Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 13 October 2022
34. Deputy Joan Collins asked the Minister for Social Protection if she has read a post-Budget 2023 analysis (details supplied) that highlights that after the Q4 2022 cost-of-living measures are implemented, a one-parent family with two children, one in primary and one in secondary will face a shortfall of €9.40 and for those with an older child, this rises to €82.73; and if she will address same. [50640/22]
View answerI was pleased that Budget 2023 included a social welfare package worth almost €2.2 billion. I am very mindful that lone parents continue to be a group with a high risk of poverty and for that reason I was particularly pleased to provide a number of measures in Budget 2023 which will be of benefit to lone parents.
Recipients of One-Parent Family Payment and Jobseeker's Transitional Payment will be amongst those who receive a double weekly payment in October and a Christmas bonus double payment in December. Like all families with children, lone parents will receive a double payment of Child Benefit in November. Lone parents in receipt of the Fuel Allowance will also receive a lumpsum payment of €400 in November.
Approximately half of the payments of the €500 cost of living lump sum payment which will be made to recipients of the Working Family Payment in November will be made lone parents.
I have also provided for a €40 increase in the weekly income thresholds for the Working Family Payment from January. The personal rate of working age payments such as One-Parent Family Payment will increase by €12, from €208 to €220 per week, also from January. In addition, the rate of Increase for a Qualified Child will increase by €2 to €42 per week in respect of a qualified child under age 12 and by €2 to €50 per week in respect of a qualified child aged 12 or over. As a result, these rates will have increased by €6 for under 12s and by €10 for over 12s over the last three Budgets.
While income supports are important, access to affordable and available services such as housing, health, childcare, and education, plays an equally strong and potentially more sustainable role in addressing poverty.
I understand that the Deputy is referring to the Budget 2023 Minimum Essential Standard of Living Impact Briefing prepared by the Vincentian Research Centre. However, it is important to note that this is just one analysis of the impact of the Budget package on households.
The ESRI analysis of Budget 2023 shows that the income of lone parent households will remain essentially stable as a consequence of Budget 2023 measures, with less than 0.2 per cent reduction, indicating that the Government measures are, in the main, effective at protecting lone parent households from the impact of the significant levels of inflation. The Budget 2023 Expenditure Report notes that lone parent households stand to benefit from a €1,872 annual increase in support.
The Department of Finance, in its analysis of the distributional impact of the tax and social welfare package of Budget 2023, found that single retirement age households and lone parents gain proportionally the most from both the Cost of Living Measures package and the 2023 package, with social welfare measures contributing the most to these gains.
I can assure the Deputy that the Government remains committed to the reduction of all forms of poverty, in particular for children as outlined in the Programme for Government, and to the continued support of children and families across the country.
