Written Answers Nos. 141-160
141. Deputy Louis O'Hara asked the Minister for Social Protection if he is aware of cases where persons who commenced a self-employed role in 2023 and subsequently became unemployed in 2025 are facing issues with accessing jobseeker’s benefit due to the move to pay-related jobseekers benefit this year; whether his Department has any plans to assist this cohort of people; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50600/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI thank the Deputy for raising this issue. The position is being examined by my Department to resolve the matter.
This anomaly, which will impact a small number of individuals, has arisen as a result of the PRSI contributions required for the various jobseeker's schemes. The new Jobseeker's Pay-related Benefit scheme requires applicants to have a recent PRSI PAYE contribution record whereas the Jobseeker's Benefit for the self-employed relies on self-employed contributions paid some two years previously.
If the Deputy has a particular case that has been affected by this situation, I would advise that he provides the details to my Department for review.
142. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Social Protection if he plans to make changes to the community employment scheme to encourage more participants into the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50773/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe objective of Community Employment (CE) scheme is to enhance the employability of disadvantaged and long-term unemployed persons by providing work experience and training opportunities for them within their local communities on a temporary fixed term basis.
In addition to providing eligible people with valuable occupational experience and training as a stepping-stone to employment in the open-labour market, schemes such as CE also support important and, in many cases essential, local community services.
The OECD in a recently published review of the CE and Tús schemes found a positive impact on the employment and earnings of participants, especially for older participants on CE and younger participants on Tús. The review also found that participants are less likely to rely on disability payments and are more likely to find employment after their participation.
There are currently 19,557 participants and 1,219 Supervisors on 809 CE schemes. Government investment in CE will amount to nearly €370 million in 2025.
A number of changes have been introduced in recent times to support CE sponsors in their recruitment of participants, including;
A provision to allow CE participants who reach 60 years of age to remain in CE until they reach state pension age.
• Some flexibility granted to CE sponsors to retain existing participants for extended periods in cases where a replacement can’t be recruited immediately.
• Changes to eligibility criteria extending CE eligibility to the adult dependents of those in receipt of Jobseeker’s Allowance.
• A new pilot scheme to extend CE eligibility to those over 50 years of age in receipt of credits or a combination of credits & Jobseekers Benefit.
This has resulted in an increase in the number of participants on CE by around 500 over the past 12 months.
I can assure the Deputy that the Community Employment Scheme is something that I have a great passion for and interest in. The eligibility criteria, the duration timelines for participation and the referral process for CE continues to be kept under active review by my Department.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
143. Deputy Tony McCormack asked the Minister for Social Protection his plans for increased flexibility in local community employment, TÚS, and rural social schemes to retain participants for longer when it benefits both the individual and the community. [50747/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department of Social Protection operates a number of employment support schemes for people on social welfare payments to assist them attain relevant skills and experience to secure sustainable employment and which also assist communities across the country in the provision of vital services.
Community Employment (CE) and Tús are employment activation measures designed to provide eligible long-term unemployed people and other disadvantaged persons with an opportunity to engage in useful work within their communities on a temporary, fixed term basis. The Rural Social scheme (RSS) is an income support initiative that provides part-time employment opportunities in community and voluntary organisations for farmers or fishermen who are in receipt of certain social welfare payments and who are underemployed in their primary occupation.
A number of changes have been introduced in recent times to support CE sponsors in their recruitment of participants, including:
• A provision to allow CE participants who reach 60 years of age to remain in CE until they reach state pension age.
• Some flexibility granted to CE sponsors to retain existing participants for extended periods in cases where a replacement can’t be recruited immediately.
• Changes to eligibility criteria extending CE eligibility to the adult dependents of those in receipt of Jobseeker’s Allowance.
• A new pilot scheme to extend CE eligibility to those over 50 years of age in receipt of credits or a combination of credits & Jobseekers Benefit.
Tús is focused on shorter term work experience and skills development and the contract duration of 12 months applicable to the Tús scheme ensures that as many people as possible, who are eligible to participate, can benefit from the scheme. Generally, Tús participants who have completed 52 weeks on the programme may progress onto CE where it is considered appropriate.
