Paschal Donohoe (Dublin Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

-----to €46 per week for under-12s and €54 per week for over-12s; the hot school meals programme will be expanded to a further 900 primary schools in April 2024; and parents benefit will be extended to nine weeks from August 2024. I am also: increasing the monthly rate of domiciliary care allowance by €10; extending the child benefit payment to 18-year-olds in full-time education; and raising the income threshold on the working family payment by €54 per week.

QUALITY AND AFFORDABLE CHILDCARE

Building on this, I am allocating a further €338 million to the core spending of the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. We are building on last year’s investment in childcare. The national childcare scheme will see a further 25% reduction in childcare costs, which is evidence of our commitment to making childcare affordable and will be implemented from September 2024.

See this speech in context