Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Yes. There are currently 45,316 families in receipt of the working family payment. New applications remain high compared to previous years. There was an average of 602 applications per week. Some 80% of all applications are received online. Budget 2024 announced a €400 cost-of-living payment for working family payment recipients, which was paid on 23 November. That was a top-up they got then in the form of a lump sum payment.

Budget 2024 also announced an increase of €54 to the income thresholds for all family sizes. The increase in thresholds is due to take effect from 4 January, and each family in payment will receive an additional €32 per week from January.

In terms of the processing times, they are all processed within two weeks of receipt. The number of new claims pending at the beginning of November was 3,944. From the beginning of 2023, the scheme has been a centralised operation in Letterkenny.

There is a good bit of work there.