Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Deputy Alan Farrell wishes to discuss the implementation of increases to the foster care allowance. This is a matter that has been the topic of much discussion in recent times. It is very topical.

Alan Farrell (Dublin Fingal, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Ceann Comhairle for selecting this matter and providing me with an opportunity to raise it in the House. I thank the Minister of State for his presence. There is no doubt that the change to foster care payments detailed in budget 2024 is to be welcomed as a positive step. It is the first time the allowance has been increased since 2009. We should be more ambitious in our delivery. There are a number of measures outlined in the budget, all of which are extremely welcome, particularly for foster families. These include a double payment of the foster care allowance, which will be made before the end of the year, and an increase of €25 per week in the statutory foster care allowance rate from January. In November 2024, the allowance for children under 12 will increase to €400 per week and the foster care allowance for children aged 12 and over will increase to €495 per week.

Foster carers provide an extraordinary service and the payment of the foster care allowance should recognise the role foster families play in our country. In 2022, 556 children entered foster care and approximately 5,184 children are cared for daily. In that context, we can and should expedite the increase planned for November 2024. As I mentioned, these families have been waiting since 2009 for an increase and recognition of the invaluable work they do. I can think of no greater gift a family or individual could offer the State than to care for a child who is not their own. It is in that context that this recognition should be expedited.

Like many Members, including, I am sure, the Minister of State, I have received correspondence from foster families on this matter. They have expressed their frustration with the gap between the announcement of these measures and their implementation. I received a good few emails and after responding to one, I got a justifiably irate reply from a family who are caring not for one child but for multiple children. There are increases in payments for all households during the cost-of-living crisis but we need to give particular recognition to those who are offering a home and safe environment to a child. As the Minister of State will know, many children in the foster care system have complex needs, the cost of which often falls directly on the families who care for them. This underscores the need for timely support. I assure the Minister of State that these families are not in it for a financial benefit and are not asking to be rewarded. Rather, they are asking to be given sufficient support so that they can care for the vulnerable child in their care to the best of their ability.

The changes to the foster care allowances in budget 2024, as I mentioned, are the first since 2009. The Minister and his Cabinet colleagues should be commended on taking that step in the right direction. We are fortunate that we have the financial prowess and resources to invest in facilities, State services and people. I can think of no greater investment to ensure these vulnerable children who often have complex needs are supported in an appropriate and timely way. That is what I ask.

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for raising this important issue. He speaks for all of us when he praises foster parents and families for all the work they do. Foster care is the preferred model for the care of children in care who cannot live with their families of origin. In recognition of the importance of foster care in contributing to positive and improved outcomes for children in care, the Minister, Deputy O'Gorman, made it a priority to secure a meaningful increase to the foster care allowance in this year's budget to support that vital role the Deputy discussed.

As outlined in the budget, from January next the rates of the foster care allowance will increase by €25 per week to €350 per week for children aged under 12 and €377 per week for those aged over 12. The foster care allowance will be further increased in November 2024 to €400 per week for children aged under 12 and €425 per week for those aged over 12. These increases mean that foster carers will receive over €1,700 additional funding per child over the course of 2024, amounting to an extra €300 per month by the end of 2024 for each child placed with them, when compared with the current allowance. In addition, the Deputy may also be aware that a double week of the foster care allowance will be paid at the existing rates to foster carers before the end of 2023. Foster carers will also benefit from a double child benefit payment in respect of each qualifying foster child, which is due to be paid before the end of the year.

The Minister has acknowledged the disappointment, which the Deputy has outlined, among foster carers that the full increase will not come into effect until November 2024. However, given the many competing demands on the limited funds of the State, including from across the Tusla budget and from other responsibilities within the remit of the Department, including disabilities, necessary compromises had to be made. In this context, it was decided that it was necessary to introduce the increases to the foster care allowance on a phased basis over next year. It was the Minister's priority to secure a significant increase to the allowance, albeit it has been at the cost of a phased implementation. It is hoped the supports contained in the budget will, over time, ease financial burdens on foster carers.

Alan Farrell (Dublin Fingal, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister of State for his response on behalf of the Minister. I completely understand the matter of competing demands. I had the privilege of chairing the Committee on Children and Youth Affairs for a number of years in the previous Dáil and I fully appreciate the budgetary constraints in Tusla and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. One only has to look at the childcare demands the Government has added to the Department to understand the level of investment being made. I fully appreciate the Minister of State’s point. I ask that further consideration be given to bringing the date back from November. Perhaps the Minister will be in a position to review the matter in his budget before the end of the year or in early 2024 to see whether it is possible to support these families sooner.

I recognise the significant sacrifice and extraordinary gesture made by foster carers in showing what I consider to be love towards children who are not their own and in caring for, nurturing and educating them and giving them a safe environment in which to thrive. All of us in this House support that. I want to give them the recognition they are due because I know that over many years it has been a struggle for Tusla to encourage families to serve the State by offering their homes to children. I commend Tusla on the work it does in supporting these families. I thank the Minister of State for his response.

Thomas Byrne (Meath East, Fianna Fail)
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I acknowledge what the Deputy has said. I also acknowledge that what the Minister has done has been significant, although it is not exactly what everyone wants. However, he is committed to working with everybody, including Government partners, stakeholders and Tusla to continue to improve the supports for foster carers.