Seán Sherlock
Question:447. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason that the maternity benefit and the new parents' benefit are excluded from the double payment under Budget 2023 [48523/22]
View answerTuesday, 4 October 2022
Questions (447)
Written answers
Budget 2023 includes a social welfare package of over €2.1 billion. This extensive package includes measures in relation to Maternity Benefit and Parent’s Benefit.
A Cost of Living Support Double Payment will be paid this year to recipients of certain social welfare payments. Over 1.4 million people will benefit, including pensioners, people with disabilities, carers, lone parents and jobseekers. This measure is targeted at those who are partially or wholly reliant on social welfare payments, to help support them and their families through this difficult period. This measure will cost approximately €316m and this bonus will be paid in October.
Those in receipt of Maternity Benefit and Parent’s Benefit will not receive a double payment in October as they are not in receipt of a long-term payment. However, I was pleased to secure an increase in the weekly rates of payment for working age scheme which includes Maternity Benefit and Parent's Benefit. As a result of Budget 2023 these payments will increase by €12 per week from January. This will see Maternity Benefit and Parent’s Benefit increase to €262 per week. This represents a 4.8% increase on the current rate of €250 at a cost of approximately €16 million for a full year.
The Government has also committed to supporting families through a once-off double payment of Child Benefit in November. The payment will be made to 638,000 recipients in respect of 1,203,000 children. The estimated cost of this measure is €170.4 million. In addition, we are supporting low income working families with a lump-sum payment of €500 to recipients of the Working Family Payment. .
More widely, young families will also benefit from the 25% reduction in childcare costs announced by Government as part of Budget 2023.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.