Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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776. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the measures to be implemented to offset the expected increase in child poverty levels in 2020 following on the loss of employment due to the Covid-19 pandemic; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [15775/20]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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As part of the overall Government response, my Department has implemented a number of measures to support families through these difficult times to ensure that income continues to flow into the households with children who need it most. This includes the decision taken at the beginning of the pandemic to allow for key family social welfare payments such as One-Parent Family Payment and Working Family Payment to be paid concurrently with the Pandemic Unemployment Payment.

My Department also provides financial supports to families and their children through the Increase for a Qualified Child, which is paid in addition to primary social welfare payments such as the Working Family Payment, Child Benefit and One-parent Family Payment. In addition, families on low income may be eligible for the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance. The School Meals programme has also been extended for the summer months as a direct response to potential food poverty being experienced by children at this challenging time.

For those who are not eligible for these supports, they may be able to receive financial support from the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme.

Furthermore, we know that households where adults are in employment are less likely to experience child poverty; therefore the Government will continue to work to support to creation of jobs and the reopening of the economy in line with public health advice.