Aindrias Moynihan
Question:14. Deputy Aindrias Moynihan asked the Minister for Social Protection to give consideration to increasing the living alone allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46330/26]
View answerSocial Welfare Rates
Questions (14)
Written answers
Primary weekly social welfare payments are intended to enable recipients to meet their basic day-to-day income needs. In addition to these primary payments, my Department also provides a range of other payments that are considered secondary in nature.
The Living Alone Increase is one of those secondary payments. It is not a scheme or a stand-alone payment in itself, but rather it is a supplement to certain primary social protection payments for those who are in receipt of those payments and who are living alone.
The current rate of the Living Alone Increase is €22 a week. It has increased by over 144% since 2019 when it was just €9 per week. The most recent change to the rate was in Budget 2022 when it was increased by €3, from €19 per week to its current rate of €22 per week.
From January 2026, a pensioner in receipt of the maximum rate of State Pension (Contributory) and the Living Alone Allowance receives €321.30 per week. This does not include other secondary benefits such as the Household Benefits Package, Telephone Support Allowance, or the Fuel Allowance.
The rate of primary and secondary payments to pensioners, and their adequacy, are considered in the context of the annual budgetary process. In doing so, the Government considers evidence from a wide range of sources, including agencies such as the Central Statistics Office, and also research submitted by advocacy groups such as the Vincentian Partnership for Social Justice, which uses a measure they call the “Minimum Essential Standard of Living," or MESL.
Any future changes to the rate of payment for the Living Alone Increase would have to be considered in the overall budgetary context, including possible increases to primary rates and other supports available.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
Social Welfare Benefits
Questions (15)
Catherine Callaghan
Question:15. Deputy Catherine Callaghan asked the Minister for Social Protection if he plans to increase the supports available to parents through the maternity benefit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46368/26]
View answerWritten answers
The Department for Children, Disability and Equality has policy and legal responsibility for family leaves, including maternity benefit, covering matters such as the duration of the leave. My Department has policy responsibility for the associated benefit, with a provision of over €301 million for 2026.
There have been significant improvements in entitlements for parents of working families in recent years.
An employed or self employed person may be eligible to Maternity Benefit for 26 paid weeks and 16 unpaid weeks. Maternity Benefit combined with Parent's Benefit and Paternity Benefit, provides up to 46 weeks of paid leave for a two-parent family within the first two years of a child's life. A New Baby Grant of €280 is paid in addition to the first month of Child Benefit.
The weekly rate of Maternity Benefit was increased to €299 per week in Budget 2026, an increase of €10 on the previous year.
Where appropriate, the rate of Maternity Benefit is compared to the Illness Benefit payment a person would be entitled to if they were on sick leave from work. This may include an increase for a Qualified Adult and Child Support Payment. The higher of the two amounts is paid to the customer.
Postponement of Maternity Leave and Benefit for up to 52 weeks was introduced in November 2024 to support women suffering from a serious health condition.
The Programme for Government commits to introducing Pay-Related Parent's Benefit and exploring other payments where a similar model could be applied. My Department will draw on the learnings from the Jobseeker's Pay-Related Benefit scheme introduced last year, to inform options for pay-related family leave schemes. To progress this commitment, I intend to issue a public consultation document on a pay-related approach to Parents' Benefit later this year, which will help inform decisions about other family benefits.
Question No. 16 answered orally.