Written Answers Nos. 1583-1595
1583. Deputy Albert Dolan asked the Minister for Social Protection the value of expenditure originally allocated in the Estimates to specific programmes or staffing measures that could not be spent as planned within the year for each of the past five years; and whether such underspends were surrendered, carried forward or reallocated to other areas within the Vote. [1825/26]
View answerAs this is a service matter, I have asked the Health Service Executive to respond directly to the Deputy as soon as possible.
1584. Deputy Brian Brennan asked the Minister for Social Protection if assistance can be offered to a person (details supplied) with processing a working family payment claim; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1835/26]
View answerWorking Family Payment (WFP), formerly Family Income Supplement, is a weekly in-work support which provides an income top-up for employees on low earnings with children. To qualify for Working Family Payment the customer must be working a minimum of 38 hours per fortnight in ongoing insurable employment and have at least 1 qualified child who normally resides with them.
A review for the person concerned has been completed and their claim for Working Family Payment has been awarded. The person concerned has been contacted directly with details of their award. Their payment, along with any arrears due, will issue next Thursday 15 January.
I trust this clarifies the matter.
1585. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Social Protection the steps his Department is taking to design and deliver a targeted social welfare payment for families experiencing consistent poverty; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1906/26]
View answerThe Government remains committed to supporting all families in caring for their children through a wide range of supports, available across Departments to ease the financial pressures on families.
The Programme for Government includes the commitment to explore a targeted child benefit payment and examine the interaction this would have with existing targeted supports like the Working Family and Child Support Payments. Officials in my Department are currently advancing this work.
While a targeted child benefit payment is one approach to reduce child poverty, there are also existing schemes and mechanisms available to me to achieve this end. We know, based on ESRI research, that increases in the Child Support Payment and Working Family Payment are very effective at tackling child poverty. These payments provide targeted assistance that is directly linked to household income, thereby supporting low-income families with children. This is why, as part of Budget 2026, we introduced the highest single increases to Child Support Payment rates in history, as well as significant increases to thresholds for the Working Family Payment, amongst other measures.
The Government has also approved an ambitious child poverty target, with a consistent poverty rate of 3% to be achieved by the end of 2030. This would mean a reduction of 5.5 percentage points from the current child consistent poverty rate of 8.5%.
While of course, no level of child poverty is acceptable, the new Child Poverty Target will guide our cross-government policies and ensure investment is targeted at the children who need it the most, so we can lift as many children - and their families - as possible out of poverty.
I trust this clarifies matters for the Deputy.
1586. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide an update on work underway to reduce child poverty, including progress against the Government's target to reduce consistent child poverty to 3%; to list the specific measures within Vote 37 that are being prioritised to support low-income families; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1907/26]
View answerReducing child poverty is a key priority for this Government, as set out in the Programme for Government.
In September 2025, the Government agreed a new Child Poverty Target: to reduce the consistent child poverty rate to 3% or less by the end of 2030.
This is an ambitious goal, representing a reduction of 5.5 percentage points - nearly 60% - from the current rate of 8.5%.
In addition, the Child Poverty and Well-being Programme Office in the Department of the Taoiseach is collating a Dashboard of Indicators, which will complement this target and allow for a more holistic measurement of child poverty.
Recent CSO data show a welcome reduction in child enforced deprivation rates from 21.2% in 2024 to 19% in 2025, reflecting the impact of Government measures to date. However, we also fully recognise that this rate is still too high and much more work is needed to lift as many children as possible out of poverty.
The Budget 2026 social welfare package reflects this determination, with a specific allocation of €320 million to tackle child poverty. Targeted measures include the largest increases in Child Support Payments in the State’s history; higher income thresholds for the Working Family Payment; and expanded eligibility for the Fuel Allowance and the Back-to-School Clothing and Footwear Allowance.
These measures build on other important initiatives already underway that also work to reduce child poverty, such as the rollout of free school meals, free schoolbooks, the free GP visit card, and enhancements to the Early Childhood Care and Education scheme.
Social welfare income supports are complemented by actions already underway in areas such as housing, employment, childcare and public services.
1587. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Social Protection whether his Department collects data on the uptake of paternity and parent's leave by fathers and other parents, including the latest figures available on the percentage of eligible fathers availing of these entitlements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1908/26]
View answerThe Department of Social Protection administers Parent's Benefit and Paternity Benefit. These payments are for individuals who are availing of Parent's leave or Paternity leave, and who are covered by the appropriate Social Insurance (PRSI) Contributions. My Department does not monitor uptake of Paternity or Parental leave. Matters relating to Paternity, and Parental leave, as distinct from the payment of social protection benefits, are proper to the Minister for Children, Disability and Equality.
My Department publishes quarterly statistics, which details the number of people who receive Paternity Benefit and Parent's Benefit payments on its website. Recipient numbers for these payments in Quarter 3 of 2025 are set out in the table below.
|
Quarter 3 2025 |
Recipients |
|
Parent's Benefit |
30,597 |
|
Paternity Benefit |
8,540 |
1588. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Social Protection the interactions between targeted poverty payments and supports for families such as working family payment, child support payment and family leave benefits; the modelling undertaken of combined impacts on disposable income for families with children in or at risk of poverty; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1911/26]
View answerThe Government remains committed to supporting all families in caring for their children through a wide range of supports, available across Departments to ease the financial pressures on families.
