Social Welfare Payments
Dail Éireann — 2026-01-15
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Seamus Healy (IND), Tipperary South

This is an urgent situation. It cannot wait 12 or 18 months or whatever period the Department and Minister have in mind. It is urgent and needs to be dealt with now. This Government talks about targeted measures. This is surely the most targeted measure it could devise. It is a one that deals directly with the poverty being experienced by disabled people. If it is not the Minister's intention to introduce this payment immediately and urgently, surely he will consider announcing an immediate once-off payment for this group of people who are experiencing poverty. Many of them are in the 300,000 households in arrears with their electricity bills and the 170,000 people in arrears with their gas bills. They need assistance urgently. I ask that the Minister introduce a once-off payment of at least €400 immediately.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-01-15/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:30+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-01-15