Alan Dillon (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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61. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if she will outline eligibility for the working family payment; and the impact the changes will make to this payment in respect to Budget 2023. [50709/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I am pleased that Budget 2023 includes a social welfare package of almost €2.2 billion. This extensive package includes measures in relation to the Working Family Payment which is an in-work support which provides an income top-up for employees on low earnings.

The 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. There are approximately 47,000 families with 103,000 children who are currently in receipt of the payment. The estimated expenditure on the scheme in 2022 is €349 million.

To qualify for the Working Family Payment a person must be engaged as an employee in full time paid employment which is expected to last for at least 3 months and be working for a minimum of 38 hours per fortnight or 19 hours per week. A couple may combine their hours of employment to meet the qualification criteria. The applicant must also have at least one qualified child who normally resides with them or is part of a family supported by them. These criteria have not been changed in Budget 2023.

The Budget package includes a range of measures that will assist people with the cost of living in one-off payments this Autumn. This includes a once-off payment of €500 to recipients of the Working Family Payment. This payment will be made in November at an estimated cost of €23 million.

In addition, I have also provided for a €40 per week increase in the Working Family Payment thresholds for all family sizes. This is the highest ever increase in the Working Family Payment thresholds. This will ensure that families on low incomes will receive more weekly income from the scheme - up to €24 euro per week. It will also ensure that the increase of 80 cent per hour in the National Minimum Wage does not negatively impact on people's income from the Working Family Payment. It also means that more people will qualify for the payment. This measure will take effect from January at a cost of approximately €16.8 million in 2023.

I trust this clarifies matters for the Deputy.