Eoin Hayes (Dublin Bay South, Social Democrats)
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6. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection to provide an update on child poverty figures and the effectiveness of his Department's measures to reduce child poverty. [31238/26]

Eoin Hayes (Dublin Bay South, Social Democrats)
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The subject of my question is child poverty. Central Statistics Office, CSO, figures that were released recently show that the consistent poverty rate for families headed by lone parents was about 13.4% last year compared with 11% in 2024. It is a 22% increase in consistent poverty for one of the most vulnerable groups in the country, including the children they take care of. Will the Minister confirm what new measures the Department is designing to reverse this trend?

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Deputy. The key national metric relating to the measurement of poverty is that of consistent poverty. It records those households who are both at risk of poverty and are experiencing deprivation. It is independently measured by the CSO through the survey on income and living conditions, SILC. SILC 2025, which is based on income data from 2024, was published in March. This shows a reduction in the child consistent poverty rate in 2025, from 8.5% to 7.8%. This is equivalent to an 8% reduction year-on-year. As SILC 2025 is based on 2024 income data, the survey does not take into account Government measures to reduce child poverty that were included in budgets 2025 and 2026. Budget 2026 included some of the most significant investments any government has made in tackling child poverty in order to make progress towards our new child poverty target.

Budget 2026 contained a €320 million social welfare package specifically to reduce child poverty. Key measures included the largest ever increases to child support payments, with a 16% increase for children under 12 and over 25% increase for children over 12, higher income thresholds for the working family payment and expanded access to the fuel allowance and the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance. Taken together, the increases in core rates, the child support payment and the fuel allowance as well as the recent four-week extension in the payment of that fuel allowance means that a lone parent family with one child will see an increase of over 9%, or nearly €1,800, in payments from the Department and a two-adult household will see an increase of just over 8%, or €2,300, in their payments.

Budget 2025 extended the hot school meals scheme to make it available to all primary schools.

This additional investment supplements other cross-government supports such as free schoolbooks, free GP visit cards and enhancements to early childhood care and education schemes. While the impact of some of these non-cash measures will never be fully reflected in poverty statistics, I am confident that, together, they will bring us closer to achieving our target, which I am determined we will meet.

Eoin Hayes (Dublin Bay South, Social Democrats)
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I thank the Minister for his reply. Many of those payments and changes are welcome but there is a question, in the context of the growing hardship on families, the cost of energy and the cost-of-living crisis, that people are being left behind. Potential talent, in particular, is being left behind at a young age if we do not reverse the trend of consistent child poverty. The Government's target is about 3%; 7.8% is still quite a long way off, despite the things the Minister has worked on.

In our alternative budget, the Social Democrats proposed a reworking of the working family payment to create a highly targeted support in the form of a second tier of child benefit. We were promised a second tier by the Taoiseach for budget 2026 in August. I think the Minister gave some support to that, but it did not appear. Will the Minister commit to the Government taking the rising poverty figures and the cost-of-living crisis as impetus for introducing a second tier of child benefit?

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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In budget 2026, we introduced record increases in the child support payment, which are making a direct impact for families as shown by the figures I have provided.

In relation to a targeted child benefit payment, I want to announce to the House that I am introducing a public consultation, opening next Tuesday, 5 May, and look forward to the input of Members of the House around that. It will be aligned with a consultation on a working age payment. Both payments are aligned and will have impact. We will review what comes back from that consultation.

Through the Taoiseach's intervention, we have a child poverty unit in his Department which is driving all of us across government to take the appropriate action. We can take action in the Department of Social Protection but it also requires input from the Departments of children, health, transport and education. That is also happening. We will be in a position to make reports on that in the context of the Taoiseach's office and the roadmap for social inclusion. I will be publishing a new roadmap before the summer recess, which will have a specific focus on child poverty on a cross-government basis.

Eoin Hayes (Dublin Bay South, Social Democrats)
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It is worthwhile to read into the record some of the harrowing stories presented by St. Vincent de Paul and the reality faced by lone parents. One parent said: "I can't get control, we can't make plans, it's like being in a deep hole, no matter what we do we can’t get out of it. We climb up and fall back in." Another single mother told the organisation: "I find life very hard, not being able to pay all my bills and always putting some on the long finger. The stress makes me sick. I’m always worrying knowing that my kids have to go without." We know targeted interventions into child poverty are not just a moral imperative; they are the best investment the State can make into its people. Early intervention makes a huge difference later in life and can improve life trajectories and reduce the need for support down the line. A 2025 report from the ESRI suggested a payment of this type would cost around €772 million and could lift more than 50,000 children out of poverty. I hope the Minister takes that on as a major point of intervention. In the context of the energy and cost-of-living crises, the Minister has to do all he can on child poverty.

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Absolutely. I think I have taken it on. We have directed our resources through a €320 million package in this year's budget. My new measures package was €1.2 billion and €320 million of that went specifically to child poverty measures - a 25% increase in child support for children over 12 and 16% for those under 12. They are making a difference. A lone-parent family with one child will have an increase of nearly €1,800 in their payments from the Department this year while a two-adult household will see an increase of just over €2,300. That is a direct difference and is making a difference in weekly payments as we speak. There is the increase in and, particularly, the expansion of the fuel allowance. The working family payment will assist children under the pressure the Deputy outlined.

We will publish the roadmap for social inclusion 2026-30 before the summer recess. That will focus on child poverty. The child poverty unit in the Department of the Taoiseach continues to keep every part of Government focused on this space.