A number of reforms were introduced to the Tús scheme in the past, one of which allows up to 30% of current Tús participants, who are due to exit the scheme to have their contracts extended for a period of up to six months, on a case-by-case basis. This rule applies where no suitable replacements have been referred to fill a Tús vacancy in particular circumstances.
As you may be aware, a review of the RSS was published on the 24th July 2024. The review was undertaken to examine the role of the scheme, its ongoing relevance to the changing landscape, the funding and resourcing required along with the appropriate governance and management arrangements. The review report includes 19 recommendations to address the sustainability of the RSS.
The following recommendations have been recently introduced:
• the provision of 3-year contracts to existing RSS participants from 1st April 2025;
• the RSS renewal process will be undertaken at 3 yearly intervals instead of the current annual review.
• existing RSS participants who reach age 60 will not be subject to any further review of means or circumstances until they exit the scheme at age 66. However, it is important to note that the onus continues to remain on all RSS participants to notify my Department of a change in their household circumstances that could affect their rate of payment.
• The Implementing Bodies have also been asked to explore options with people who are exiting the scheme to encourage them to participate as a volunteer within the company, in particular those who have reached 66 years.
My Department is continuing to progress the implementation of the remaining recommendations.
Overall, I recognise that these employment, activation and income support programmes enable participants to make a significant contribution to their communities whilst up-skilling themselves for prospective future employment, as appropriate. I wish to re-iterate that my Department keeps all aspects of these programmes under ongoing review to ensure they continue to deliver the best outcomes for participants and communities.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
144. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of people who have had their jobseekers' payments cut, by month, to date in 2025; the amount deducted from payments as a result; to compare this with previous years; if his Department has analysed the impact this has had on child poverty; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50505/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraEntitlement to a jobseeker payment is dependent on the recipient being available for, capable of and genuinely seeking work. This reflects the concept of ‘rights and responsibilities’ whereby people who are unemployed have the right to an income support from the State and a right to be supported in their efforts to secure employment, but also have a responsibility to seek employment and to engage with the employment services offered by the State.
Intreo Employment Services supports jobseekers to find work and there are a wide range of supports on offer in terms of further education, training, upskilling, work placements as well as programmes such as Community Employment and TUS.
Customers who do not engage with the Intreo Employment Service or who fail to participate in appropriate employment interventions can have their jobseeker’s payment reduced and subsequently be disqualified from their payment for up to 9 weeks. They may also have their entitlement to a Jobseekers payment reviewed based on a failure to genuinely seek work. The weekly reduced rates applied for jobseekers Allowance and Jobseekers Benefit increased from €44 to €90 from January 2025 and is set at 20% for customers in receipt of the recently introduced Jobseekers Pay Related Benefit.
Reduced rates were introduced as a means of encouraging jobseekers to engage proactively with Intreo Employment Services to assist them find a pathway to employment. A reduced rate is a final step in a process to encourage a jobseeker to avail of employment supports on offer and once a jobseeker resumes this engagement the reduced rate is lifted immediately. Whether a reduced rate applies, and the duration of its application is totally within the control of the claimant.
Jobseeker's Allowance is a means-tested payment for unemployed people, the rate paid may be affected by a change in earnings, for example, if a person commences work part-time or casually, or if they gain additional working hours. If their spouse commences work this can also impact the rate of jobseeker's payment as the spouse's earnings are also taken into consideration. The use of means tests in the social welfare system is a method of targeting scarce resources to those with an identified financial need. Removal of the means test for Jobseeker’s Allowance, would not only change the nature of the scheme as an income support but would also have significant policy and budgetary implications and reduce the scope for my Department to provide income supports to lower income households.
The Deputy may be interested to know that the majority of Jobseeker’s Allowance claims are paid at the personal rate of payment with approximately 15% of recipients being paid an allowance in respect of their dependant spouse or partner.
Given the complex and multi-faceted nature of child poverty, it is difficult to determine the precise impact of measures on child poverty rates. However, we know from the CSO SILC data that people who are unemployed have higher rates of poverty, highlighting the importance of supporting low income families with children into quality and sustainable employment.
