Department of Social Protection of Ireland

10/01/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/01/2024 08:24

Minister Humphreys announces record Social Protection Budget package of over €2.6 Billion

  • Largest Social Protection Budget Package in the history of the State
  • Suite of financial supports to assist people with the Cost of Living
  • 2 Double payments of Child Benefit before Christmas
  • €400 Disability and Carer's Lump Sum
  • €400 lump sum for Working Family Payment recipients
  • €300 Fuel Allowance lump sum and €200 people living alone
  • €100 Child Support Payment lump sum
  • October Bonus and Christmas Bonus to be paid to 1.3 million people
  • €15 increase in Maternity Benefit, Paternity Benefit, Adoptive Benefit and Parent's Benefit from January 2025
  • Hot School Meals extended to all remaining primary schools in 2025
  • School Meals Holiday Hunger pilot project in summer 2025
  • Free Travel Companion Pass for all over 70s from September 2025
  • Carer's Benefit extended to the self-employed
  • Newborn Baby Grant of €280 in addition to the first month of Child Benefit payment from 1st January 2025
  • €20 increase in the Domiciliary Care Allowance
  • Increases in weekly payments of €12 from January 2025

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:

  • €300 once off payment to all households receiving the Fuel Allowance payment;
  • Two double payments of Child Benefit before Christmas;
  • A €200 once off payment for pensioners and people with a disability receiving the Living Alone Allowance;
  • A payment of €400 to all carers receiving the Carer's Support Grant;
  • A €400 Disability Support Grant for people receiving Invalidity Pension, Disability Allowance or Blind Pension;
  • A €400 payment to families receiving the Working Family Payment;
  • An October Cost of Living Double Payment, followed by the Christmas Bonus Double Payment in December; and
  • €100 Child Support Payment (formerly the Increase for a Qualified Child) on their social welfare payment.

Further measures also announced today include:

  • Weekly rates of the Child Support Payment (formerly the Increase for a Qualified Child) will increase by €8 to €62 for those aged 12 and over, and by €4 to €50 for under 12s in January 2025. 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
  • €12 increase in weekly social welfare payments from January 2025, with proportionate increases for qualified adults and people getting a reduced rate
  • €15 increase in Maternity Benefit, Paternity Benefit, Adoptive Benefit and Parent's Benefit from January 2025
  • Newborn Baby Grant of €280 in addition to the first month of Child Benefit (€140) for children born on or after 1 January 2025
  • Carer's Allowance Income Disregard increased to €625 for a single person and €1,250 for a couple from July 2025
  • Domiciliary Care Allowance will increase by €20 to €360 per month from January 2025
  • €150 increase to €2,000 in the Carer's Support Grant paid annually in June
  • Carer's Benefit extended to self-employed people from January 2025
  • Free Travel Scheme Companion Pass for all those aged over 70 from September 2025
  • The Over 70s Fuel Allowance means test disregard (€524 for a single person and €1,048 for a couple) will now be extended to people aged 66 and over from January 2025
  • Carer's Allowance will become a qualifying payment for Fuel Allowance from January 2025, subject to meeting all criteria of the Fuel Allowance scheme, including satisfying the Fuel Allowance means test
  • Hot School Meals scheme to be extended to all remaining Primary Schools in 2025
  • School Meals Holiday Hunger pilot project will start in summer 2025
  • Working Family Payment income thresholds for all family sizes to increase by €60 per week from January 2025
  • The Auto-enrolment retirement savings scheme will commence from 30 September 2025, helping over 800,000 workers save for their retirement
  • The Jobseeker's Pay-Related Benefit Scheme will commence from 31st March and will ensure people with a strong work history receive a higher level of payment if they lose their job
  • The Work Placement Experience Programme is increasing by €24 from €335 to €359 per week

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."

Notes to Editors:

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.