Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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862. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if consideration will be given to proposals by an organisation (details supplied) for a temporary top-up payment to the poorest children during the Covid-19 emergency; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13621/20]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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My Department, as part of the overall response of the Department to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, continues to engage with a range of organisations including the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, in relation to the income support needs of all families during the ongoing crisis.

My Department provides financial supports to families and their children through the Increase for a Qualified Child, Working Family Payment, and Child Benefit payments, as well as increased supports for lone parents through the One-parent Family Payment and the Jobseeker's Transitional Payment.  We have gone to great lengths to ensure those eligible for supports have been able to retain them during this difficult period.  People who are not eligible for other Department schemes and who are experiencing financial difficulty may be eligible to apply for an exceptional needs payment.

Increases for a Qualified Child (IQCs) are paid as child-related supplements to most weekly social welfare payments in recognition of the need for greater incomes among benefit-dependent households with dependent children.  The current full rate of payment is €40 per week in respect of each child over 12 years, and €36 per week in respect of each child under 12 years.

There are no plans to increase these rates at this time and any further increases to any social protection benefits would have to be considered in an overall budgetary context.