Alan Farrell (Dublin Fingal, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

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.

See this speech in context