36. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the progress his Department is making in tackling child poverty. [16475/26]

37. Deputy Mary Lou McDonald asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the progress his Department is making in tackling child poverty. [18509/26]

38. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the progress his Department is making in tackling child poverty. [18788/26]

39. Deputy Roderic O'Gorman asked the Taoiseach if he will report on the progress his Department is making in tackling child poverty. [20363/26]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 36, 37, 38 and 39 together.

Reducing child poverty is a key priority for this Government, as set out in the Programme for Government.

In September 2025, the Government agreed a new and ambitious Child Poverty Target to reduce the child Consistent Poverty rate to 3% or less by the end of 2030, from the current rate of 7.8%.

This target is guiding decisions, action and investment across Government.

In Budget 2026, the Government prioritised targeted supports for those impacted by poverty. €28.9 billion will be spent on social protection this year, including over €1.15 billion of new measures to assist households and more than €320 million in targeted measures designed to tackle child poverty.

Key measures include the largest ever increases to Child Support Payments, higher income thresholds for the Working Family Payment, and expanded access to the Fuel Allowance and Back-to-School Clothing and Footwear Allowance.

These measures are in addition to cross-Government initiatives already underway, such as free school meals, free schoolbooks, free GP visit cards, and enhancements to the Early Childhood Care and Education schemes, including the development of our new DEIS strategy, which will include DEIS Plus.

It is very encouraging to see the effects of these measures starting to take hold.

SILC

Recent data from the Central Statistics Office’s Survey on Income and Living Conditions 2025, published on 11th March, shows a welcome reduction in the child Consistent Poverty rate in 2025 from 8.5% to 7.8%, demonstrating the impact of Government measures to date.

However, we know we have more to do to deliver our target and enhance long term outcomes for children and for our society generally.

Dashboard of Indicators

While consistent poverty is a very important metric, it is not the only way we have of measuring how children are doing.

The Programme Office on Child Poverty and Well-Being has compiled a Dashboard of Indicators that will be used alongside the new Child Poverty Target.

This captures the multi-dimensional nature of child poverty and well-being, as alongside income supports, we are also advancing actions in housing, employment, childcare, and public services.

Child and Family Homelessness Action Plan

The Government’s new housing plan Delivering Homes, Building Communities recognises that homelessness is the single most pressing social issue that we face.

It provides dedicated capital funding of €100 million which will be ring-fenced to support local authorities to acquire properties to tackle long-term homelessness. This funding will be used specifically to acquire suitable units to exit families the longest in emergency accommodation and for Housing First units for individuals with complex needs who are experiencing homelessness.

Given the importance of this issue for child well-being, the Department of the Taoiseach and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage are working together on a new Action Plan on Child and Family Homelessness, supported by relevant Government departments and State bodies.

There has already been substantial engagement with key stakeholders, and it is anticipated that the Plan will be published in Q2 2026.

Impact of the Programme Office

Last year, the Programme Office on Child Poverty published its first progress report, and its second report will be issued in the coming months. The Office has also recently undergone an OECD review. Together, these evaluations show that the Programme Office is significantly strengthening cross-government coordination and action on child poverty.

Most importantly, we know this work is already making a real difference in children’s lives across a wide range of areas. We intend to keep that pressure and momentum up so that the Programme continues to drive meaningful, lasting change for children and families.