Vol. 1069 No. 3
91. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Social Protection if he will provide an update on the progress made by his Department in exploring the introduction of a targeted second-tier child benefit payment for low-income families in light of recent reports highlighting a significant rise in child poverty; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33150/25]
Will the Minister provide an update on the Department's consideration of a second-tier child benefit scheme? Research by the Economic and Social Research Institute, ESRI, and Social Justice Ireland shows a that growing group of families are experiencing real deprivation despite being just above the income thresholds for most supports. A targeted measure like this could be transformative. Is it being actively considered by the Department?
Mar is eol an Teachta, child benefit is a monthly payment to families with children up to the age of 16. The payment continues to be paid in respect of children until their nineteenth birthday where they are in full-time education or have a disability. It is paid in respect of almost 1.3 million children. Expenditure on the scheme in the current year is estimated at more than €2.2 billion. In addition to child benefit, families on low incomes may be able to avail of: other social welfare payments, such as the child support payment with primary social welfare payments, which is €62 per week for those aged 12 and over, and €50 per week for under-12s; the working family payment for low-paid employees with children; and the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance. These schemes provide targeted assistance that is directly linked to household income and thereby support low-income families with children.
Addressing child poverty is a key priority for the Government. That is why the programme for Government includes a range of measures to support children and their families. One such commitment is to explore a targeted child benefit payment and examine the interaction this would have with existing targeted supports to reduce child poverty. Existing supports include the working family payment and the child support payment. We are progressing this work and have regard to a wide body of evidence, including the work undertaken previously by the ESRI and what was contained in the presentation it made to the Oireachtas committee yesterday. We are also looking at work done by the National Economic and Social Council and the Commission on Taxation and Welfare. We will be considering all this work in the context, not only of budget 2026, but of our revised child poverty target.
Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire. Aontaím leis.
Child benefit already plays a vital role, but recent estimates are that between 150,000 to 230,000 children are experiencing poverty and we now have clear evidence that a large number of families are still being left behind by this threshold. There is a major impact on these families. They are still working hard, but they are struggling with the cost of living.
Will the Department examine a second tier payment for low- and middle-income families? Once one factors in rent and the extra costs that come with raising a child with any additional needs, it becomes clear that income alone is not the full picture. We are seeing a real squeeze on households that do not qualify for means-tested supports but are far from financially secure. A second tier of child benefit would go directly to where the pressure was most intense and help to close the gap in a fair and targeted way.
Táimid ag obair ar an two-tier payment. We are looking at that but there is quite a lot of work involved and it is a complex issue to examine. In the meantime, budget 2025 had targeted increases in the one-parent family payment and the jobseeker's transitional payment, which increased by €12 per week. The weekly rate of the child support payment, which is very important in this space, increased by €8 to €62 per week for those aged 12 years and over and by €4 to €50 for under-12s. There is also a €60 increase in the weekly income threshold for the working family payment, particularly targeting low income workers. The child support payment and the working family payment are particularly targeted and focused. I am very conscious that we have a lot of work to do on child poverty. We discussed it in the context of an earlier question and the measures we are taking in that space.
I welcome the fact that the Department is looking at that. Budget 2026 should be focused on that but a second tier payment should not replace what we already have. We need to build on it. It would target families facing higher costs while protecting the certainty and simplicity of universal child benefit. There is an opportunity to act on this evidence. The system works well for many but the people whose doors I am knocking on are struggling. This is a chance to make child income supports fairer and more effective for those who need them most. At the same time, we need to focus on those people across the board, not just in terms of the Department of Social Protection. There are going to be huge issues coming into the winter. We do not know what will happen in the Middle East. There may be increases in fuel and other costs. The Department should look at this to help the people who are struggling the most.
That is our intention. The work of the Department is to help those who are struggling. To give the Deputy a sense of the complexity of this, one of the considerations in the ESRI proposal was to amalgamate the working family payment with the child support payment but that would result in people losing out on what they are getting at the moment. If we are to do this, people cannot lose out. We have to look at expanding the working family payment and the child support payment as part of targeted measures. Anything we do in this space needs to be targeted and focused on those on low incomes, particularly workers. We have to ensure that people do not get a lower payment under a new system than they are currently getting. That could be an unintended consequence of some of the work we have seen today. Whatever we do will be targeted and focused on those most at risk of poverty and those in consistent poverty. I welcome the Deputy's acknowledgement that there are other Departments involved in this effort as well. We need to work on it collectively.
92. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Social Protection if he or his officials have had engagement with a company (details supplied) and the examiner located there since announcement of the company entering into examinership; the extent to which the Department can support this process to ensure workers there are supported; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32742/25]
I thank the Deputy for his question. I am very well informed of the situation at Wellman by the Minister of State, Deputy Niamh Smyth. There is significant uncertainty for the employees, their families and the wider community and our thoughts are with those workers. Our priority within the Department of Social Protection is to ensure that affected employees receive access to all necessary supports.
Notification of collective redundancy from the company concerned was received by my Department on 6 June. An official from my Department's employer relations team made contact with the company on the next working day so as to provide the affected staff with information on income, redundancy entitlements and employment supports. A meeting with workers took place this week. In addition, a team from my Department stands ready to meet the workforce, either virtually or in person, to ensure speedy access to income supports, support them into alternative employment, and access appropriate education, training and development options.
We have discussed extensively this morning the jobseeker’s pay-related benefit, which is now available and provides a maximum weekly payment of €450, which will help people through this period of uncertainty. My Department has a range of employment programmes and schemes available to support customers to return to employment or start their own business. When people move onto a jobseeker's payment, the Intreo employment services team works with them to provide one-to-one support focused on what they need to assist them to remain in the workforce. Those affected should note that the easiest and quickest way to apply for a jobseeker's payment is online at MyWelfare.ie. We remain open to working with workers and union representatives in Wellman International, particularly at this very difficult time.
It was a shock for the whole community because we are talking about 217 jobs. Some workers in the area I grew up in and in the wider area have been in that factory for decades. It was known as a really good employer in the area and the impact on both direct and indirect employment is significant. It is an important employer in the area.
In the first instance, this period of examinership is about securing a sustainable future and protecting as many jobs as possible. In the event that there are job losses, we must ensure that those workers are supported. I welcome the fact the Department has had engagement. Further engagement would be welcomed by the workers and their representatives. Is that something the Minister will consider?
Yes. There is a long tradition with this company. There were previous short-term layoffs in 2023 and there was engagement at that time with the Department of Social Protection. There was departmental engagement on 9, 10 and 12 June of this year. We have been notified that there will be a number of redundancies but we will engage with each person. Intreo staff will provide a personalised service to each affected person. Our teams are more than willing to work to provide information on the immediate income support options that are available as well as the training and reskilling options that people may be interested in. We want to ensure that what is a very traumatic experience is made less traumatic if possible. I am more than happy to work with any representatives in the area to make sure that is happening. Our primary concern is for the workers and their families. We want to minimise difficulties as much as possible at this very difficult time.
In the first instance, this is about protecting as many jobs as possible. I have raised with the Minister for enterprise the importance of making every effort to identify an investor and save as many good jobs as possible. This is also about ensuring that those who lose their jobs are supported in every way possible in terms of understanding their rights and entitlements and the supports that are there for them, including support to retrain and find alternative employment. The Minister mentioned that pay-related social welfare was now in place for those employees. Unfortunately, we had a similar situation with Tara Mines some time ago, and it was not in place then. Is it the case now that it is in place and is available for those workers?
Yes, jobseeker's pay-related benefit has been in place since March of this year and will apply. We have already received quite a number of applications - over 10,000 - so that is very much in place. Furthermore, the experience of MyWelfare.ie and people being able to apply online gives us a quicker turnaround and ensures that people do not have any major gaps in their income. There are also wider supports available through Intreo for those who may be made redundant, including training supports and assistance to seek future employment.
Many of the workers have been with the company for a long time. For people who have not had to seek a job for some time, there is backup and support available in terms of preparation and training. That is very important and valued work the Department is doing. It has done so on a confidential and personalised basis, with full respect for people's situations at this very difficult time. We will continue to work to ensure that support is made fully available.
93. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection if he is aware of the child poverty monitor report from a group (detail supplied); if he has any plans to address its findings; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33106/25]
The child poverty monitor published recently by the Children's Rights Alliance makes for very depressing and alarming reading. Far from being equal to its commitment to tackling child poverty, the Government is overseeing a rise in rates of child poverty. The Minister and I both know that the only way to address this issue in any meaningful way is through in-cash payments that are targeted directly at those who need them. I ask him to outline his plans in this regard.
I am aware of the report the Deputy referenced and I share her concern regarding the data from the 2024 survey on income and living conditions, SILC, presented in the report. However, as I said earlier this morning, the data does not fully capture many of the Government actions in recent years to address child poverty. SILC asks people each month to provide income and poverty status data for the previous 12 months. This creates a timing issue in that the SILC 2024 data does not include the impact of many of the measures announced in the budget of October 2024 and does not fully include the impact of measures announced in October 2023 or, indeed, October 2022. The budget measures announced in 2023 and 2024 involved the largest ever social welfare packages, which will take some time to be reflected in the SILC data. I expect that when the data begins to reflect the budget measures from 2023, 2024 and 2025, which include significant increases in the child support payment, double child benefit bonuses, free school meals, free schoolbooks and the newborn baby grant, we will see an improvement.
To be clear, even in that context, we have work to do. In fact, a huge amount of work is already under way. We are looking beyond the data to fully understand the real challenges we face. We had a very good discussion at the social inclusion forum recently and will do so again at the pre-budget forum in July. We want to ensure payments are targeted, as the Deputy said, and reaching the people who really need them. I have already gone through a number of measures this morning, particularly with Deputy Heneghan. I spoke about the focus on the working family payment and child support payment and the impact the increases in those payments will have. We will continue to support those kinds of targeted payments to those on the lowest incomes, as well as measures in other areas that are brought forward by the Department. Our actions will be guided by a new child poverty reduction target and by the work of the Taoiseach in this area.
My worry is that we have had targets previously and they were missed by a mile. A concerted effort is needed. When we talk about deprivation and child poverty, we are talking about households in which members are unable to afford two pairs of properly fitting shoes that are in good condition and suitable for daily activities, or a warm waterproof coat. It is unimaginable that poverty on this scale is happening in the State when it really does not need to be occurring. The statistics show who needs to be targeted, including, in particular, lone-parent households, especially where there are teenagers, who bring additional costs. What we are hearing in the media from the Minister's Government colleagues is really disturbing. The notion that there might be people sitting either at parliamentary party meetings or around the Cabinet table, God help us, who believe the cost-of-living crisis is over is deeply disturbing. The cost-of-living crisis is very much not over and it must be urgently addressed by the Government.
I share Deputy O'Reilly's concerns. Looking at the child poverty monitor, we see the failure of the 2020 roadmap for social inclusion, which included a target of reducing consistent poverty among adults and children from 5% to 2%. Five years later, we are still at 5%. The roadmap has been an abject failure.
One of my concerns when it comes to child poverty and poverty within families is their lack of resilience to deal with emergencies and other issues that arise for them. I have in mind the inability, because of the assessment of need crisis, to access the special education supports that are needed. There is also the issue of people who, were there no housing crisis, would be paying differential rents on council houses. They are now paying differential rents for housing assistance payment, HAP, properties plus cash top-ups to the landlords. The resilience to deal with such situations is gone from families and households. I want to see an all-of-Government approach, involving the Departments of housing, health and children, as well as the Minister's Department, to get to grips with this issue.
Tuigim go mór cé chomh dáiríre is atá an fhadhb seo. Is é sin an fáth go bhfuil a lán oibre déanta ag an Rialtas. We fully understand the challenges but a lot of work has been done in this space. The ESRI has shown, backing up Deputy O'Reilly's view, that direct social transfers by way of child-related cash and in-kind payments have lifted an estimated 157,000 children out of income poverty and 94,000 out of consistent poverty. I have given the background to the SILC data not to avoid any responsibility but to point out the issues. The consistent poverty rate for children reduced from 7% in SILC 2022 to 4.8% in SILC 2023 before increasing to 8.5% in SILC 2024. However, until eight to ten years ago, that rate was always above 10%, fluctuating up to nearly 13%. Pointing out fluctuations is not saying we do not have a challenge. We are very focused on that challenge, which is why we made the biggest ever social protection package available in budget 2025, the impact of which is not reflected in the SILC data.