The Deputy may wish to note that during the period of the Covid 19 pandemic, the application of the reduced rate process was suspended and was gradually re-introduced over the course of 2023.
The tables below provides a monthly breakdown of the number of reduced rates applied in the years 2023, 2024 and from January to the end of August 2025. It is possible that a person may have multiple reduced rates applied throughout the course of the year.
|
Month |
Number of reduced rates applied in 2023 |
Number of reduced rates applied in 2024 |
Number of reduced rates applied in 2025 |
|
January |
510 |
758 |
760 |
|
February |
311 |
505 |
1360 |
|
March |
358 |
633 |
888 |
|
April |
324 |
959 |
1027 |
|
May |
557 |
1259 |
1135 |
|
June |
533 |
1065 |
1116 |
|
July |
497 |
1220 |
1297 |
|
August |
584 |
896 |
927 |
|
September |
409 |
834 |
|
|
October |
465 |
1020 |
|
|
November |
657 |
935 |
|
|
December |
30 |
148 |
|
|
Total |
5,235 |
10,232 |
8,510 |
145. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Social Protection his plans to publish the report of the Interdepartmental Working Group which reviewed the system of means test for carer's payments; the timeline for the publication of the report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50760/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs part of Budget 2024, an Interdepartmental Working Group was established with the Department of Health and the Department of Children, Disability and Equality to examine and review the entire system of means test for carers payments. The Group was chaired by the Department of Social Protection.
The Interdepartmental Working Group has concluded its work, and the report from the group has been submitted to me for my consideration, in line with the terms of reference.
I am currently reviewing the report in the context of the Programme for Government commitment to significantly increase the income disregards for Carer’s Allowance in each Budget with a view to phasing out the means test during the lifetime of the Government. This commitment will be advanced having regard to the prevailing policy and budgetary context.
I trust this clarifies the issue for the Deputy.
147. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Social Protection to consider removing the means test for fuel allowance for those over 70 and in receipt of qualifying payments and meeting all other necessary criteria; the cost that would be involved in implementing such a change; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50507/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe criteria for Fuel Allowance are framed in order to direct the limited resources available to my Department in as targeted a manner as possible. To qualify for the Fuel Allowance payment, a person must satisfy all the qualifying criteria. This ensures that the Fuel Allowance payment is targeted at those who are more vulnerable to fuel poverty, including those reliant on social protection payments for longer periods and who are unlikely to have additional resources of their own.
Awarding the Fuel Allowance Payment to all those aged over 70 irrespective of their means would change the targeted nature of the Fuel Allowance payment.
It is not possible to provide an accurate cost of the measure outlined by the Deputy, as my Department does not hold data on the number of persons in receipt of qualifying payments who would meet all other necessary criteria.
The Programme for Government includes a commitment to examine key ancillary benefits such as the fuel allowance, household benefits package and living alone allowance to support vulnerable groups. This is, in fact, an ongoing activity as part of the Department's budget planning each year. For example there have been a number of expansions under recent budgets to the Fuel Allowance to make it easier for those aged 70 or over to qualify for the payment.
The recent expansions to the Fuel Allowance Scheme have resulted in the Budget for the scheme increasing significantly with an estimated expenditure on the scheme in 2025 of €400.5 million compared to an expenditure of €290.45 million in 2020.
Any future decisions will, of course, have to take account of the overall budgetary context and the availability of financial resources.
I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
148. Deputy Eamon Scanlon asked the Minister for Social Protection his assessment of the impact to date of improvements to the carer's allowance means test. [50673/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThere have been significant improvements made to the Carer’s Allowance means test in recent years. These changes have impacted positively with many more carers availing of the payment and potentially receiving a higher rate of payment.
There are currently almost 102,000 people in receipt of Carer’s Allowance, an increase of almost 14% in the last five years alone.
The latest improvement occurred in July when the weekly income disregard for Carer's Allowance was increased from €450 to €625 for a single person, and from €900 to €1,250 for carers with a spouse/partner. This amounts to cumulative increases to the disregards of €292.50 and €585.00 respectively, or 88%, since June 2022.
