Written Answers Nos. 431-450
431. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Social Protection if there are plans to increase the telephone package in Budget 2025 (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36001/24]
View answerThe Telephone Support Allowance (TSA) is a weekly payment of €2.50 for people on certain social welfare payments who are also getting both the Living Alone Increase and the Fuel Allowance. The primary objective of the TSA is to allow the most vulnerable people at risk of isolation, including the elderly and those with disabilities, access to personal alarms or phones for security. Approximately 156,000 customers are in receipt of the TSA payment. The full year cost of the scheme in 2024 is estimated at €20.9 million.
All proposals, including any proposals to increase the Telephone Support Allowance could only be considered while taking account of overall Government policy and in a budgetary context. In the forthcoming budget, the Government will consider how it can support people on low incomes and those on social welfare payments. The outcome of this process will be announced on Budget Day.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
432. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Social Protection if a farmer who is applying for farm assist has to have farm accounts done by an accountant (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36012/24]
View answerFarm Assist is a statutory means-tested income State support specifically for farmers on low incomes.
Farm accounts certified by an accountant are not a requirement to determine entitlement, however they may be presented by the customer if they have them already prepared. Relevant documentation, including farming income and expenditure details, including any payments from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine are required to carry out a means assessment to determine a persons entitlement to a Farm Assist payment. A social welfare inspector may confirm the income and expenditure details with the farmer when assessing their entitlement to a payment.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
433. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason behind the inordinately long delays in processing carers allowance applications and appeals (details supplied). [36027/24]
View answerMy Department is committed to providing a quality service to all its customers. This includes ensuring that all applications and reviews are processed as quickly as possible. The average number of weeks to award a Carer’s Allowance application in August 2024 was 6 weeks, compared to an average of 14 weeks in 2019. Where any scheme area experiences delays, all possible steps are taken to improve processing times. This can include the assignment of additional resources where available, the review of business processes, all to ensure the efficient processing of applications.
In general, social welfare schemes such as Carer’s Allowance which have a number of complex qualifying conditions can take longer to process. For example, to qualify for Carer's Allowance, the carer must show that they are habitually resident in the State, that they are providing full-time care and attention to a person who requires this level of care, and that their means are less than the statutory limit.
An application for Carer’s Allowance was received from the person concerned on 16 March 2023.
As part of the decision process, the application was referred for the professional opinion of a Department Medical Assessor. The claim was disallowed as the Deciding Officer, having regard to the opinion of the Medical Assessor, decided that the information supplied did not show that the care recipient required full time care.
The person concerned was notified of this decision in writing on 24 April 2023. They were also notified of their right to have the decision reviewed (where further information is available) or to appeal the decision to the Social Welfare Appeals Office.
A request to appeal this decision was lodged with the Department in June 2023 and forwarded to the Social Welfare Appeals Office (SWAO) on 5 July 2023. The appeal was disallowed on 5 October 2023 and the original decision was upheld. The person concerned was notified in writing of this decision on 5 October 2023.
Following receipt of further information on 19 January 2024, a review of the appeal decision was initiated by the SWAO. The decision remained unchanged, and the person was notified in writing of this on 26 July 2024.
I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
434. Deputy Noel Grealish asked the Minister for Social Protection whether €20,000 or €40,000 of savings is disregarded for a jobseeker’s allowance assessment for a married couple; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36066/24]
View answerJobseeker's Allowance is a means tested payment and to qualify for a payment a person must satisfy certain conditions as to means. A means assessment includes all of a person's household income, any savings, shares, investments or property apart from a person's home. A means test will also include any income that a person's spouse, civil partner or cohabitant has.
My Department adds the income from all sources, and, from this, calculates the means for each week which is used to work out the amount of payment a person is entitled to receive.
Where a married couple, in receipt of Jobseeker's Allowance, who have capital of over €20,000 are assessed for means, only one disregard of €20,000 is applied to that assessment. The total amount of savings between both people is added together and the disregard of €20,000 is applied to the total figure.
The formula for assessing the value of capital including property, savings and investments is as follows:
First €20,000 is disregarded
Next €10,000 - €1 per €1,000 is assessed
Next €10,000 - €2 per €1,000 is assessed
Over €40,000 - €4 per €1,000 is assessed
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
435. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason an application to the school meals programme for a school (details supplied) was not successful; if she will re-examine its case; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36101/24]
View answerI have grown the Hot School Meals Programme from a small pilot project to a nationwide programme now approved in 2,200 primary schools nationwide.
