Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 26 February 2026
81. Deputy Eoin Hayes asked the Minister for Social Protection the entitlements widows and bereaved partners have from his Department; if he has any plans to revisit their entitlements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15585/26]
View answerUnder the remit of my Department there are a suite of income supports available to Bereaved Partners, which include insurance-based schemes, based on Pay Related Social Insurance (PRSI) contributions, and means-tested social assistance schemes.
The Bereaved Partners (Contributory) Pension (BCP) is a weekly payment to the widow, widower, surviving civil partner or surviving qualified cohabitant of a deceased person (Bereaved Partner). The pension remains payable unless the person cohabits with another person or marries, and the payment is not means tested. As a result, a person can be in receipt of BCP and earn income from employment or self-employment.
Where the Bereaved Partner has a dependant child, they can claim the weekly Child Support Payment (CSP) of €58 for a child under the age of 12 or a CSP of €78 for a child over the age of 12. If the child is 18 or over, a person can continue getting a CSP for 3 months after the child leaves second level education or finishes the Leaving Certificate. If a child remains in full-time education, a person on BCP can continue to receive a child support payment for them until the dependent child turns 22, or until the end of the academic year in which the dependent child turns 22.
The Bereaved Parent Grant (BPG) is a once-off payment of €8,000 to Bereaved Partners with dependent children. This grant is available to widows, widowers or surviving civil partners who have one or more dependent children living with them at the date of death. Since 21st July 2025, the BPG is available o surviving qualified cohabitants who have one or more dependent children living with them and where the death occurred after that date.
Other payments made by my Department include the Back-to-School Clothing and Footwear Allowance, Child Benefit, Carer's Benefit and Allowance. Each of these payments have their own qualifying criteria, however the civil status of each applicant is not a factor.
Furthermore, under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme, my department may make Additional Needs Payments to help meet essential expenses that a person cannot pay from their weekly income or other personal and household resources. These payments are available through our Community Welfare Officers.
The rates of payment are set as part of the Budgetary process and are informed by various data including the CSO SILC. In recent successive Budgets, the social welfare packages were the largest in the history of the State, and the last three Budgets contained significant cost of living packages. The Government is focused on continuing to deliver on measures to address poverty and social exclusion.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
