Cathal Crowe
Ceist:239. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Social Protection the main policy achievements of his Department since 22 January 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [70531/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraWednesday, 10 December 2025
Ceisteanna (239)
Freagraí scríofa
My Department has delivered significant achievements since 22nd January 2025. The Social Protection Budget for 2026 is €28.9 billion, which includes an above inflation increase of €10 per week in the maximum weekly personal rates of payment. It also includes measures targeted to assist families and to tackle child poverty, including the largest Child Support Payment increase in the history of the state. Additional supports were provided such as the largest ever increase in the income disregard for Carer’s Allowance, i.e., an increase of €375 to €1,000 for single people, and an increase of €750 to €2,000 for a couple. This means that a carer in a two-adult household with an income of over €100,000 will retain their full Carer’s Allowance payment. Other measures included in the Budget saw increases in the weekly rate of Fuel Allowance, Working Family Payment and Domiciliary Care Allowance, among others.
I announced this year that the collection of contributions for the Automatic Enrolment retirement savings system called My Future Fund will begin from 1st January 2026. This initiative will provide workers with greater security regarding their retirement savings and will provide some comfort in the years ahead for around 750,000 workers, who currently are not actively paying into a pension through payroll, who will now have access to quality assured retirement savings from 1st January 2026. I also formally established NAERSA - the National Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings Authority which will oversee the administration of My Future Fund. The online portal is now open to employers to register for My Future Fund.
Another significant development was the roll-out of the Free Hot School Meals Programme to all primary schools who became eligible from September 2025. Revised procurement guidelines for the programme were published on 15 August 2025, which means that new schools joining the programme can avail of the cold lunch option until procurement for Hot Schools Meals has been completed.
My Department launched the Pay Related Benefit (PRB) for jobseekers on 31 March 2025.
The Social Welfare (Bereaved Partner's Pension and Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2025 was enacted on the 21st of July 2025. This legislation provides entitlement to unmarried cohabitants to the Bereaved Partner's Pension, which replaces the Widow’s, Widower’s or Surviving Civil Partner’s Contributory Pension.
Progress on a developing a successor to the current Pathways to Work Strategy 2021-2025 continued during this year. A public consultation was launched and this has recently concluded, with the aim to publish the revised Pathways to Work Strategy in mid-2026. My Department is also developing a successor to the current Roadmap for Social Inclusion and this will also be published in the middle of next year.
A new Child Poverty Target was approved by Government and announced in September 2025, while the successor to the Roadmap for Social Inclusion is also underway and being developed.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.