The latest increases mean that a carer in a two-adult household with an income of approximately €69,000 can now retain their full social welfare payment, and even with an income of €97,000, they can retain a partial means-tested social welfare payment.
Improvements to the Carer's Allowance capital means test have the effect that a couple can now have savings of up to €100,000 and still qualify for a Carer's Allowance payment.
The Programme for Government commits to further increasing the income disregards for Carer’s Allowance in each Budget with a view to phasing out the means test during the lifetime of the Government.
The Programme for Government contains a number of additional commitments to improve the supports available to family carers. These include commitments to continuing to increase the Carer’s Support Grant and to progressively increase weekly carer support payments. In addition, the Government has committed to examining how carers who are providing full-time care and attention to more than one person can be better supported. These commitments will be advanced over the lifetime of the Government and in light of available resources.
I trust that this clarifies the issue for the Deputy.
149. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Social Protection his plans to extend automatic entitlement to the household benefits package, the fuel allowance payment, and the additional needs payment to anyone living with a life-limiting cancer diagnosis; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50572/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn general, access to the Household Benefits Package and the Fuel Allowance payment for those aged under 66 is a secondary benefit linked to a person being in receipt of certain primary social protection payments, many of them illness related. Entitlement to these primary social protection payments is not provided on the basis of a diagnosis but on the basis of the impact of that diagnosis on the individual concerned.
Extending the eligibility to include automatic entitlement to the Household Benefits Package, Fuel Allowance and Additional Needs Payment for cancer patients with a terminal diagnosis would change the nature of the schemes, would require additional funding and would have to be considered in the context of overall budgetary negotiations.
Additional Needs Payments are available to people who have essential expenses, which they cannot meet from their own resources, including people who face difficulties in meeting fuel bills. In addition, a Heating Supplement may be paid to assist people that have exceptional heating costs due to ill health, infirmity or a medical condition and are unable to meet those costs out of household income. Heating Supplement can be paid throughout the full year.
There is no provision for an exemption of a medical condition from the decision process for Additional Needs Payments. Any person who considers that they may have an entitlement to an Additional Needs Payment is encouraged to contact their local Community Welfare Service.
The Programme for Government includes a commitment to examine key ancillary benefits such as the Fuel Allowance, Household Benefits Package and Living Alone Increase to support vulnerable groups. This is an ongoing activity as part of the Department's budget planning each year and I will continue, as part of the budget planning process, to consider if improvements can be made to ensure that these benefits continue to target vulnerable groups. Any future decisions will, of course, have to take account of the availability of financial resources.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
150. Deputy Peter 'Chap' Cleere asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of people in Kilkenny currently in receipt of the half rate carer’s allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50593/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraCarer’s Allowance is a payment for people on low incomes who are caring for a person who needs full-time care and attention because of age, disability, or illness, including mental illness.
If you are getting certain social welfare payments and you are providing full time care and attention to another person whilst also meeting all other conditions for Carer’s Allowance, you may keep your main social welfare payment and get half-rate Carer's Allowance as well.
At the end of August 2025, there were 2,008 recipients of Carer's Allowance in County Kilkenny, of which 926 were in receipt of half-rate Carer's Allowance.
151. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection if he is aware of the ESRI's recent findings from their report on 'Poverty, Income Inequality and Living Standards in Ireland' that almost one in five children are at risk of poverty after housing costs; if he is aware of the ESRI's recent finding that almost half of lone parent families are at risk of poverty after housing costs; if he has any plans to address this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50386/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe ESRI's report 'Poverty, Income Inequality and Living Standards in Ireland' is an important contribution to inform Government on how to support families in need.
The increases in child consistent poverty rates, as reported in March 2025 by the Central Statistics Office in its Survey on Income and Living Conditions 2025, are disappointing.
It is also important to recognise that the CSO data is based on data collected in 2023 and therefore does not reflect the Government’s full response to the cost of living in recent years.