The Minister must acknowledge that the direction of travel is not good, as we see from the SILC data. I respect what he is saying and it may be that the data starts going in a different direction, but I do not believe it will. A lot of the investment he mentioned involved one-off, non-recurring payments to deal with an acute cost-of-living crisis. That crisis has not gone away and is still acute. The Government is saying there will be no one-off measures in the next budget. How will it tackle the rates of child poverty? We do not need to do a poll to know those rates are unacceptable. How will the Minister deal with this issue in the absence of one-off measures? He is relying on such measures to make the argument that when they wash through, there will be a change in the figures. In the absence of those measures, long-term measures will have to be put in place to tackle the acute cost-of-living crisis that is impacting on children very severely. The figures bear that out.
We recognise that the cost of living is still incredibly challenging. Not all the measures we have taken have been one-off measures. The hot school meals and free schoolbook schemes are continuous improvements that will directly assist in reducing child poverty. The expansion of the hot school meals scheme, in particular, was not recognised in the SILC data.
Deputy O'Reilly and I are at one on the importance of targeted payments. The child support payment and the threshold for the working family payment increased significantly in budget 2025. Those measures are very much targeted at families and children who are currently under the most pressure.
Deputy McGuinness spoke about resilience. The first measure to point to in response is the domiciliary care allowance. I have really focused on reducing the delays in the processing of applications and appeals for that payment. From May to June, we have reduced by half the number of appeals on hold, which will assist families who qualify for the allowance. I will continue to keep a laser focus on that payment in particular. That will address the first cohort of people to whom the Deputy referred.
94. Deputy Paula Butterly 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. [32745/25]
I thank Deputy Butterly for her question. The free travel scheme provides free travel on our main public and private transport services for those who are eligible. There are over 1 million customers with direct eligibility. The estimated expenditure on the free travel scheme in 2025 is €107.6 million.
The programme for Government has committed to examining an extension of free travel to include children who benefit from the domiciliary care allowance. DCA is a non-means-tested payment of €360 a month per child. In addition, all recipients of DCA qualify for the carer's support grant in June of each year, which is worth €2,000. If the free travel scheme were to be extended to include children benefiting from DCA, it is estimated that some 65,000 children would benefit from the measure in 2026. Based on an additional 65,000 children benefiting, it is estimated that extending free travel to include those children would cost in the region of €7 million in a full year.
It is not possible to deliver all of our programme for Government commitments at once and the extension of this scheme, along with other potential budget measures, is being considered in the context of the budgetary resources available. I am positively disposed to this measure and I note the Deputy's support for it but it will have to be looked at in the context of other priorities. At this time when we are quite far out from the budget, we are not in a position to make any commitment as to whether the measure will be included in budget 2026. I understand the importance of the scheme, particularly for children who are in receipt of DCA, as regards access to appointments and leisure activities. It is a priority we will be maintaining a close eye on.
I thank the Minister. I will go back over the criteria for free travel. One can get a free travel pass if one is in receipt of disability allowance, blind pension, carer's allowance or invalidity pension. Leaving out the domiciliary care allowance is an anomaly in itself. It is quite unfair. The domiciliary care allowance is provided to parents and guardians of children under 16 who have a severe disability and who require substantially more care and attention, which involves more costs, than a child of the same age without a disability. It is based on the children's level of physical and mental impairment and the ongoing care they need. Free travel would often be of great benefit because there are a great many costs associated with taking care of a child with severe disabilities. I refer to treatments, appointments and loss of income. This would be of great benefit to people in more urban settings.
I fully recognise the importance of DCA. That is why we in the Department have put such a focus on it. We have particularly focused on trying to reduce the waiting periods for appeals and applications. I fully understand how important it would be to extend free travel to include those in receipt of DCA for many reasons, including medical and social appointments.
Regarding free travel, we are currently focused on implementing the decision made in budget 2025 to expand the free travel companion pass to everybody over the age of 70. As of next September, everybody over that age will be able to avail of a free travel companion pass. Last July, we expanded the free travel scheme to support people who were medically certified as being unable to drive for a period of 12 months or more. This includes people with epilepsy, for example. We are expanding the scheme on a planned and budgeted basis. The expansion that will be implemented from September is currently being rolled out within the Department. People are receiving correspondence about that companion pass. This will be one of the biggest expansions of the scheme in its history.
