Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 18 June 2013
204. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Social Protection what the impact on child poverty would be if there was full take up of family income supplement, as it is estimated that this payment is only claimed by 40% of those currently eligible. [28734/13]
View answerThe family income supplement (FIS) is designed to provide income for employees on low earnings with families. This preserves the incentive to remain in employment in circumstances where the employee might only be marginally better off than if he or she were unemployed and claiming other social welfare payments. The Revised Estimates for my Department provide for expenditure on FIS of almost €230 million in 2013. There are currently 40,593 families benefiting from the FIS scheme. Data on those who potentially qualify for FIS but who do not claim is not available from administrative data sources. In recent years, there has been a growth in the FIS claim load although it is not apparent whether this reflects better take-up or other factors. The Department continues to improve available information about the FIS payment and a comprehensive and easy to understand information booklet and application form are readily available on the Department’s website. In the past, the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) has produced estimates based on household income surveys that suggest relatively low take-up of FIS among potentially eligible households but these estimates have not been recently updated.
