Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2023

Public bill · Government · Presented

Raises a range of social welfare payments and supports, including weekly increases for pensions, benefits and allowances, higher maternity, paternity, adoptive and parent’s benefit rates, a longer parent’s benefit period, and a child benefit extension for 18-year-olds in full-time education. It also increases working family payment thresholds and the domiciliary care allowance, and makes it easier to borrow through the credit union personal microcredit scheme so people are less likely to turn to moneylenders. It changes sick pay rules so employer-paid statutory sick pay and social welfare illness or injury benefit do not overlap, and it reforms the State contributory pension by helping long-term carers, allowing people to delay claiming up to age 70, and letting some people keep access to related social welfare payments while they defer.

Formal long title

Bill entitled an Act to amend and extend the Social Welfare Acts; to amend the Sick Leave Act 2022 and the Workplace Relations Act 2015; to make provision for the attribution, in certain circumstances, for the purposes of the State pension (contributory), of contributions by certain persons who provide long-term care and attention to certain other persons and for the deferral, on a voluntary basis, by certain persons in certain circumstances in accessing the State pension (contributory) and, for those and other purposes, to further amend and extend the Social Welfare Acts; and to provide for related matters.

Last updated 30 August 2024