Written answer
Social Welfare Payments
The Minister noted Child Benefit remains €140 monthly, with no review announced, while emphasising targeted supports for low-income families through recent budget increases.
93. Deputy Naoise Ó Cearúil asked the Minister for Social Protection whether his Department has assessed the impact of the child benefit payment rate remaining unchanged since 2016; and whether any review of the payment rate is planned. [67341/26]
Comment on this
Child Benefit is a universal monthly payment, supporting families with the cost of raising children. It is paid in respect of almost 1.3 million children. Expenditure on the scheme this year will exceed €2.2 billion.
The monthly rate of Child Benefit has been €140 for each qualifying child since 2016, with higher rates for twins and other multiple births. The scale and universal nature of Child Benefit means that any increase carries a significant Exchequer cost. Even a modest €5 increased in a monthly Child Benefit would cost over €75 million.
The focus over recent years has been to target families with children through payments linked to household circumstances.
For example, Child Support Payments are paid with most weekly social welfare payments to support low-income households with dependent children. As part of Budget 2026, weekly rates increased by €8 to €58 for children under 12 and by €16 to €78 for children over 12. On annual basis this equates to over €3,000 for under 12s and over €4,000 for children 12 and over. These payments provide additional targeted support to approximately 330,000 children. Since 2020, the payment has seen a 61% increase for children under 12, and a 95% increase for children aged 12 and above.
Budget 2026 also increased the weekly income thresholds for Working Family Payment by €60, helping existing recipients and allowing more low-income working families to qualify. The Back-to-School Clothing and Footwear Allowance continues to assist eligible families with the cost of clothing and footwear when children start or return to school.
The impact of social welfare supports on family incomes is considered as part of the annual budgetary process, taking account of available resources, Government priorities and the overall package of social welfare measures under consideration. However, it is important that the Government targets its resources to support those most in need and existing measures such as the Child Support Payment and the Working Family Payment are highly effective in this regard in terms of supporting families with children.