I welcome all of these changes but I will go back to the issue. These children are under 16 years of age and have severe disabilities. Their parents and carers are put to the pin of their collar both financially and emotionally. Allowing them a free travel pass would not only ease the financial burden, but ease the transition. As I was saying previously, this is particularly the case in urban areas. It is no good to anybody in a rural area because we do not have a sufficient transport system. This should be a priority for the next budget. I urge the Minister to consider it.
I absolutely guarantee it will be considered. I fully understand the pressures those in receipt of DCA are under. We want to enhance their lived experience. It will be considered, in line with other commitments within the programme for Government. It is a commitment within the programme for Government and will be delivered on within the lifetime of this Government. I note the Deputy's strong support for the measure. We will continue to work with her on it.
95. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Social Protection the current strategy for community employment, the number of sponsor groups, participants and supervisors and whether any changes are planned to the scheme this year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26196/25]
On behalf of my colleague Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh, I ask the Minister for Social Protection the current strategy for community employment, the number of sponsor groups, participants and supervisors, and whether any changes to the scheme are planned this year. Will he make a statement on the matter? This relates to community employment in the round, including CE schemes, Tús, RSS and others.
Tuigim cé chomh tábhachtach atá na scéimeanna seo. Tá siad ag déanamh an-jab i ngach cuid den tír. Tosóimid le CE agus beimid in ann RSS agus Tús a phlé ar ball. Community employment schemes make an extraordinary contribution right around the country. I have engaged with many of the schemes over recent months since my appointment as Minister. There are currently 19,693 participants and 1,223 supervisors on 810 CE schemes across the country. Government investment in CE will amount to some €370 million in 2025. This is an investment in communities and in people right across our island.
The objective of CE is to enhance the employability of disadvantaged and long-term unemployed people by providing valuable work experience and training opportunities within their local communities as a stepping stone to employment in the open labour market. CE also supports important and essential local community services.
A number of changes have been made to support CE sponsors in the recruitment of participants. Provision has been made to allow participants who reach 60 years of age to remain on a CE scheme until they reach the State pension age. Flexibility has been granted to sponsors to retain existing participants for extended periods in cases where a replacement cannot be recruited immediately. There have been changes to the eligibility criteria to extend eligibility to the adult dependants of those in receipt of jobseeker's allowance and there has been a pilot scheme to extend eligibility to over-50s who are in receipt of credits or a combination of credits and jobseeker's benefit. These changes have resulted in an increase of approximately 500 in the number of participants in CE in the past 12 months.
I assure Deputies McGuinness and Ó Snodaigh that I am keeping the eligibility criteria, durations and referral process under active review. Personally, I no longer see CE as a labour market intervention. It is much broader and wider than that and has a much bigger impact. I am asking my Department to look at it in a much broader context than the labour market perspective that has traditionally been taken.
I welcome that and gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as an bhfreagra cuimsitheach sin. Is cinnte go bhfuil an-éileamh ar an scéim seo i measc na ngrúpaí pobail. Níl sé díreach mar gheall ar dhaoine a chur ar ais ag obair nó traenáil chuí a thabhairt dóibh. Tá sé chun tacú leis na pobail ina bhfuil siad ag maireachtáil agus ina gcónaí.
Regarding the CE and Tús schemes, part of the issue is that there does not seem to be a great deal of joined-up thinking between the two. There is no easy avenue to go from one to the other. While somebody who is on a Tús scheme for 12 months can join a CE scheme, the reverse is not true. There are disparities between the training available to people on a Tús scheme and that available to people on a CE scheme. That needs to be brought into line. There needs to be a broader approach to training for those on Tús schemes. We must also be clear that Tús schemes are not always suitable for community groups because the right supports are not available for participants and community groups when people with particular needs or difficulties are being taken on. It may be a little difficult for a community group to take that on.
Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as sin. Tá sé seo tábhachtach. The schemes have a lot in common; there are a lot of differences, though. All the schemes - CE, Tús and RSS - were set up with different priorities and different cohorts in mind, initially achieving different things but as they have evolved doing many of the same things. I am definitely looking at all the schemes. They play a vital role. As I look around, there is not a Deputy in the House who does not understand that role. It is a vital role for communities but especially for the participants. I acknowledge in particular the work of supervisors in all three cohorts: CE, RSS and Tús. I have been delighted to be able to make some changes as regards their positions. As I said, their work is so important, not just for the communities that benefit but also for those on the schemes. I want to make sure they are as relevant and as up to date as they were when they were started.
Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire as sin. I welcome his commitment to keep these under review and to look at them in the round because there is a lot of crossover.
With regard to the RSS, I would like to know the Minister's opinions on reform of that and the pilot scheme and moving it to the rural dwellers scheme or bringing more of that in. At present, as the Minister knows, you need either a fishing licence or a herd number to qualify for that scheme. It would be suitable to many more people living in rural Ireland who could avail of it and for whom a placement through that scheme would be very valuable and very important to them and could lead to really positive change in their lives. I would like to hear a little more about that from the Minister, if he does not mind.
Without being cheeky enough to suggest a work programme for the committee, as regards the interaction of CE, RSS and Tús, I would love to engage with Members on that or to hear what they could come up with on it. Deputy McGuinness has raised an important point that the schemes have evolved over the years. It would be good to maybe stand back and look at them to see if they are delivering for the participants. We know they are delivering for communities, but the profile and the needs of participants have changed, and I want to make sure they are delivering. I will leave that to Deputy O'Reilly and Deputy Wall. Maybe it is something to work on.
As regards the RSS, I have examined fully the RSS review group that was commissioned by the former Minister of State, Joe O'Brien, and I am finalising some work within the Department on that. I am absolutely with the Deputy in terms of the rural dwellers pilot. It would be good to get that up and running. It may feed into any work I have just suggested about the three schemes and their interaction.
96. Deputy Aisling Dempsey asked the Minister for Social Protection his plans to suspend the periodic means test reviews for carers in receipt of carer's benefit; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33130/25]
I ask the Minister his plans to suspend, or indeed abolish, the periodic means test review for carers in receipt of carer's benefit.
The carer's allowance is the main scheme by which my Department provides income support to carers in the community. There are currently more than 100,000 people in receipt of carer's allowance. Expenditure in 2025 is estimated to be over €1.24 billion.
My Department also provides other supports for carers which are not based on a means assessment, including the carer's support grant, carer's benefit and domiciliary care allowance.
Carer's allowance aims to provide income support to those whose earning ability is greatly impacted by their caring responsibilities and who need income support.
The programme for Government has set out a timeline which commits to significantly increasing the income disregards for carer's allowance in each budget with a view to phasing out the means test during the lifetime of this Government.
Significant changes have been made to the carer's allowance means test in recent years. From July, there will be a further increase which will see the weekly income disregard rise from €450 to €625 for a single person, and from €900 to €1,250 for carers with a spouse or a partner. This amounts to cumulative increases to the disregards of €292.50 and €585, respectively, since June 2022. These increases make the scheme accessible to more people and may increase payment rates for those currently on a reduced rate. A carer in a two-adult household with an income of approximately €69,000 will still retain his or her full carer's payment. The same carer with an income of €97,000 will retain a partial payment. Before the disregards were increased in June 2022, these figures stood at €37,000 and €60,000, respectively, for a two-adult household.
Means reviews form an important part of my Department's control mechanisms to help ensure people are in receipt of the correct amount. It is important to remember that reviews can lead to increases in payments to recipients as well as reductions. My Department undertakes periodic reviews to help minimise incorrect payments.
Gabhaim buíochas leis an Aire for that and the very welcome news he has given us in terms of the income disregards. That will be very beneficial to many across the country, I am sure, but specifically in my area of Meath West. Many families have been in touch with me about this matter. I was this morning in a meeting of the committee on children. I am very privileged to have been appointed Leas-Chathaoirleach of the committee this morning. We had the Children's Rights Alliance in with us and I raised with it the issue of the child poverty monitor report, which has already been referred to here today and which I think everyone would say makes for very stark reading. I asked the Children's Rights Alliance about measures like this and asked it how much of a difference it could make to people and it has said to me that to families with children with disabilities, getting rid of this periodic review would make a huge difference. It is an important part of budget 2026, if the Department could at all progress those discussions.
