916 | 2,028 | 2,161 | 2,307 | 2,407 |
| Waterford | 1,024 | 1,010 | 1,096 | 1,189 | 1,314 | 1,425 | 1,502 |
| Westmeath | 1,063 | 1,072 | 1,156 | 1,250 | 1,339 | 1,442 | 1,510 |
| Wexford | 1,554 | 1,597 | 1,711 | 1,791 | 1,928 | 2,116 | 2,212 |
| Wicklow | 1,336 | 1,374 | 1,487 | 1,620 | 1,751 | 1,956 | 2,037 |
| Unknown | 64 | 58 | 66 | 61 | 63 | 83 | 87 |
| Total | 44,279 | 46,211 | 50,125 | 53,656 | 57,358 | 62,522 | 65,950 |
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