Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 24 October 2023
57. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the extent to which she remains satisfied that all critical issues anticipated in budget 2024 have been adequately dealt with, notwithstanding the ongoing economic/cost of living issues; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46441/23]
View answer84. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will outline the payment dates for the nine lump sums she announced as part of budget 2024; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46341/23]
View answer101. Deputy Jennifer Murnane O'Connor asked the Minister for Social Protection the proposed scheduling of social welfare payments for the Christmas period; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [46229/23]
View answerTo what extent is the Minster satisfied that she has touched all the sensitive areas in relation to the challenges that face people who are dependent on a social welfare payment, and particularly in the face of rising costs, the cost-of-living increases, and a whole lot of challenges that manifested themselves as a result of inflation?
I propose to take Questions Nos. 57, 84 and 101 together.
As part of budget 2024, I secured a €2.3 billion social protection package. This is, for the second year in a row, the largest in the history of the State. This package provides a mixture of exceptional cost-of-living payments delivered over the coming weeks, along with an across-the-board €12 weekly rate increase in primary payments and an increase of €4 per week for a qualified child, both of which take effect from early January. This approach will ease the pressure that many households will face over the coming winter months, acting quickly to provide lump sum supports and providing an ongoing support through the provision of the weekly rate increase from January.
Post-budget analysis from the ESRI shows that this package will insulate most households from rising prices next year. As part of this package, a wide range of lump-sum payments will be paid in the coming weeks and months. In the week beginning 20 November to support low-income working families a cost-of-living payment of €400 will be paid to 46,000 recipients of the working family payment recipients.
A lump sum of €400 will be paid to 214,000 people receiving disability allowance, the blind pension and the invalidity pension in recognition of the additional cost-of-living pressures they face, and there will be a lump sum of €300 for more than 400,000 people who receive the fuel allowance. This is particularly important as we come into colder weather for pensioners and people with disabilities who may need extra heating.
In the week beginning 27 November, three further payments will be made. A €400 lump sum will be paid to 130,000 carers. As people living on their own face similar energy costs as couples, a payment of €200 will be paid to 237,000 people who receive the living alone allowance. There will also be a targeted lump sum of €100 for each child for those receiving an increase for a qualified child. On 5 December, families with children will receive a double payment of child benefit, benefiting approximately 1.2 million children. There will be two double payment weeks. In the week beginning 4 December, a 100% Christmas bonus will be paid to 1.3 million people on long-term schemes. A double payment will also be paid in the week commencing 29 January on the same basis as the Christmas bonus. As the rate increases will have taken effect, this will be paid at the higher rates. I am satisfied that this budget protects the most vulnerable in our society, particularly children in low-income families. Of course, there are always additional measures I would have liked to include but framing any budget requires difficult decisions given there is a limit of what can be done in a single year.
I was also pleased to announce key reforms such as the introduction of a pay-related jobseeker’s benefit from next year, subject to final Government approval, as well as an extension of parent’s benefit to nine weeks, improvements to the wage subsidy scheme, extending free travel to those who are medically unfit to drive and further extending the hot school meals programme, among other measures.
I attended a school yesterday in north Monaghan and talked to the children in fifth and sixth class. They are getting the hot school meals programme because it is a DEIS school. The teachers and young children could not speak highly enough about that programme. It is a wonderful addition for any child who is going to school because they get a good healthy meal in the middle of the day. They choose what they want to eat the week before. I heard one of the providers on the radio this morning and he said there are 15 options. I would not mind that menu myself. The children pick whatever it is they want and it is delivered to them in the school and they get that hot meal. Their educational attainment, because of the hot school meals programme, is much better and they do better at school. It is a great leveller because everybody gets the same. We all know there would be many a time when making lunches for children that they would come home and tell you they could not eat that but if they had what somebody else was eating they would eat it. One thing is for sure - when they got that, they would not eat that either. I have been to other schools in the city here where they get their lunch and it is one of the best measures. It is one of these under-the-radar measures sometimes but it really makes a difference.
Those are some of the things I have done in this budget. It is not always the big things. They make the headlines but sometimes the smaller things can make a real difference in people’s lives. I thank the Deputies for raising the issue.
I thank the Minister for that comprehensive reply. I am not going to prolong my question because other Members' questions are grouped with it. I congratulate the Minister on identifying the areas she has referred to and for acknowledging the fact that there are people who are in particular difficulties at the present time, through no fault of their own, due to the fact that circumstances have changed, inflation has taken off or there may be an illness in the household that changed the whole situation for individual families. I merely suggest that the Minister continue to monitor these situations with a view to making any changes that are required when and if possible.
