Written answers

Wednesday, 4 May 2022

Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection

Social Welfare Rates

Photo of Claire KerraneClaire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein)
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312. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the reason that the guardian's payment is set at a rate of €191 per week; the way that this rate varies for additional children or for children with additional needs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22059/22]

Photo of Heather HumphreysHeather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Guardian’s payment (contributory) and guardian's payment (non-contributory), are respectively social insurance and social assistance (means tested) payments made to a person caring for a child who satisfies the definition of an “orphan” under social welfare legislation.  The purpose of the guardian's payment scheme is to provide income support in respect of those children whose parents are unable to provide for them, through death or other circumstances.

Currently there are around 1,750 people receiving a guardians payment in respect of approximately 2,600 children.  Guardian’s payment, at the weekly rate of €191 per child, is the highest rate of weekly child income support paid by my Department.  There is just one standard rate payable per child. Expenditure on the guardians payment schemes amounted to some €24m in 2021.  

A person can receive a guardian's payment (or more than one guardian's payment if they have more than one child in their care) at the same time as any other social welfare payment to which they may be entitled.  In addition, guardian’s payment is payable in respect of a child aged 18-22, provided the child is in full-time education.

In addition to the universal payment of child benefit of €140 per child per month, the Department has a number of other payments available to assist families with children, including –

- Working Family Payment which is a means-tested payment income support for families where one or more adult is working.

- Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance which is an annual payment to eligible families to assist with the extra costs when children start school each autumn.

- Supplementary Welfare Allowance includes payments to help meet essential, once-off, exceptional expenditure, which a person could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income. 

- Domiciliary Care Allowance (DCA) is an allowance payable in respect of children with a severe disability, who require care and attention substantially in excess of that required by other children their age without their disability.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

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