Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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3. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the extent, if any, to which improvements might be made in respect of various social welfare payments which currently might fall short of an equality with other recipients of payments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25394/24]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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I seek to ascertain the extent to which the Minister might be able to improve the levels of payments made to various recipients. This could arise from a variety of reasons such as lesser contributions in old age pensions or any other issue that is at present seen as a glitch in not allowing the payments to be equal with the highest.

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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As the Minister for Social Protection and during the lifetime of this Government, I am proud to have introduced many improvements to the social protection system. As part of budget 2024, I secured a €2.3 billion social protection package. This was, for the second year in a row, the largest social protection budget in the history of the State. Post-budget analysis from the ESRI showed that the package would insulate most such households from rising prices into 2024. As part of this package, a wide range of lump-sum payments were paid in late 2023 and into 2024. These included supports for low-income working families, people with disabilities, carers, those living alone and those in receipt of the fuel allowance. A double bonus payment was paid both at Christmas and in January.

I was also pleased to announce key reforms such as the introduction of pay-related jobseeker's benefit from later this year, as well as an extension to parent's benefit to nine weeks, improvements to the wage subsidy scheme, extending free travel to those who are medically unfit to drive, further extending hot school meals and extending child benefit to 18-year-olds in full-time education, among other measures.

Across my time in government, we have seen very significant rises across the board in the rates of pensions, disability payments, carers' payments and other weekly schemes. There have also been significant increases in seasonal and annual schemes such as the fuel allowance and the carer's support grant. Decisions about budget 2025 will be made in the coming months. In working with my ministerial colleagues, I will of course continue to take account of the independent evidence from the CSO, the ESRI, and bodies such as the Vincentian Minimum Essential Standard of Living Research Centre. As always I will also listen closely to the views of Deputies in this House, the community, the voluntary pillar, advocacy groups and other stakeholders in the run-up to the budget.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister for that reply. It is well acknowledged that substantial improvements have been made in relation to the delivery of social welfare payments throughout the country and this is greatly valued. Is it the Minister's intention in the course of preparation for the next budget - which is in some months' time - to examine family situations whereby a large family may have a lot of outgoings and whether there could be a general test or overall template in order those who come in under the level of payments required might have a fall-back situation and could rely on favourable consideration when it comes to the budget?

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Yes we have a number of schemes. There is the basic payment and then there are social transfers that also kick in depending on family size and depending on the situation. A number of different variables are taken into account when determining the default payment a family receives from social welfare. These variables are reviewed every year when I look at them.

There are other things I have changed quite a lot in the last few years, such as the roll-out of the hot school meals programme, which has proved to be very successful. This is helping to keep money in people's pockets because parents do not have to incur that expense of having to purchase and prepare the food for their children's lunch at primary school. The hot school meals programme has made a difference.

We looked at the over-70s fuel allowance and I expanded that, which was a big change. We put in place higher income limits so more older people would qualify. A couple can have an income of €1,024 per week and €50,000 in savings and still get the fuel allowance. We expanded those things.

There was also the extension of child benefit to 18-year-olds in full-time education. This was another very popular measure I brought in from the beginning of May to help families into the future because children are starting school older.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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One issue that has come to my attention in recent times - and at all times - is in relation to family law disputes where the mother of the children may be forced to pursue the partner in court in order to get a validated payment, which is a very dangerous thing to do if there is violence. This happens in many cases and puts huge hardship on the mother of the children and creates terrible fear in those cases. It places the mother at a disadvantage to such an extent she sometimes does not want to pursue the case at all. Some officers consider these things and take a liberal view but others do not. Is it possible to generalise it and make it possible to have a procedure where there is no threat to the mother of the children in those cases?

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I am glad the Deputy brought this matter up. Due to the child maintenance review that was carried out, I have changed the legislation so that from the beginning of this month, child maintenance is no longer taken into consideration as part of the means test. A person does not have to go to court to prove what he or she is getting or not getting. All of that is being disregarded and one-parent families are now able to make their claim without the need for recourse to the courts. That maintenance is for the children and now it is not included as part of the means test. I was glad to be able to change that because it has made a difference and particularly for women who had to go in and out of court to prove they were not getting the payment, and then they had to go to the social welfare office. Then their partner would miss a week, pay one week and miss another few, then pay another and it was torture for those unfortunate people who found themselves in that situation. I am glad I was able to change that legislation. I was very keen to change this because I saw it often enough from my days in the credit union where mothers in particular, were unfortunately left in very difficult circumstances when they were not getting the payment and their social welfare payment was based on that income.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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I thank the Minister.