Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 483: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if she will introduce further improvements in respect of the level of payments under the family income supplement in view of the expected greater demand arising from increased levels of unemployment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40012/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The family income supplement scheme (FIS), which provides income support for employees on low earnings with families, is designed to preserve the incentive to move from welfare to (or remain in) employment in circumstances where the employee might only be marginally better off than if he or she were claiming other social welfare payments. In order to achieve this objective the income thresholds for FIS are set by reference to the current levels of social welfare payments that apply (e.g. jobseeker's benefit). Therefore, the level of unemployment in the workforce is not relevant in the calculation of FIS.

Following on from the general increases in weekly social welfare payments that will apply from the beginning of January, 2009, the recent Budget also provided for an increase in the income limits for FIS by €10 a week in respect of each child. These new thresholds will give increases ranging from €6 to €48 per week depending on the family size, from January 2009 (in addition to the current average weekly FIS payment of almost €99). These increases will preserve the incentive for employees on low earnings with families to move into or remain in employment. It is estimated that approximately 2,000 additional families will become eligible for a FIS payment following these increases in the income thresholds, bringing the estimated total number of families benefiting from FIS in 2009 to over 29,000.