Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

383. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of persons in receipt of the family income supplement in each county at the end of 2021; and the corresponding figure for November 2022. [56348/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Working Family Payment (WFP) is a weekly tax-free payment for employees with children which supports people in low paid employment.  The WFP is designed to prevent in-work poverty for low paid workers with child dependents, and to offer a financial incentive to take up employment.

It is a targeted measure that is directly linked to household income and therefore directly supports low-income working families.  There are approximately 45,000 families with 100,000 children who are currently in receipt of WFP.  The estimated spend of WFP in 2022 is €349 million.

The following is a breakdown of Working Family Payment recipients by county at the end of December 2021.

The following is a breakdown of Working Family Payment recipients by county at the end of October 2022.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, RISE)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

384. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the reason those on illness benefit have not received a double payment; if she will consider changing this; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [56356/22]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

In response to the ongoing cost of living pressures, my Department will spend approximately €1.2 billion in social welfare measures during the coming months to help individuals and families through this difficult period. 

One of these measures is the Autumn Cost of Living Double Payment which was paid to those schemes which are eligible to receive the Christmas Bonus.

Illness Benefit is not, and has never been, a qualifying payment for the Christmas Bonus.  It is a scheme which, by its nature, is a short-term social welfare scheme.  It has a high degree of churn with people coming onto the scheme and moving off every week, often with very short duration claims.  For example, between July and September 2022, almost 115,000 Illness Benefit claims were awarded and, of these, only 21,000 remain in payment. This indicates a churn of 82% over just a three-month period.  The average duration of a claim for Illness Benefit is only 6 days.

In addition, many Illness Benefit payments are paid directly to the employer.  Therefore, a double payment such as the cost of living support would, in many cases, be an employer subsidy as opposed to an additional support to the customer.  This is not the intent behind the October cost of living support, and nor would it be a targeted use of resources.

I do appreciate however that individual circumstances can vary from case to case.  I have asked my officials to examine this issue in respect of people who are in receipt of Illness Benefit for longer periods of time.