Claire Kerrane
Ceist:811. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated full-year cost of increasing the average working family payment by 10%. [20008/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraDáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 30 July 2020
811. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated full-year cost of increasing the average working family payment by 10%. [20008/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Working Family Payment is an in-work support which provides an income top-up for employees on low earnings with children. It is designed to prevent in-work poverty for low paid workers with child dependents and to offer a financial incentive to take-up employment. To qualify for Working Family Payment, a person must be engaged in full-time insurable employment which is expected to last for at least 3 months and be working for a minimum of 38 hours per fortnight or 19 hours per week.
The estimated annual expenditure on Working Family Payment in 2019 is approximately €397.2 million. As of June 2020 the support is paid to approximately 50,500 families in respect of some 113,500 children.
The average Working Family Payment rate is €143.84 per recipient per week. Increasing this by 10%, or €14.38, would result in an average weekly rate of €158.22. If all working family payments were to be increased by €14.38 based on the current number of recipients it is estimated it would cost approximately €37.8m per year.
A review of the operation of Working Family Payment completed by this Department in 2018 found that the current range of supports works very well for the vast majority of families and facilitates an element of choice which allows them to select the option which best suits their needs.