Catherine Ardagh
Ceist:705. Deputy Catherine Ardagh asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will report on the new national child poverty target, which he recently announced. [3793/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraTuesday, 27 January 2026
Ceisteanna (705)
Freagraí scríofa
Reducing child poverty is a key priority for this Government and a central commitment under the Programme for Government.
In September 2025, the Government agreed a new national Child Poverty Target - to reduce the child consistent poverty rate to 3 per cent or less by 2030. This is an ambitious goal, representing a reduction of 5.5 percentage points – almost 60 per cent – from the current rate of 8.5 per cent. This target will guide cross-Government policy and investment over the lifetime of this Government, ensuring that resources are directed towards families with children who are most in need.
To support this work, the Child Poverty and Well-being Programme Office in the Department of the Taoiseach is collating a Dashboard of Indicators, which will provide a more holistic view of child poverty and wellbeing, allowing progress to be tracked across a broader range of outcomes over time.
Significant investment has already been made to work towards the target. The social welfare package in Budget 2026 included an investment of €320 million specifically to address child poverty within my Department. This includes the largest increases to Child Support Payments in the history of the State, higher income thresholds for the Working Family Payment, and expanded eligibility for both the Fuel Allowance and the Back-to-School Clothing and Footwear Allowance. More broadly, the Government will invest €28.9 billion in social welfare in 2026, including significant across-the-board increases in primary weekly rates and over €1.15 billion in targeted measures to assist households.
These measures build on a wide range of other actions already in place across Government, including free school meals, free schoolbooks, free GP visit cards, and enhancements to the National Childcare Scheme and Early Childhood Care and Education programme.
Recognising that child poverty is multi-dimensional, delivery of the target requires a whole-of-Government approach that goes beyond income supports alone. My Department is currently developing a successor to the Roadmap for Social Inclusion, which will be published in the first half of 2026, and will outline cross-Government actions to reduce child poverty and support the delivery of our new target.