Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)
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83. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if he is aware that there is a disparity in the assessment of child maintenance across different forms of supports; if he will give consideration to standardising this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21758/25]

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)
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While I am aware the Department does not use child maintenance as a criterion by which to assess, it is alone in that regard. It is incredibly hit and miss across local authorities. Some count it whereas others do not. Does the Minister agree that child maintenance is for children and should not be considered as part of means tests for essential supports for adults and families? I hope the Department takes the lead on this because there is no standardisation, not even across local authorities. Part of the reason for that is each Department is making up its own rules, as are the local authorities. Standardisation is needed. I am hoping the Minister will work with me to develop and ensure that is achieved.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy for her question and for raising this issue. As she will be aware, the Social Welfare and Civil Law (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2024 provided for changes to the social welfare means test to exclude child maintenance payments from assessment in all means-tested payments that my Department provides. This was one of the recommendations of the report of the child maintenance review group into the social welfare system. This change to the social welfare means test came into legal effect from June 2024. As a result of this change, the full amount of child maintenance a person receives is no longer being assessed in the means test for any social welfare payment. This change means that people on reduced rates of payment may have seen their payment increase and those who may not have qualified at all up to then may now be able to access a payment.

Following the introduction of this change, my Department reviewed approximately 65,000 claims for one-parent family payment and jobseeker's transitional payment in payment. As a result, child maintenance payments were removed from the means assessments of approximately 15,800 people, something we can all agree is a positive measure.

The means test or income assessments for other State services, such as the medical card, are a matter for the relevant Minister with responsibility for those payments or services. On foot of our discussions arising from the Deputy’s question, I will highlight what has been achieved in my Department with colleagues in relevant Ministries.

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)
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There are 190,000 children in Ireland today classified as at risk of poverty. Child maintenance is essential. I find it incongruous that although child maintenance is absolutely essential, it is included in assessments for some necessary supports.

I welcome the Minister’s words. I hope he will work with me across party lines on this matter. No one will disagree with the idea that child maintenance should not be included when calculating assessments for supports because those supports are often for families, whereas child maintenance is for the child. Given those stark statistics and the fact that organisations such as Social Justice Ireland tell us that all once-off payments, which the Minister said will be discontinued, do is mask an increasing trend of child poverty, that needs to be tackled. The Minister can send a message to families on low incomes and people dependent on supports and payments by saying what is recognised by the Department of Social Protection must be recognised by all other Departments.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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It is incredibly confusing for people when means tests are assessed in different ways for different schemes and services. This is the case even within my Department. There are often valid reasons for this, however. Schemes are being developed to cater for people in different circumstances and who are experiencing different and difficult contingencies. That said, the social protection system does not operate in a vacuum. The means-testing aspects of our social welfare system coexist with means tests in operation across other domains such as health services, education, housing and preschool childcare. It is a matter for each Minister. Based on our experience since last year, however, I intend to highlight and bring to their attention that experience. The report to which I referred did not examine areas outside the Department of Social Protection. That may be something for the incoming social protection committee to reflect on as it begins its work programme.

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)
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We will consider this as part of the work programme if I have anything to do with it. The Minister rightly highlighted that it is confusing when different methods of assessment are used. While he said there are sometimes valid reasons for this, there are actually no valid reasons for including child maintenance in assessments. The louder we say that and the more people we say that to, the more likely it is that this will be standardised across the board. The aspect that is confusing for people is they cannot understand why child maintenance is included for one payment but disregarded for another. It should be disregarded for all of them. It is not a payment to the family; it is a payment to the child. We need to be clear in that regard. I welcome the Minister’s words and I hope this is something on which we can work together. I will most definitely have it on the agenda for the work programme for the incoming social protection committee.