I congratulate the Deputy on her appointment as Leas-Chathaoirleach of the coiste.
Means reviews are an important part of control mechanisms. The C and AG and the Committee of Public Accounts have told us that these reviews need to continue not just for control but also to avoid a situation, such as happened in the UK, where people unwittingly amass very significant overpayments, which had to be recouped and caused very difficult situations for families.
We will ensure that repeated requests for information are minimised and that every effort is made to conduct and complete those reviews as quickly as possible to avoid undue stress. We do not want to cause undue stress. We are very aware of the important role family carers play in society but, equally, we have to balance that awareness and that concern for those carers with a duty to ensure that those in receipt of social welfare payments meet the criteria and receive the correct payment. I absolutely assure the Deputy we will continue our work on minimising repeated requests for information.
Again, I thank the Minister for his response. Our ambition and our goal is to get rid of the means test completely, and this is a really significant part of it. These people save us untold money every day in the care they provide in their own families. For example, in one family in my area the mother works part-time just for her own mental health, just to have a little breather from the issues she has at home with her child, and the father took on two jobs to pay for the private therapies that they need but have not been able to access publicly. When they underwent a periodic review recently, they lost their access to any payment. That was obviously devastating for them. It is a blow. They feel it is an insult. I know that is an individual case and we have to govern collectively, but I just-----
Thank you, Deputy.
I will not comment on individual cases, but we seek to support families such as that who are in need. In order for us to do that, there will always be rules to ensure that schemes are targeted and that we have the resources to meet the scheme. As I said, we are answerable to the Committee of Public Accounts and the C and AG in that regard. They have said the reviews have to continue to ensure that the right payments are being made and that the right people are getting supports from the Department. As I said, however, we will ensure that repeated requests for information are minimised and, where a review happens, that it happens in as quick a way as possible. In the context of the number of payments being made across all schemes by the Department, the number of reviews is actually relatively small. I will provide the Deputy with those figures in the next session.
97. Deputy Micheál Carrigy asked the Minister for Social Protection when he expects to publish the comprehensive review of means testing across the social welfare system as committed to in the programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32707/25]
I thank Deputy Carrigy for his question. Continuing from where we finished with Deputy Dempsey, there were 14,791 control reviews in 2024, which is quite small in the overall carer's allowance paid out but it is a balance that has to be reached. On Deputy Carrigy's question, means tests are a central part of any social protection system to ensure that resources which are limited are targeted at those most in need. Ireland's system of social transfers consistently ranks among the top performers in the European Union for poverty reduction. A key factor in this achievement is Ireland's use of means testing in targeting resources for the most vulnerable in our society. Research including that presented at last week's budget perspectives conference of the ESRI indicates that targeting of supports to more vulnerable cohorts through means testing continues to be important, even as societal income overall increases. Means tests and income thresholds are kept under regular review and a number of significant changes have been made in recent years. A number of changes to means testing which provide for higher income disregards have been introduced in recent budgets. These disregards ensure that where people are in receipt of a social assistance payment and are working, a certain level of income from that work is not assessed in the means test. We are currently conducting a comprehensive review of means testing within the entire social protection system. The aim is to examine various means-tested schemes and identify issues related to their respective means tests. There are more than 90 schemes, many of which are means tested so this is a complex and detailed task. It is my intention that the review's findings will be completed in time to guide decisions regarding potential changes to means testing, particularly in the lead-up to budget 2026 and most definitely in the lead-up to future budgets. The review is nearing completion but it is complex and will require thorough evaluation when completed.
It is a key commitment in the programme for Government to review the means test across the entire social welfare system. A more consistent, transparent and targeted approach is needed. It needs to be a priority to ensure low-income families, carers, those with disabilities and part-time workers are not unfairly penalised. I ask the Minister to ensure this review addresses anomalies across the schemes and takes into account the real cost of living today and the need to support people trying to balance work and caring. Clarity and a timeline for publication would be welcome. I ask for it to be prioritised in the Department so that this review is done in time and we can make changes for budget 2026.
