Mark Wall
Ceist:575. Deputy Mark Wall asked the Minister for Social Protection the cost of increasing the income disregards by €1 for the one-parent family payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37459/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 8 July 2025
Ceisteanna (575)
Freagraí scríofa
The One-Parent Family Payment is a means tested payment for lone parents, under 66, whose youngest child is under seven.
The current earnings disregard for One Parent Family Payment is €165 per week. In addition, 50% of earnings above this figure is also disregarded in the assessment of means.
Increasing the disregards by €1, to €166 per week, could result no change to the lone parent’s personal rate of payment. This is because, where a person has means, their personal rate of payment is determined using the relevant scheme payment rate table, with payment rates grouped into bands. In the case of these payments, these bands are in increments of €2.50 means.
For example, one of the rate bands is for means ‘over €90.11 up to €92.60’. Therefore, a person who is assessed as having means of €90.10 per week after all disregards have been applied receives the same personal rate of payment as a person assessed with means of €92.60 per week, after all disregards. In this case, the personal rate of payment remains at €159 per week. It is not possible to identify how many individuals would move to a different rate band with a €1 increase in income disregards, or the associated cost.
To determine a cost of disregard increase a larger increase in income disregards of €2.50 must be considered, such that each individual moved to a different rate band. If the income disregard on One-Parent Family Payment was to increase by €2.50 the estimated cost would be approximately €960,000.
The payment rates and bands for all schemes are published in the SW19 booklet ‘Social Welfare Rates of Payment 2025’, which is available on Gov.ie.
The above estimated costing does not take account of any equivalent increase in the Jobseeker's Transitional Payment.
I trust this clarifies the position.