Overall, the last two Budgets each contained the largest social welfare packages in the history of the State and included significant increases to core social welfare rates. These measures have not yet been included in the latest CSO data, nor has the Government's significant investment in non-income supports for families during this time, such as Hot School Meals and free schoolbooks.
However, the Government also recognises that more remains to be done in reducing child poverty and we are determined to make an impact during the lifetime of this Government.
For Budget 2026, we have emphasised the importance of directing support to families with children where it is most needed. We know, based on research, that increases in the Child Support Payment and the Working Family Payment are highly effective in tackling child poverty. These payments provide targeted assistance directly linked to household income and are paid in addition to the universal Child Benefit.
I recognise that poverty rates amongst lone parents are significantly higher than the population average. In order to make meaningful reductions in child poverty, we need to ensure we are providing targeted support to this vulnerable group. The Government is considering a range of targeted measures in Budget 2026 to reduce child poverty.
152. Deputy Liam Quaide asked the Minister for Social Protection his plans to expand the criteria of the occupational injuries benefit scheme to include healthcare workers suffering with long Covid symptoms; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50571/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn November 2023, my Department published a report on the inclusion of long COVID in the Occupational Injuries Benefit Regulations.
This report concluded that COVID-19 does not satisfy the statutory criteria for recognition as an occupational illness or accident at work. Specifically, it found that presumptions about workplace transmission would not be sustainable as it is not possible to establish with confidence that the disease has been contracted through a person’s occupation and not through community transmission. This is because data shows that community transmission was the primary means of transmission.
However, my Department's range of income supports, including illness benefit and invalidity pension, at the same or higher rates of payment as occupational injuries benefit, are available to people who cannot work due to the effects of long COVID.
With specific reference to employees in the health services the report found that the Temporary Scheme of Paid Leave for Public Health Service Employees was the appropriate channel through which a targeted sectoral support should be considered. This Temporary Scheme is a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation. The scheme has been extended a number of times, most recently to conclude on 31 December 2025. Any employee remaining unwell after that date may utilise the full provisions of the Public Service Sick Leave Scheme which will provide further support.
I trust this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
153. Deputy Joe Cooney asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide a costing for increasing the carers allowance by two percent, in line with inflation, ten percent and 20 percent; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50462/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe estimated annual cost of increasing Carer's Allowance by 2%, increasing the full rate by €6 and the half rate by €3, is €24.55m.
The estimated annual cost of increasing Carer's Allowance by 10%, increasing the full rate by €29.80 and the half rate by €14.90, is €121.96m.
The estimated annual cost of increasing Carer's Allowance by 20%, increasing the full rate by €59.60 and the half rate by €29.80, is €243.91m.
These costings are based on the estimated average number of recipients in 2026, and are subject to change in light of emerging trends and subsequent revision of the estimated number of recipients.
154. Deputy Barry Ward asked the Minister for Social Protection the position regarding the rollout of the hot school meals programme; the percentage of schools in the Dún Laoghaire constituency that have this programme in place; in cases where there are delays, the work that is ongoing to expedite it; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49131/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe objective of the School Meals Programme is to provide regular, nutritious food to children to support them in taking full advantage of the education provided to them. The programme is an important component of policies to encourage school attendance and extra educational achievement.
In Budget 2025, it was announced that the Hot School Meals Scheme would be extended to all remaining primary schools in 2025 meaning that approximately 3,200 schools and 550,000 children are now eligible for hot school meals in the 2025/2026 academic school year.
Under the Programme for Government I plan to commence the rollout of Hot School Meals to secondary schools over the lifetime of this Government.
The 2025/26 academic school year has just commenced and we are currently receiving applications, the data pertaining to the Dún Laoghaire constituency will be available later in the academic year.
The School Meals Programme is designed so that meals are provided by contracted food business operators, with the responsibility for food safety and compliance with relevant legislative obligations placed on these professional providers and not on the schools themselves. This ensures children benefit from a reliable, high-quality service, while schools are protected from having to take on responsibilities more appropriate to the providers, who will have the necessary expertise and experience in food provision.
