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

We must take all the available supports into consideration. I offer an example of a lone parent with a 12-year-old child. Such parents will have received all the electricity credits last year, the lump sums under the fuel allowance of €125 and €100, and €100 for each child under the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance. In autumn 2022, there was the double weekly payment, the €200 electricity credit, the fuel allowance €400 lump sum, a double monthly payment of child payment, a working family payment €500 lump sum and a 100% Christmas bonus. Moving to spring, people got a €200 electricity credit in March, following the previous payment in January, a €200 lump sum payment to primary recipients of long-term social welfare payments, including working family payment, an additional €100 child benefit payment in June and another €100 payment for each child for whom back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance is paid. When we add all of that up, we get a total of €3,077 per annum, which is a weekly equivalent of €59.17. On top of that, there is the €12 increase in the one-parent family payment, with qualified child payments increasing by €2. The Deputy will accept that we have been trying to support people.

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