Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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Most weekly social welfare payments include provision for an additional payment of an Increase for a Qualified Child (IQC) in respect of each qualified child up to the age of 18, which is extended to encompass older children to age 22 under certain circumstances.

Budget 2023 targeted social welfare measures to assist low-income families with children by providing for the rate of the Increase for a Qualified Child to increase by €2 per week to €50 in respect of children aged 12 or over and by €2 per week to €42 in respect of children aged under 12.

I provided for increases to the rate of the Increase for Qualified Child payment from 2020 to 2023 inclusive.

As a result, these rates have increased by €8 for under 12s and by €13 for over 12s over the last four Budgets. The Increase for Qualified Child Payment is paid in respect of approximately 323,256 children across my Department's various schemes.

In the time available, it is not possible to provide the number of recipients of an Increase for Qualified Child payment by county given the payment is made across so many schemes.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Working Family Payment is an in-work support which is designed to prevent in-work poverty for low paid employees with child dependents, and to offer a financial incentive to take-up employment. The rate of payment a person receives is 60% of the difference between their income and the income threshold for their family size.

I provided for increases to the weekly income threshold for Working Family Payment from 2020 to 2023 inclusive.

The increase in thresholds from 2022 to 2023 for all families is detailed below.

Recipients of Working Family Payment received a €500 cost of living lump sum payment in November 2022 and a further €200 lump sum payment in April 2023.

The number of recipients of Working Family Payments by county, from 2020, is set out in tabular form below.

Working Family Payment

I trust this clarifies matters for the Deputy.

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The One-Parent Family Payment is a means tested payment for lone parents under 66, who are not cohabiting, and whose youngest child is under seven. There have been a number of changes to the scheme since 2020 which have had a positive impact to those in receipt of the One-Parent Family Payment.

In 2020 the earnings disregard was increased by €15 to €165 per week allowing recipients to earn more without affecting their payment. Only 50% of earnings about that disregard are assessed as means.

In April 2021 I removed the earnings threshold of €425 from the One-Parent Family Payment. This change means that recipients of the payment no longer face a cliff-edge when their earnings reach €425 per week but rather the payment tapers off as their earnings increase.

Budget 2022 and 2023 saw increases to the weekly personal rate of One-Parent Family Payment of €5 and €12 respectively, bringing the current personal rate of payment to €220 per week.

I have consistently increased the weekly rate of the Increase for Qualified Child payment for children over and under 12 years old since 2020, taking the weekly rates from €34 for those under 12 and €37 for those aged 12 or over in 2019 to €42 for those under 12 and €50 for those aged 12 or over in 2023.

The Report of the Child Maintenance Review Group was published last November and the Government accepted the Group's recommendations in relation to the social welfare system. As a result, the "efforts to seek maintenance" requirement is no longer applied; the liable relative provisions are not being applied to new claims and child maintenance payments will be disregarded in the means test meaning that many lone parents currently on reduced rates of payment will see their payment increase.

The number of One-Parent Family Payment recipients by county, in January 2022 and January 2023, is set out in tabular form below.

I trust this clarifies matters for the Deputy.