The recent refinements to the procurement system, which underpins the programme, strengthens it by ensuring consistent standards across all participating schools. They also reflect the combined input of several Government Departments and State agencies, ensuring that schools and providers operate safely and compliantly across areas such as food safety, health and safety, fire safety, and building regulations.
No new legislation has been introduced nor has there been a change in the application of the law.
Any school that is currently under contract can continue to utilise their food business operator. The schools where the food business operator has ceased delivery of school meals have been sent information outlining options for the school to ensure they have access to the school meals programme.
I trust this clarifies the matter.
155. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons who qualified for the carer’s allowance, in each of the past ten years and to date in 2025; and the number of persons who applied for carer’s allowance but were refused in each of those years. [49655/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraCarer's Allowance is a weekly social welfare payment to people who provide full-time care to people with qualifying conditions. The number of awarded and rejected claims by year is shown in the Table.
|
Year |
Number of claims awarded |
Number of claims rejected |
|
2015 |
14,378 |
7,920 |
|
2016 |
19,308 |
11,144 |
|
2017 |
17,290 |
8,599 |
|
2018 |
17,242 |
9,291 |
|
2019 |
16,910 |
8,811 |
|
2020 |
17,495 |
10,495 |
|
2021 |
14,804 |
9,134 |
|
2022 |
14,921 |
10,115 |
|
2023 |
17,333 |
10,875 |
|
2024 |
16,279 |
9,937 |
|
to end August 2025 |
13,809 |
7,377 |
156. Deputy William Aird asked the Minister for Social Protection his plans to extend the free travel pass to children in receipt of domiciliary care allowance; the number of children who would benefit; the estimated cost of this extension; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50488/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Programme for Government 2025 has committed to examining extending the Free Travel scheme to include children benefitting from the Domiciliary Care Allowance.
Domiciliary Care Allowance is a non means tested payment payable at €360 a month per child. In addition, all recipients of Domiciliary Care Allowance qualify for the Carer's Support Grant in June of each year. The current rate is €2,000 per year.
Based on 68,559 children benefitting from the Domiciliary Care Allowance, it is estimated that extending the Free Travel scheme to include those children, would cost in the region of €5.82 million in a full year.
The modelling of the cost is complex and needs to take account of multiple factors, including all children under nine already have free travel on public transport and children under 16 benefit from significantly reduced rates. It is also important to remember that it is the parent or guardian who receives Domiciliary Care Allowance - it is not paid directly to the child.
The Programme for Government commitments to make public transport more affordable and accessible for families, has seen the extension of free travel on all Transport for Ireland services to all children between 5 to 8 years of age. This expansion will benefit almost 236,000 additional children and their families.
As the Deputy will understand, it is simply not possible to deliver all things at once and the extension of free travel, along with other potential budget measures will have to be considered in the context of the budgetary resources available.
I trust that this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
157. Deputy Shane Moynihan asked the Minister for Social Protection the work being done to reduce delays in processing jobseeker's benefit claims for Early Years Educators during the summer months; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49960/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraWorkers, including Early Years Educators who are not paid for holidays during the summer months and who wish to avail of income support while temporarily laid-off can apply for a jobseeker’s payment. The person applying must satisfy all the qualifying conditions to receive a payment. This includes completing the relevant claim application forms and providing supporting documentation in a timely manner while also being available for full-time work and genuinely seeking work at each break.
Over the last number of years my Department has dedicated teams working solely on temporary laid-off claims, including those of Early Years Educators, in order to streamline processes and minimise delays for people. As each claim is assessed individually, and each person's employment and claim history is different, the payment due will also be different.
In addition, my Department is working on technical enhancements that will improve the processing of these Jobseekers applications.
If any customer is in urgent financial need my Department’s Community Welfare Service may provide assistance.
I trust this clarifies the issue for the Deputy.
158. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of newborn baby grants that have been made to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50694/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraChild Benefit becomes payable in respect of newborn babies in the month after their birth, subject to the qualifying conditions.
As part of Budget 2025, a new-born baby grant of €280 was introduced. This is paid to families of babies born, or children with a date of placement, on or after 1 December 2024 in addition to their regular first month’s Child Benefit payment of €140.
