Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta. Déanaim comhghairdeas leis as a bheith tofa agus ar a leanbh nua i gCill Dara. Comhghairdeas leis féin agus lena bhean chéile agus guím gach rath orthu.

A newborn baby grant of €280 was announced in last year's budget to be paid to families of babies born on or after 1 December 2024. This grant is paid alongside, but in addition to, the first month's child benefit payment of €140, so parents of newborns will receive a total first payment of €420. This increased payment during the first month is an important recognition of the additional costs that accompany the birth of a child.

The benefit is payable in respect of newborn babies from the month after birth. Parents of children born in one month can, therefore, receive the child benefit payment, including the newborn baby grant, from the next month onwards. Given that the newborn baby grant is paid automatically with child benefit payments, there is no additional application for the grant. Therefore, parents of newborns do not need to do anything extra to receive the grant.

Child benefit, as the Deputy may be aware, is a monthly payment to the parents or guardians of children under 16 years of age. Child benefit can also be claimed for children aged 16, 17 or 18 if they are in full-time education or training or have a disability and cannot support themselves. At present, child benefit is in payment to 679,000 families in respect of 1.27 million children, with an estimated expenditure of €2.2 billion for 2025. The first payments for newborns issued on 11 February to more than 4,400 customers in respect of 4,522 children. These included 329 payments for County Kildare. To date, 6,345 customers have been paid the newborn baby grant in respect of 6,448 children. I congratulate all our new parents and wish them health and happiness on their journey.

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