The Department of Social Protection provides a range of these key supports which include the Child Support Payment and the Working Family Payment.
Most weekly social welfare payments include an amount called a Child Support Payment in respect of each qualified child up to the age of 18, which is extended to encompass older children to age 22 under certain circumstances. The rate of the Child Support Payment is higher for children aged over 12 years, reflecting the higher costs involved in raising older children.
The Working Family Payment is a weekly, tax-free payment available to low-paid employees with children. It provides extra financial support to families with children with rates of payment based on household income and family size.
The Child Support Payment and Working Family Payment provide targeted assistance that is directly linked to household income and thereby support low-income families with children. We know, for example through ESRI research, that increases in the Child Support Payment and the Working Family Payment are very effective at tackling child poverty and increase disposable income for low-income families with children. This is why payments rates of the Child Support Payment and weekly thresholds for the Working Family Payment were increased significantly in Budget 2026.
The Programme for Government includes commitments to examine the extension of Parent’s Leave and Benefit and additional flexibilities and to introduce Pay-Related Parent’s Benefit and explore other payments where a similar model could be applied. Work is currently underway within my Department in this regard.
The CSO’s 2024 SILC data show that social transfers (excluding pensions) continued to perform well in reducing the at-risk-of-poverty rate, from 31.4% before social transfers to 11.7% after social transfers. This equated to a poverty reduction effect of 62.7% in 2024.
I trust this clarifies matters for the Deputy.
1589. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding any product or service purchased from Israel or the Occupied Territories by his Department in 2025, broken down by description and amount paid; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1988/26]
View answerI can confirm to the Deputy that no product or service has been purchased by my Department from either Israel or the Occupied Territories in 2025.
1590. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Social Protection whether his Department, or any body under its aegis, has funded, or is funding, other than where legal costs were awarded against the employer by a court or tribunal, the legal costs of any current or concluded litigation taken by an employee or former employee against that Department or body, in each of the past five years; if so, to provide details of the number of such cases, the bodies involved, and the total costs incurred in each year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2028/26]
View answer1591. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Social Protection the basis on which his Department, or a body under its aegis, may fund the legal costs of an employee or former employee in litigation where that employee is in dispute with, or taking proceedings against, the same body; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2046/26]
View answer1592. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Social Protection whether the funding of employee legal costs in disputes against his Department, or a body under its aegis, is standard practice; if not, the circumstances in which such funding may be permitted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2064/26]
View answer1593. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Social Protection to outline the guidance, codes, circulars or directions that govern the payment of legal costs by his Department, and bodies under its aegis, in employment-related disputes, including any requirements under the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies or Departmental sanction arrangements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2082/26]
View answer1594. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Social Protection whether the funding of employee legal costs in litigation against the employing body could give rise to governance, accountability, or value for money concerns; whether his Department has issued any guidance in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2100/26]
View answer1595. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Social Protection whether his Department has reviewed, or intends to review, the practice of Departments, and bodies under their aegis, funding legal costs in employment disputes involving those same bodies; and if so, the outcome or timeline for such a review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2118/26]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1590 to 1595, inclusive, together.
The Deputy has raised several Questions related to legal costs in employment related disputes which I will take together.
My Department follows all centrally issued guidance in relation to legal cases and legal costs. In such cases the Department seeks to minimise legal costs and, in general, it avails of the services of the Chief State Solicitor's Office, the Attorney General's Office and the State Claims Agency. The main relevant central guidance is Circular 05/2013: assets.gov.ie/static/documents/052013-ddfb70ec-e99a-4217-8a0f-45f11e570056.pdf
Procurement of Legal Services and Managing Legal Costs, along with the Public Spending Code and the Code of Practice for the Governance of State Bodies.
I can confirm to the Deputy that, other than where legal costs were awarded against my Department as employer by a court or tribunal, my Department has not funded the legal costs of an employee or former employee against the Department. This is not standard practice in my Department and there has been no review or planned review of the same. The position is the same with respect to the Pensions Authority and the Citizens Information Board.
In some limited circumstances, it is possible for a Department or agency to agree to pay a contribution towards an employee’s legal costs as part of a settlement or severance agreement. This is done on a case-by-case basis and in line with Circular 07/2017: Use of Mediation as an Alternative Dispute Resolution mechanism in the resolution of workplace, contract and other disputes - circulars.gov.ie/pdf/circular/per/2017/17.pdf - or Circular 09/2018: Consolidation of arrangements for the offer of severance terms in the civil and public service - assets.gov.ie/static/documents/092018-6ad398e3-a2f7-4501-9c19-8e83c7469fae.pdf
I can also confirm that my Department ensures compliance with all relevant guidance issued by Department of Public Expenditure Infrastructure Public Service Reform and Digitalisation and would seek sanction from that Department where required.
I am confident that the current systems in place are achieving their objectives of minimising overall costs within my Department. The system of sanctioning such payments also ensure effective governance and oversight of these settlements.