In April 2024, my Department contacted the remaining 1,000 primary schools, including the school referred to by the Deputy, who have not yet joined the Hot School Meals scheme, asking them if they wished to submit an expression of interest in commencing the provision of Hot School Meals. I can confirm the school referred to has expressed an interest in joining the scheme.
My Department is currently collating the responses received under this year's Expression of Interest process with the aim of including more schools, subject to available funding in Budget 2025.
436. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Social Protection if her Department has a policy, or has issued guidance to staff on the use of artificial intelligence, large language model, natural language processing, generative or otherwise, or products based thereon in the course of their duties; if this has been communicated to staff; if she will publish same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36148/24]
View answerMy Department is currently developing guidance for staff on the use of artificial intelligence.
These guidelines will incorporate the principles highlighted in the "Interim Guidelines and Principles for the use of AI" published earlier this year by the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform. Any updates in guidance for the public sector will be incorporated into the Department's guidelines as they are made.
437. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Social Protection if her Department, or any agency under her auspices, has ever used any artificial intelligence software in the preparation of response to parliamentary questions, or in responses to any correspondence from outside the organisation; the details of same if applicable; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36167/24]
View answerThe Department does not use artificial intelligence software to assist in the response to parliamentary questions or in responses to any correspondence from outside the organisation.
438. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection if urgent financial assistance can be offered to a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36178/24]
View answerThe person concerned was awarded Jobseeker’s Allowance (JA) on 16/10/2023. Their claim was closed on 28/05/2024 as a result of the person failing to collect their JA payments from the post office on three consecutive weeks.
Following Dáil Question No. 912, a holiday form was issued by the Maynooth Social Welfare Branch Office to the person concerned on 01/08/2024 to assess any potential entitlement they may have to the missed payments. As of 16/09/2024 there is no record of a completed holiday form being submitted by the person to my Department. When the completed form has been received with the necessary information, the person’s claim will be reviewed, and they will be advised of the outcome.
There is a range of supports provided by the Community Welfare Service (CWS) under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) scheme. These supports can consist of a basic weekly payment, a weekly or monthly supplement in respect of certain expenses, as well as single Additional Needs Payments (ANPs).
The basic SWA provides immediate assistance for those in need who are awaiting the outcome of a claim or an appeal for a primary social welfare payment or do not qualify for payment under other State schemes. Separately, my Department may make an ANP to help meet essential expenditure which an eligible person could not reasonably be expected to meet from their weekly income. This is an overarching term used to refer to Exceptional Needs Payments (ENPs) and Urgent Needs Payments (UNPs), and certain supplements to assist with ongoing or recurring costs that cannot be met from a person’s own resources, and which are deemed to be necessary. SWA payments are administered by Designated Persons (DP) in the CWS considering the requirements of the legislation and all the relevant circumstances of the case.
As previously advised to the Deputy in reply to Dáil Question No. 982, Departmental records show that the person concerned applied for a basic SWA on 09/08/2024. Correspondence issued to the person 12/8/24 and 21/8/24 in which she was asked to provide further documentation in support of her claim. While this information was partially received, a further request for information issued to the person concerned on 27/08/2024 and the following information remains outstanding:• A claim application for a primary scheme payment.• Proof of means for the period the person was abroad and verification of her address for that time.• Proof of the person's means since returning to Ireland.• Fully completed HRC form including the dates that the person concerned left the country and returned.• Confirmation that the children of the person concerned are in full time education, verification of this is required.Departmental records also show that the person concerned applied for an ANP on 21/08/2024 for assistance with the cost of rent arrears and a utility bill. A request for further supporting information issued to the person concerned on 22/08/2024 and on 26/08/2024 and my Department awaits submission of the following documents:• Copy of bills associated with the claim.• Evidence of a repayment plan in place with the person’s energy company and with Kildare County Council. The person concerned was also advised of the requirement to provide these documents in the course of a phone call with the Department on 11/9/24. Upon receipt of all the necessary documentation, the person’s claims will be assessed promptly, and they will be advised of the outcome in writing.
I trust this clarifies the matter.
439. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Social Protection the current at risk of poverty or social exclusion rate for people with disabilities. [36203/24]
View answerIn the EU-Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC), disability is approximated according to the concept of global activity limitation, which is defined as a limitation – because of health problems – in carrying out usual activities (for at least the previous 6 months).
As reported by Eurostat, the EU- Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC) 2023 data shows that the at-risk-of-poverty-or-social-exclusion (AROPE) rate for people with a disability in Ireland in 2023 was 32.7%, down from 37.2% in 2022.
440. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Social Protection the current employment rate for people with disabilities. [36204/24]
View answerAccording to recent results from Census 2022, there are almost 1,109,557 people or 22% of the population living with a disability in Ireland. Furthermore, it shows that there is a large employment gap between disabled people and those without a disability. Census 2022 data show that 56% of the total population was working, but only 37% of people with a long-lasting health condition were employed.
The Department of Social Protection, through its nationwide network of Intreo centres, provides a case managed employment service for jobseekers with disabilities. The person works with an Employment Personal Advisor with a view to agreeing a suitable personal progression plan in order to access the full range of employment supports available. There are a number of supports available to help disabled people into employment and self-employment. Early Engagement is a process targeted at recipients of a disability payment whereby the Public Employment Service actively engages with people with disabilities at the earliest opportunity, on a voluntary basis, offering supports to assist them in achieving their employment ambitions.
The Department contracts specialist employment services, called EmployAbility, to provide both pre-employment and in-employment support and assistance for disabled people and a recruitment and job matching service for employers.
In December 2023, I announced a new programme to support the employment of people with disabilities under the new ESF+ funding. WorkAbility: Inclusive Pathways to Employment Programme has an overall budget of up to €36.29 million and will run from January 2024 to December 2028. The programme aims to support up to 13,000 disabled people progress their training and employment ambitions over its lifetime and will be delivered by 56 local and community organisations nationwide.
Disability Allowance and Blind Pension are structured to support recipients to avail of work opportunities including self-employment. An income disregard of €165 per week is applied with 50% of earnings between €165 and €375 also disregarded.
The Partial Capacity Benefit scheme allows a person who has been in receipt of Invalidity Pension or Illness Benefit and who may not have full capacity for work, to enter or return to employment and continue to receive a partial or full payment.
The Back to Work Enterprise Allowance, also offered through my department, supports people to take up self-employment opportunities while keeping a percentage of their social welfare payment for up to two years.
The Wage Subsidy Scheme is a subsidy for private sector employers to encourage the employment of people with disabilities in the open labour market. My Department has just finalised a review of the scheme. In anticipation of recommendations in the review, I made provision in Budget 2024 to decrease the minimum hours from 21 to 15 hours from 1st April this year. The Review makes recommendations to expand and improve the scheme, including expanding it to employers outside the private sector. My Department will work over the coming months to implement the recommendations in the report. The updated scheme will be in place from January 2025.
The are a range of Government supports and processes in place to engage with and support people with disabilities to both identify their employment ambitions and to assist them in achieving these ambitions. My Department will continue to keep these supports under review to ensure that they help to improve employment outcomes for persons with disabilities.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
441. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection if she plans to review the conditions for the invalidity pension (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36221/24]
View answerMy Department provides a suite of income supports for those who are unable to work due to an illness or disability, both social insurance and means tested schemes. Invalidity Pension, a social insurance scheme, is a weekly payment to people who cannot work because of a long-term illness or disability who are covered by PRSI contributions. In order to qualify, the person must have been incapable of work for at least 12 months and be likely to be incapable of work for at least another 12 months or must be permanently incapable of work.
Partial Capacity Benefit is a scheme which extends the Illness Benefit and Invalidity Pension schemes to recognise and respond to the reality that some people in receipt of these payments have a capacity to engage in open market employment while continuing to need to receive some income support from the State. People in receipt of Invalidity Pension or Illness Benefit (the latter for a minimum of 26 weeks) who wish to return to work are eligible for Partial Capacity Benefit if their capacity for work is reduced as a result of their medical condition.
The personal rate of payment of Partial Capacity Benefit is based on a medical assessment of a person’s restriction regarding their capacity for work. After the medical assessment, if a person's disability is rated as moderate, severe or profound their payment continues at 50%, 75% or 100% per cent of their existing rate, respectively. If assessed as mild, they will not qualify for Partial Capacity Benefit.