I commend the Minister's dedication, especially regarding the extension of the hot school meals programme to an additional 320 DEIS schools. Her commitment to this programme is very evident and it is clear that these efforts will ensure that many children receive the nutritious meals they so critically need. Regarding the long-term vision for the programme, I would like some insight into how these efforts might curb the prevalence of food insecurity among children. Could the Minister could provide insight into some of the strategies that are in the pipeline to reach an even broader spectrum of schools? How does she plan to guarantee that every child across the nation receives access to wholesome meals into the future?
I also thank the Minister for the hot school meals programme. It has been so beneficial to children families that have always been under pressure with their children going to school. It is an excellent scheme. We set up St Clare's Hospitality Kitchen in Graiguecullen, County Carlow. There is no funding there. We are feeding children. We are giving out food parcels. There are approximately 100 food parcels going out a week. There are families coming in for dinner in the evening. I know the Minister's commitment to putting funding into places where it is needed. Given the cost of living, I would ask that a once-off payment be given to those particular organisations, such as the soup kitchens and others that need it. They are in need of it because people are not able to keep donating and donating the whole time.
Deputy Dillon mentioned the hot school meals programme. The expansion of the programme in 2024 will cover an additional 900 primary schools. That means that by this time next year, we will be two thirds of the way to providing hot meals to all primary school children. My aim is that any child born this year will have access to the hot school meals programme by the time they are going to primary school. That means we want to roll it out to every primary school. That scheme addresses issues around child poverty, particularly food poverty, and it means children get that wholesome meal in the middle of the day. As I said earlier, I visited a school in Artane and it was lovely to see the children all sitting around the table facing each other, having a conversation and eating their dinner. It would do your heart good. There was not one scrap left or one piece of the tinfoil the food came in. I saw it myself.
That is very good.
That is just because the Minister was present.
I am not that good. It is a big game changer and I want to pursue it.
As regards secondary schools, I felt we should deal with the primary schools first because younger children are not able to fend for themselves. When they get to secondary school, they might be able to put a bit of ham in the middle of two slices of bread and move on. We will expand it. We have the school meals programme for secondary schools and I hope they can take that up and as time goes on we will roll it out the whole way. That will be a great legacy of this Government in the fact we are going to get it to the primary schools.
I take Deputy Murnane O'Connor's point about people having difficulties. That is why we have the lump sum payments. It puts the money in people's pockets when they need it because they need money in the run-up to Christmas and they need to pay to fill the oil tank or whatever else but then come January, which is a lean month. That is why we are giving the double payment and people will get that wee bit extra because they will have the €12 extra in their payment.
Did Deputy Durkan want to come in for his second slot?
No, I am happy. I will let my colleagues in.
I thank the Minister for her response. Reverting to her earlier statement about the proactive measures to uplift families and children in budget 2024, the suite of comprehensive measures she has outlined clearly indicates a sincere intent to lessen the financial strain and boost the quality of life for many families.
Those measures are to be commended, including the €12 weekly hike in social welfare, the increase in the working family payment, the enhanced weekly qualified child payment and the parent's benefit extension. The Minister talked about once-off payments and also strategies for the longer term to tackle the underlying drivers of family and child poverty. Does she have projections for how those strategies might decrease the prevalence of poverty?
The once-off payments before Christmas and shortly after Christmas are really welcome but there still are families feeling the pinch. I am working with a man at the moment who, through no fault of his own, got very sick. He is on a social welfare payment now and is trying to pay a mortgage. I am trying to get help for him and his family, particularly with their heating bill. People can go to their social welfare office and get help with bills like that. We need to do more to promote that provision.
I refer the Minister again to the work of soup kitchens. There is no funding available for my local one, St. Clare's Hospitality Kitchen. I invite her to come down to Carlow to visit the soup kitchen, which is named for the Poor Clares, and see the families that are coming in and being fed. They are in real need. Is there something she can do to support soup kitchens?
If people are running into problems, they need to look to the essential needs payment. It is there and is available. Anybody who has a problem with their mortgage, before getting into any deep difficulties, should go to the Money Advice & Budgeting Service, MABS. It is a free service and the staff give good advice and will advocate on people's behalf. Deputies should send people to MABS.
I do not have any plans for my Department to start funding soup kitchens. We want to support individuals.
On Deputy Dillon's question, as I said, ESRI data show the budget package will insulate most households from rising prices next year. Carers will get the two double payments at Christmas and in January, a €400 lump sum in November and a €12 weekly increase in January. All in all, there will be approximately an extra €30 a week for carers. People on disability allowance will get approximately €2,020 over the year, which works out at an extra €39 per week. These provisions protect those on the lowest incomes. On top of the rate increases and the lump sums, I was pleased to get Government approval for the other important measures. I forgot to mention the extension of child benefit for 18-year-olds in full-time education. I received a lot of positive feedback on that measure. Some people are disappointed it will not kick in until the start of the next school year but the good news is the change is happening.
