Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 13 October 2022
27. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Social Protection the evidence on which she based the increase of €2 per week, 30 cent per day for the qualified child increase for children under the age of 12 years. [50621/22]
View answerMost weekly social welfare payments include an additional payment – an Increase for a Qualified Child (IQC) – in respect of each qualified child up to the age of 18, which is extended to encompass older children to age 22 under certain circumstances. This measure provides targeted assistance that is directly linked with household income and thereby supports low-income families.
In Budget 2023 I am increasing the IQC rates by €2 – to €42 per child for under 12s and to €50 per week for over 12s. Over the last three Budgets, these rates have increased by €6 and €10 respectively.
These increases were provided in the context of an overall package which included a €12 rate increase for weekly schemes, in addition to €1.1 billion in once-off measures to help ease the cost-of-living pressures for low-income households. For example, a lone parent with two children will see a €16 increase in their weekly rate from January. The improvements to the Working Family Payment thresholds also targets low-income families with children, resulting in a weekly increase of up to €24.
Families will also be assisted before January. They will receive a cost-of-living double payment later this month, and again in December via the Christmas bonus. In November, an additional Child Benefit payment will be made. Households in receipt of the fuel allowance will receive a €400 lump sum, and people in receipt of the Working Family Payment will receive a lump sum of €500. All households will also benefit from €600 of Energy Credits in the coming months.
The ESRI post-Budget analysis shows that Budget 2023, combined with one-off measures to reduce the cost of living, will be effective in protecting most households from rising prices this winter.
The analysis further shows that the income of lone parent households will remain essentially stable as a consequence of Budget 2023 measures which indicates that the Government measures are, in the main, effective at protecting lone parent households from the impact of significant levels of inflation.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