Partial Capacity Benefit has been designed so there are no restrictions or limits on earnings from employment or on the number of hours a person can work.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
442. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of an invalidity pension application by a person (details supplied) in County Cork. [36248/24]
View answerInvalidity Pension (IP) is a payment for people who are permanently incapable of work because of illness or incapacity and for no other reason and who satisfy the pay related social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions.
My Department received an application for IP from the person concerned on 1 March 2024. Based on the information supplied, it was refused on the grounds that the medical conditions for the scheme were not satisfied. The person referred to was notified on 13 May 2024 of the decision, the reasons for it and of her right of review and/or appeal.
The person in question requested a review of this decision on 27 June 2024 and submitted further medical evidence in support of her claim. Following a review of all the information available, it was decided that there were no grounds to amend the earlier decision. She was notified on 1 August 2024 of the outcome of this review and of her right to a further review or to appeal the decision to the Social Welfare Appeals Office (SWAO) within 21 days.
My Department has no record of a further review request to date from the person concerned or of an appeal having been lodged with the SWAO.
I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
443. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Social Protection if new legislative changes have been made in respect of criteria to qualify for the widows and widowers pension; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36294/24]
View answer444. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Social Protection if changes have been made in respect of the widows and widowers pension; if not, when the proposed changes will be made; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36295/24]
View answer458. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection if changes have been made to the widows pension to allow non-married long-term partners claim the payment, should their partner pass away; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36579/24]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 443, 444 and 458 together.
Under the law as currently enacted, entitlement to a Widows, Widowers or Surviving Civil Partner’s Contributory pension is only available to a surviving partner who was party to a marriage or civil partnership
On 22nd January, the Supreme Court delivered its judgment on the entitlement of an unmarried cohabitant to a Widows, Widowers or Surviving Civil Partner’s Contributory pension. The Supreme Court judgment overruled a previous High Court decision and found in favour of the claimant and his children. In simple terms, the Court found that section 124 of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 (as amended) is inconsistent with the Constitution insofar as it excluded the claimant from the category of persons entitled to benefit from it. The Court reached that conclusion on the basis of the equality guarantee contained in Article 40.1 of the Constitution. The Supreme Court judgment notes that in order to resolve the issue raised by the judgment, a legislative amendment is required.
My officials, in conjunction with the Office of the Attorney General, have been considering the measures necessary to respond to the Supreme Court judgment as it raised a number of complex issues.
On 18th June, I obtained Government approval for the priority drafting of the legislative changes required to respond to the Supreme Court decision. The General Scheme of a Bill was referred to the Office of Parliamentary Counsel for priority drafting, and to the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Protection, Community and Rural Development and the Islands for Pre-Legislative Scrutiny. The Committee issued its report on the 26th July.
My officials are now working closely with the Office of Parliamentary Counsel to develop and finalise this legislation and I intend to introduce it to the Oireachtas as soon as possible once that's done.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputies.
445. Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Social Protection if she has reviewed the terms of the wage subsidy scheme; and if she has considered extending its terms to those who are self-employed, as many people with a disability have been forced into self-employment by the difficulties often encountered in accessing paid employment which understands the abilities they can deliver in the workplace given the correct environment. [36330/24]
View answerThe objective of the Wage Subsidy Scheme is to encourage employers to employ people with disabilities, who they may not otherwise consider due to a potential productivity loss.
The scheme provides financial incentives to employers to hire new staff with a disability for between 15 and 39 hours per week under a contract of employment. The employee must be subject to and have the same rights as per the conditions of employment as any of their other employees. These conditions include the payment of Class A PRSI contributions. Persons with a disability who are self-employed, or considering self-employment, cannot avail of the Wage Subsidy Scheme.
Last month, my department published a review of the Wage Subsidy Scheme. The review makes six recommendations, including to reduce the minimum required hours of the scheme, to regularly review the subsidy rate, and to expand the scheme to people who return to work on Partial Capacity Benefit. With these recommendations, the Department aims to make the scheme more accessible and flexible for people with disabilities and their employers. It is hoped that all the recommendations will be implemented by January 2025.
It should be noted that my Department provides a wide range of other employment-related supports for persons with disabilities seeking to enter self-employment.
