Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 18 November 2025
717. Deputy Eoin Hayes asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will provide analysis from his Department on the progress towards achieving Minimum Essential Standard of Living over the past five budgets across all income groups, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [63302/25]
View answerThe Minimum Essential Standard of Living (MESL) is an assessment of the minimum income needed to live and partake in the social and economic norms of everyday life for various household types. My Department provides funds to the Vincentian MESL Research Centre, to support the MESL research workplan.
One of the benefits of the work of the Vincentian MESL Research Centre is that it provides an analysis of the different levels of income needed for a wide range of household types, including the different costs that arise for households in rural and urban locations.
A comparison of household income compared to the MESL expenditure for different household types calculated by the Vincentian MESL Research Centre can be found in the appendix tables of each annual MESL update.
The primary Social Protection Budget measures that help to raise household income are increases to Primary Scheme rates and increases to the Child Support Payment (CSP). The table below outlines the increases to both the Primary Scheme rates and the CSP in the last five Budgets.
|
Budget |
Primary Scheme Rate increase |
Child Support Payment Increase |
|
2026 |
€10 |
€8 for U12 and €16 for children aged 12 and over |
|
2025 |
€12 |
€4 for U12 and €8 for children aged 12 and over |
|
2024 |
€12 |
€4 for U12 and €4 for children aged 12 and over |
|
2023 |
€12 |
€2 for U12 and €2 for children aged 12 and over |
|
2022 |
€5 |
€2 for U12 and €3 for children aged 12 and over |