It is complex as it involves 96 schemes, many of which are means tested. A good outcome will be consistency across schemes and in how means testing is applied. We had a discussion this morning about areas it may not need to or should not apply to in the context of work done by those on these schemes. Even though the Department has a budget of €27 billion, resources are still scarce and they have to be targeted. I want to ensure they are targeted for those most in need, which the means test assists us to do. It has consistently been shown in EU figures to ensure that we target those most in need. A lot more work needs to be done in that space. It is a priority but it is complex given the volume of schemes and the various challenges.
I welcome the Minister's comments on prioritising those most in need. That is what we need to do, particularly for low-income families, carers, those with disabilities and part-time workers. I welcome consistency in the future. As a public representative, I do not see consistency in how applications are treated. People who are ultimately entitled are turned down on one or two occasions and have to go through an appeals system when it should have been granted the first time. I appeal for consistency in means testing in the future.
That is an important aim and one we will try to achieve. This review is not happening in isolation. Means tests and income thresholds are kept under regular review. We made a number of significant changes in recent years. Significant changes have been made to the income thresholds for the working family payment and income disregards for disability allowance, the blind pension, the fuel allowance and farm assist have increased. Next week, on 3 July, the carer's income disregard will increase to €625 for a single person and €1,250 for a spouse or partner which represents an increase for between €332 and €665 since 2021. We are reviewing the overall means test but making changes budget after budget which will continue over the course of the next number of budgets.
98. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Social Protection to provide an update on plans to abolish the carers allowance means test; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32278/25]
This was talked about quite a bit during the election. What update does the Minister have? An féidir leis an plean atá aige le fáil réidh leis seo a leagan amach go cruinn dúinn?
Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as an gceist faoi chúramóirí. Tá sé thar a bheith tábhachtach go seasaimid leis na cúramóirí agus an jab iontach a dhéanann siad gach lá. The programme for Government sets out a timeline which commits to significantly increasing income disregards for the carer’s allowance in each budget with a view to phasing out the means test during the lifetime of this Government. This is a major change to the carer's allowance and to the Irish social protection system. It is important that we make progress in a way that is sustainable and does not unduly limit our scope to support other vulnerable groups in society. There are a number of estimated minimum costs of between €600 million per annum up to €3 billion per annum. It is important to manage the changes to the means test in a way that takes account of budgetary resources. It is also important to note that we will continue the process of easing the means test. On 3 July, the weekly income disregard for the carer's allowance will increase from €450 to €625 for a single person and from €900 to €1,250 for carers with a spouse or partner. This amounts to cumulative increases in the disregards of €292.50 and €585 respectively, or 88%, since June 2022. The increases in July will mean that a carer in a two-adult household with an income of approximately €69,000 will retain their full carer's payment and even those with an income of €97,000 can retain a partial payment. After the July change, some 99% of current carer’s allowance recipients will be on a full rate of payment. Many of the remaining 1% will see an increase in their rate of payment. We are continuing to work through the research in this regard. I intend to achieve this programme for Government commitment in the lifetime of this Government. It is also important to note the Department provides non-means-tested supports, including the carer’s benefit, domiciliary care allowance and the annual carer’s support grant of €2,000, the highest ever, which was recently paid to more than 138,000 carers on 5 June.
The most important thing is clarity. The Minister said the Department will do a job of work to analyse how this will be achieved over the lifetime of this Government. Will the Minister be able to publish that as soon as job has been done? For carers, being able to predict exactly how it will impact them over the coming years will be important. Carers do a huge job and save the State vast sums of money every year but they do it for the love of the person for whom they care. That love is at the centre of all of this. For an awful lot of carers, everything else in the lives focuses around this. For them to have that level of predictability would be very welcome.
Based on our record to date, we have made such significant changes that there is predictability. We will continue to make significant changes to the income disregard. There was an almost 88% in the disregard and the highest ever level of the carer's support grant.
I continue to invest in carers agus sa jab tábhachtach atá a dhéanamh acu i ngach cuid den tír gach uile lá. Beimid ag cur airgid leis an obair thábhachtach sin i gcomhthéacs na chéad cháinaisnéise eile.
