Norma Foley (Kerry, Fianna Fail)
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997. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will amend the requirement for 38 hours or more per fortnight for those eligible for the working family payment in view of the fact hours have been reduced for many workers. [8024/20]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The Working Family Payment is an in-work support which provides an income top-up for employees on low earnings with children. Working Family Payment is designed to prevent in-work poverty for low paid workers with child dependents and to offer a financial incentive to take-up employment. The estimated annual expenditure on Working Family Payment in 2019 is approximately €397.2 million. As of April 2020 the support is paid to approximately 51,793 in respect of some 116,275 children.

Customers who are in receipt of Working Family Payment and the Pandemic Unemployment Payment are considered to be meeting the eligibility requirements of Working Family Payment in this situation and their payment is not ceased at this time.

It important that Working Family Payment does not inadvertently subsidise unsustainably low earnings or encourage employers to offer minimal hours of employment. The longer term goal of Working Family Payment, as an incentive to take up and remain in work, could be compromised if the nature of the work taken up is not sustainable.

There are a number of supports currently available from the Department in cases where an individual may not be eligible for Working Family Payment include the Short Term Work Support and Jobseekers Allowance, which allows an individual to work up to three days without losing their benefit. For individuals who have lost their employment entirely they may apply for the Covid Pandemic Unemployment Payment. Details of all of the supports available from my Department and how to apply for them can be found at www.gov.ie

Reducing the “hours worked” requirement for Working Family Payment would also have significant expenditure implications which are difficult to quantify and would have to be considered in an overall budgetary context.