2042. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Social Protection the cost of extending the six-week continuation period for social welfare payments to 12 weeks; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [57462/26]

The Government has agreed a number of commitments that are to be achieved over the lifetime of the Government. One of the proposals in the Programme for Government is to extend the period of payment after death from 6 weeks to 12 weeks.

While, in general, across social welfare schemes payment continues for a period of 6 weeks after death, there are some exceptions, with some payments already paid for a period of 12 weeks after the death of the recipient. For example, with Carer’s Allowance, payment continues for a period of 12 weeks after the death of the person being cared for, while in the case of Domiciliary Care Allowance, payment continues for a period of 3 months after the death of the recipient.

A high-level costing of an extension from 6 to 12 weeks across other relevant social welfare schemes was conducted in 2025, which estimated additional expenditure of €24.5 million in a full year. This costing was based on the estimated average number of recipients across all relevant social welfare schemes. The amount would be subject to change in light of any emerging trends, changes in the number of recipients and any projections for future recipient numbers and other relevant data.