Disability Allowance and Blind Pension: Both Disability Allowance and Blind Pension are structured to support recipients to avail of their own employment opportunities, be that self-employment or insurable employment. For people in employment or self-employment, an income disregard of €165 per week is applied. In addition, 50% of earnings between €165 and €375 is also disregarded for the purpose of the means test. A person can now earn a maximum of €505.10 per week and keep a portion of their Disability Allowance payment while keeping their secondary benefits.
Partial Capacity Benefit: People on Invalidity Pension or Illness Benefit can transfer to Partial Capacity Benefit to return or take up employment. The personal rate of payment of Partial Capacity Benefit is based on a medical assessment of a person’s restriction regarding their capacity for work. A person's restriction regarding their capacity for work is rated as moderate, severe or profound. Partial Capacity Benefit has been designed so there are no restrictions/limits on earnings from employment or on the number of hours a person can work under the scheme.
Back to Work Enterprise Allowance (BTWEA): The Back to Work Enterprise Allowance scheme encourages people getting certain social welfare payments to become self-employed. This includes persons in receipt of Disability Allowance and Blind Pension. A person who avails of the Back to Work Enterprise Allowance scheme retains a percentage of their social welfare payment for up to 2 years. Once accepted onto the scheme the person retains 100% of their original payment in year one and 75% in year two.
Work and Access Scheme: On 30 July 2024, I launched the new Work and Access Scheme. The scheme offers seven supports to help reduce or remove barriers in the workplace for people with a disability, including self-employed people.
I can assure the Deputy that I will keep my department’s employment support schemes for people with disabilities under review, to ensure that they continue to meet their policy objectives. However, any potential changes to these schemes can only be considered in the wider budgetary and policy context.
I trust that this clarifies the issue for the Deputy.
446. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Social Protection if the eligibility of a person (details supplied) for the State pension (contributory) will be examined; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36336/24]
View answerThe person concerned reached pension age on 10 January 2017. An application for State Pension (contributory) was received on 21 January 2019.
To qualify for state pension (contributory), a total of 520 paid reckonable contributions are required which is equivalent to 10 years contributions.
The person concerned was advised on 25 March 2019 that they did not qualify for State Pension (contributory). There was no record of any paid contributions on their record. The self-employment contributions were paid after the person concerned turned 66 and are therefore not reckonable for inclusion in the pension calculation.
Section 110. (1) of the SW Consolidation Acts states that: In the case of a person who, having been a self-employed contributor, makes a claim for State pension (contributory) on or after 6 April 1995, the contribution conditions contained in section 109 shall not be regarded as having been satisfied unless, in accordance with section 21-
(a) the person has paid self-employment contributions in respect of at least one contribution year before attaining pensionable age or deferred pensionable age, as the case may be, and
(b) all self-employment contributions payable by him or her have been paid.
Section 110 (2) of the SW Consolidation Act was amended to "A State pension (contributory) shall not be payable in respect of any period preceding the date on which all self-employment contributions, referred to in subsection (1)(b), payable by the person concerned have been paid.It is open to the person concerned to apply for the means-tested State Pension (non-contributory), the maximum rate of which equates to 95% of the maximum rate of State Pension (contributory). I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
447. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Social Protection if her Department has appointed access officers in accordance with section 26(2) of the Disability Act 2005; if so, if the contact details for the access officers are available online; and if not, the reason their contact details have not been made available online. [36387/24]
View answerMy department is committed to offering a high-quality service to people with disabilities and Access Officers (appointed in my Department in compliance with section 26(2) of the Disability Act) play an important role in this regard. To ensure the most effective service, all customer access requests are made via a centralised mailbox and most are dealt with entirely by a central Access Officer team. This team is supplemented by the assignment of Access Officers around the country who will deal with any request from the central team that requires further action or information on schemes or services, including building access.
The Access Officer team can directly organise online meetings, book a remote Irish Sign Language (ISL) interpreter, or provide an accessible location for an in-person meeting. Additionally, my department offers a range of translation (into braille for example) and ISL interpretation services which are free of charge.
If a customer indicates to any department staff member that they are having difficulty with a form or accessing a service because of their disability, staff will offer as much help as possible, including assisting customers with the completion of forms. If the customer requests or requires further contact with an Access Officer, staff will refer them to the Access Officer mailbox or the staff member can do this on a customer's behalf if they are unable to e-mail directly.
This information is included on the Gov.ie website (Gov.ie Access Officer webpage) as well as a list of contact numbers for both schemes areas (gov - Social Welfare Phone Numbers) and Intreo /Branch Offices (gov - Intreo centres and local branch offices).
448. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will remove nursing home costs from the means assessments for fuel allowance payments to alleviate the burden on families (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36431/24]
View answerThe Fuel Allowance is a payment of €33 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €924 each year) from late September to April, at an estimated cost of €382 million in 2024. The purpose of this payment is to assist these households with their energy costs. Only one allowance is paid per household.
Fuel Allowance operates as part of an overall system of social protection supports which provides assistance payments based on a system of means testing. The means test ensures that the recipient has a verifiable income need and that resources are targeted to those who need them most.
By its nature, the means test takes account of the income a person or couple has in terms of cash, property - other than the family home - and capital. It does not take account of a person’s expenditure commitments or income tax circumstances.
In the case where one person (who is part of a married/cohabiting couple, or in a civil partnership) goes into a nursing home for longer than 13 weeks, the means of the couple are divided by two and the single disregard is applied to the calculation.
Any decision to fully disregard Nursing Home fees under the fair deal scheme would have budgetary implications and would have to be considered from an overall policy and budgetary context.
Finally, my Department provides Additional Needs Payments as part of the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme for people who have an essential need, which they cannot meet from their own resources. These payments are available through our Community Welfare Officers.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
449. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will consider an increase in monthly payment under the child benefit scheme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36443/24]
View answerChild Benefit is a monthly payment made to families with children up to the age of 16 years. Currently, the payment continues to be paid in respect of children until their 19th birthday where they are in full-time education or have a disability. The extension of Child Benefit to 18 year olds was one of my key priorities in Budget 2024 and I am very pleased that we were able to bring that change in from May this year.
Child Benefit is paid at €140 per month. Twins are paid at one and a half times the standard monthly rate for each child, that is, €210 per month for each twin. All other multiple births are paid at double the standard monthly rate for each child, that is €280 per child.
Child Benefit is currently in payment to approximately 677,000 families in respect of approximately 1.2 million children with an estimated expenditure of €2.2 billion for 2024.
Child Benefit is kept under review in the context of the annual Budget and potential increases can only be considered in that context.
I trust this clarifies matters for the Deputy.
450. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Social Protection if a person (details supplied) in County Kerry has an entitlement to maternity benefit. [36471/24]
View answerMaternity Benefit is a payment made for up to 26 weeks to employed and self-employed women who are on maternity leave from work and who satisfy certain conditions including social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions on their own insurance record.
The main provisions relating to Maternity Benefit are in the Maternity Protection Acts, 1994 and 2004, Chapter 9 of Part II of Social Welfare (Consolidation) Act, 2005, and Chapter 2 of Part II of Social Welfare (Consolidated Claims, Payments, and Control) Regulations, 2007 (as amended).
Maternity Benefit is paid by the Department of Social Protection to women who have a certain number of paid P.R.S.I. contributions on their social insurance record and who are in insurable employment or insurable self-employment up to the first day of their maternity leave.
There are also provisions for claimants to access Maternity Benefit in instances where insurable employment ends within 16 weeks of the end of the week in which the baby is due.
There are several pathways in which a claimant can satisfy the P.R.S.I. contribution requirements. The three most recent complete calendar years are considered along with the current year. The different pathways are detailed below. Each claimant must satisfy one of the following:
39 contributions in the 12 months prior to the start of the Maternity Leave.
39 contributions paid since first starting work and 39 contributions paid or credited in the Relevant Tax Year (RTY): the relevant tax year is 2 years prior to the current year; for claims starting in 2024 this would be 2022.
39 contributions paid since first starting work and 39 contributions paid or credited in the year following the RTY (for claims starting in 2024 the RTY would be 2022 and the year following the RTY would be 2023)
26 contributions in the RTY and 26 in the year prior to this. (For example, if you are going on maternity leave in 2024, the RTY is 2022 and the year prior to this is 2021)
The person must also be on maternity leave from work as detailed above.
There has been no application for Maternity Benefit from the person concerned. Once we have received an application confirming the expected due date we can determine if the person concerned meets the eligibility conditions for Maternity Benefit as outlined above and issue a formal decision advising her of this.
If an individual does not qualify for Maternity Benefit they may be able to stay on their current payment or they may qualify for another payment depending on their circumstances.
I trust this clarifies the position for the deputy.
