Fiona O'Loughlin (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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511. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the amount paid to an adult living in direct provision; the amount provided for each child living in direct provision; and her plans to increase the amount provided to each. [51944/18]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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Ireland has opted in to the EU (recast) Reception Conditions Directive with effect from 30 June 2018.  As a result, direct provision allowance is being renamed daily expenses allowance.  The Government has provided over €5.6 million for the allowance in 2018.  This is paid to applicants for international protection who live in the direct provision system where they are provided with full board accommodation and other facilities/services by the Reception and Integration Agency of the Department of Justice and Equality.

The allowance is currently paid at the rate of €21.60 per week per adult and per child.

Budget 2019 provided that the rate of payment will increase to €38.80 for adults and €29.80 for children with effect from March 2019.  This fully implements the recommendation of the McMahon Report on Improvements to the Protection Process which was published in June 2015.

Any further increases to the rate of this allowance require approval by Government and must be considered in a budgetary context.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.