10/01/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/01/2024 08:24
The Minister for Social Protection, Heather Humphreys T.D., has today announced a €2.6 billion budget package that will support families, pensioners, carers and people with disabilities.
The Social Protection package is the largest in the history of the State and will assist households through a mix of cost of living payments, targeted supports and across the board increases to weekly payments.
There are a total of 10 Cost of Living payments, which will be made before Christmas and will support parents, pensioners, carers, and people with disabilities.
Social Protection measures announced today include:
Further measures also announced today include:
Announcing today's Social Protection Budget, Minister Humphreys said:
"I am delighted today to announce the largest Social Protection Budget in the history of the State - over €2.6 billion worth of measures aimed at supporting our pensioners, carers, people with disabilities and working families.
"This Budget is about giving people a bit of extra help and putting money back in their pockets.
"It's a Budget that places a strong focus on supporting family right across the State, while also tackling issues like child poverty.
"I'm pleased to announce that every primary school child in the country will receive a hot dinner in the middle of the day in 2025, as part of a major expansion of the Hot School Meals programme.
"The Budget will deliver a significant package for our family carers with a significant increase in the means test limits and the extension of Carer's Benefit to the self-employed.
"There is also a big focus on supporting older people - people who have worked hard all their lives.
"I'm pleased that there will be a €12 increase in the State pension, as well as the other weekly rates.
"I am reducing the age criteria for the Fuel Allowance means test from 70 to 66 with effect from January 2025.
"A new companion pass for the over 70s will also be introduced in this Budget as part of my aim to tackling isolation and helping our older people stay active.
"I am also today announcing a series of 10 once off payments which will all be paid before Christmas. These payments provide nearly €1.5 billion in support to individuals that will ease the financial pressure facing many households."
Minister Humphreys continued:
"A big focus for me in this Budget was to do something significant for new mothers and fathers.
"I'm pleased to say that maternity, paternity adoptive and parents benefit will increase by €15 to €289 per week - those payments for new parents are now on par with the State Pension as the highest payments in the social protection system.
"I'm also pleased to have worked with my colleague Minister O'Gorman to deliver a €420 Triple Child Benefit Payment for new born babies from the 1st January - this payment will be administered by my Department.
"This is a Budget that also recognises that there are thousands of low income families in this country that need our support.
"In that regard I am announcing I the largest ever increase in the Increase in for a Qualified Child Payment, which I am renaming the Child Support Payment.
"I'm pleased to be in a position to increase the weekly rate for Under 12s to €50 and for Over 12s to €62 per week.
"The increases in this Budget will mean the total annual value of the Child Support Payment will be €2,600 for each Child Under 12 and €3,224 for each Child Over 12 - these payments will have a significant impact in tackling child poverty."
Minister Humphreys concluded:
"When you look at this Budget in its totality - the lump sum payments, the weekly increases and the targeted measures - I believe this is a package that delivers for our old people, delivers for our carers, delivers for people with disabilities and delivers for young working families."
Joe O'Brien, Minister of State for Community Development, Integration and Charities, commented:
"There are a number of measures in the DSP plans that I have worked hard to deliver. I am particularly pleased to announce the new Holiday Hunger Pilot Projects as the area of food poverty has been something I've prioritised for a number of years now and it's clear that holiday hunger presents a significant issue for far too many families. I hope we can continue to build on these pilots in the same way we have with the hugely successful Hot School Meals Programme in recent years."
The full list of Social Protection Budget measures is available at Gov.ie/dspbudget25.
The once off payment of €400 to people getting Disability Allowance, Invalidity Pension, Blind Pension and/or Carer's Support Grant, is only payable in respect of one payment, even if a person qualifies for more than one of the payments or are caring for more than one person.