Since implementation to 02/09/2025, the grant has been paid to 32,367 Department of Social Protection customers in respect of 32,906 children.
I trust this clarifies matters for the Deputy.
159. Deputy Grace Boland asked the Minister for Social Protection when he expects to bring forward proposals on a new child poverty target; his views on the measures that will be most impactful in reducing child poverty; if he has considered the introduction of a targeted child benefit payment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50588/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe setting of a new and ambitious Child Poverty Target is a commitment set out in the Programme for Government 2025: Securing Ireland’s Future. This commitment is also set out in the Government’s national strategy to reduce poverty, the Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020-2025.
On 10th September last, based on these commitments, and a public consultation process that took place last year, the Government agreed a new Child Poverty Target of 3% or less, based on consistent poverty (which measures at risk of poverty and deprivation), to be achieved by the end of 2030.
This new Target will guide our cross-Government focus to reduce child poverty and ensure investment is targeted at children who need it the most.
The Target is very ambitious, reflecting a reduction of 5.5 percentage points from the current reported child consistent poverty rate of 8.5%, which is based on the Central Statistics Office's Survey on Income and Living Conditions 2024, published in March 2025, that is calculated based on 2023 income data.
In addition, the Child Poverty and Well-being Programme Office in the Department of the Taoiseach is developing a Dashboard of Indicators of Child Wellbeing, which will allow for the measurement of child poverty and wellbeing in a holistic manner.
Given the multi-faceted nature of child poverty, a whole of Government focus is essential to deliver the Target. Along with targeted income supports for families and children, which is a key consideration for Budget 2026, we will focus on other key areas such as housing, childcare, education and employment.
This will require significant investment and commitment over the lifetime of this Government, and beyond. Budget 2026 will contain targeted cross-government actions to support delivery of the new Child Poverty Target. My Department is currently also developing the new Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2025-2030, which will have a key focus on child poverty. This Strategy is due to be published in the first half of 2026.
For Budget 2026, the Government has emphasised the importance of directing support to families with children where it is most needed. We know, based on research, that increases in the Child Support Payment and the Working Family Payment are highly effective in tackling child poverty. These payments provide targeted assistance directly linked to household income and are paid in addition to the universal Child Benefit.
In line with our Programme for Government commitments, my Department is also exploring the introduction of a targeted child benefit payment and examining how it might interact with existing supports. Officials in my Department are reviewing this and other approaches to ensure resources are directed to families with children most in need, drawing on the available evidence.
We must ensure that any second-tier payment achieves its intended outcomes and supports the families most in need, while not making any families worse off. We also need to carefully consider the potential effects on work incentives. While this is a complex piece of work, the exploration of this is underway.
This Government is determined to reduce child poverty and is considering all viable options to deliver this commitment but it will require concerted cross departmental action over the lifetime of this Government.
160. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Social Protection the average processing time for an urgent needs payment in Cork. [50774/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder the Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) scheme, my Department may make Additional Needs Payments (ANPs) to help meet a necessary expense that an eligible person cannot pay from their weekly income, personal and/or household resources. An ANP is an overarching term used to refer to Exceptional and Urgent Needs Payments. The ANP scheme is demand led and administered by Community Welfare Officers (CWOs) in the Community Welfare Service (CWS), taking into account the requirements of the legislation and all the relevant circumstances of the case in order to ensure that the payments target those most in need of assistance.
It is important to note that, where my officials are aware that a client has an urgent or immediate need, every effort is made to ensure that the person customer in question receives a prompt service, usually on the same day.
When considering an application from people in financial difficulty for any payment under the SWA scheme, the CWO must consider all of the relevant circumstances when examining a case in determining the most appropriate scheme type and level of assistance required. The CWO may ask for a number of supporting documents to ensure the customer receives a level of payment appropriate to their needs.
Where an application is complete and accompanied by the required documentation, it is generally processed in ten working days. However, where an application is not finalised within this timeframe, the delay is generally due to additional information or documentation being requested from the person to support their application.
The CWS is committed to providing a quality service to all citizens, ensuring that applications are processed and that decisions on entitlement are made as quickly as possible.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
