Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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91. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of children who have benefited from the baby boost triple child benefit payment to date; the number his Department estimates will benefit from it in 2025; the estimated additional cost in 2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8526/25]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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I congratulate the Leas-Cheann Comhairle on his election, and I congratulate the Minister on his appointment. Last October, the Green Party and I championed the idea of a baby boost payment of an additional €280 when a new child is born. I was happy to see it included to see it included in budget 2025 and it was implemented in late 2024. Will the Minister give an update on its uptake around the country and its costs to date?

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for his good wishes. I acknowledge him for his work in this area, and also that of my immediate predecessor, Heather Humphreys who was committed to the newborn baby grant of €280, which was announced in budget 2025 and was paid to families of babies born on or after 1 December 2024. Taken together with the normal first month’s child benefit of €140 parents of newborns will receive a total first payment of €420, which is three times the normal payment. The Deputy and his colleagues led strongly on this. I am sure he will agree that it is a welcome initiative that recognises the extra costs incurred by a family, and by parents, at a very happy time.

It is important to note that the newborn baby grant is paid automatically with child benefit payments, so there is no additional requirement for an application process. That payment will be made with the first payment in the month after the child is born. The first payments issued on 11 February to more than 4,400 people in respect of 4,522 children. They included payments for children born on or after 1 December. To date, 6,345 people have been paid the newborn baby grant in respect of 6,448 children. The total number of payments to be made is demand driven and obviously depends on the birth rate. Looking at recent trends, we estimate that in 2025 newborn baby grants will be paid in respect of 54,000 children and that will cost €15 million. I hope that clarifies the matter.

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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Getting this idea over the line was surprisingly pretty hard. It was a long negotiation to get full agreement to get this into budget 2025. That surprised me considering that it is quite a small overall cost of €15 million compared with €180 million to do the double payment on child benefit. In light of that fight to get it over the line, I want the Minister's assurance that he sees the baby boost as a staple part of range of social welfare supports given and paid to families to support them and that he sees this continuing at least at the current rate from budget 2026 onwards.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Everything with the Department of public expenditure is hard in terms of negotiations. I agree with the Deputy that this is an important payment at what is a happy time, but which can also be a stressful time in terms of a new arrival. It can also be an expensive time. It is important that we support families and give them the best start at the very start. My Department is certainly committed to doing that. We will continue to support this and other supports available for parents at this time. Now that it is there, I do not see any circumstances where it would be removed. It is a statement of intent on the part of the State to support newborns and parents at a time they are under a lot of pressure. It was also designed to ensure that there would be minimal administrative pressure on parents. That is a reflection that we understand the pressure people are under. We want to get payments and support to them with as little burden on them as possible at a time their time is under so much pressure.

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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I appreciate the Minister's clarification that the baby boost payment is here to stay. It is an initiative that the Green Party and I are proud to have led in introducing. A universal payment that is targeted at a particular time in a family's life where almost every single family is under pressure financially when a new baby arrives is a meaningful step the Government and the State can take to help. The programme for Government makes reference to other targeted payments, particularly looking at a new targeted child benefit payment. When will we find out more information about the Minister's and his Department's thinking on this? Does he see it as simply bringing together some existing payments such as the working family and qualified child benefit payment or is he thinking about this as something new, which will give additionality to children and families who are maybe most at risk of child poverty?

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Addressing child poverty is a key priority for the Government and the Taoiseach has made it clear to me in my appointment that he wants this prioritised. As the Deputy has said, one of the commitments in the programme for Government is to explore a targeted child benefit payment and examine the interaction that would have with existing targeted supports to reduce child poverty, including the working family payment and the child support payment. My Department is beginning to progress this work under the auspices of the newly established Cabinet committee on children, and with regard to a lot of evidence and work that has been done in this space, including by the ESRI, NESC and the Commission on Taxation and Welfare. Among other matters the work will have to consider is how a targeted child benefit might interact with existing payments. That will be considered as part of the broader examination of the potential design. We are at early days in this, so we are not in a position of looking at timelines, but I am open to suggestions for it. We are putting a lot of work into the new committee for social protection, but that will also be a good forum in which to discuss it.