Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The estimated full year cost of increasing all weekly social welfare payments by €1 is set out in the table below. It should be noted that costs include proportionate increases for qualified adults and for those on reduced rates of payment, where relevant.

Scheme	€1 Increase
	€m
Social Insurance Schemes
State Pension (Contributory)	27.9
Widow/er's or Surviving Civil Partner's (Con) Pension (Under 66)	1.5
Widow/er's or Surviving Civil Partner's (Con) Pension (Over 66)	4.8
Deserted Wife's Benefit (Under 66)	0.1
Deserted Wife's Benefit (Over 66)	0.1
Invalidity Pension	3.0
Partial Capacity Benefit	0.1
Guardian's Payment (Contributory)	0.1
Death Benefit Pension	0.0
Disablement Pension	0.2
Illness Benefit	2.8
Injury Benefit	0.0
Incapacity Supplement	0.1
Jobseeker's Benefit	1.9
Jobseeker's Benefit (Self-Employed)	0.0
Carer's Benefit	0.2
Health and Safety Benefit	0.0
Maternity & Adoptive Benefit	1.0
Paternity & Parent's Benefit	0.4
Social Assistance Schemes
State Pension (Non Con)	5.2
Blind Person's Pension	0.1
Widow/er's or Surviving Civil Partner's (Non-Con) Pension	0.1
Deserted Wife's Allowance	0.0
One-Parent Family Payment	2.3
Carer's Allowance (Under 66)	2.6
Carer's Allowance (Over 66)	0.1
Half Rate Carer's Allowance (Under 66)	0.7
Half Rate Carer's Allowance (Over 66)	0.4
Guardian's Payment (Non-Contributory)	0.0
Jobseeker's Allowance Max Rate	7.7
JA age 18 to 24	0.8
Disability Allowance	8.9
Farm Assist	0.3
Employment Support Schemes (BTWA & BTEA)	0.3
Employment/Internship Schemes (CE, Tús, RSS etc.)	1.6
Work Placement Experience Programme	0.0
Supplementary Welfare Allowance	0.7
TOTAL	76.0

* Rounding may impact total

These costings are subject to change in light of emerging trends and subsequent revision of the estimated number of beneficiaries.

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The estimated additional cost of a double Child Benefit payment month in 2024 is €180.5 million, per double payment month. This would be in addition to the current estimated expenditure of €2,166.1 million on Child Benefit in 2024.

This costing is based on the estimated number of recipients in 2024, and is subject to change in light of emerging trends and subsequent revision of the estimated number of recipients.

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 361 and 362 together.

The One-Parent Family Payment is a means tested payment for lone parents, under 66, whose youngest child is under seven. The Jobseekers Transitional Payment is a special arrangement under the means tested Jobseekers’ Allowance for lone parents, under 66, whose youngest child is between 7 and 14 years old.

Resulting from measures introduced in Budget 2024, from January the maximum weekly personal rate of both payments will have increased to €232 per week, with additional increases payable for each Qualified Child of €46 per week in respect of each child aged under 12 and €54 per week in respect of each child aged 12 or over.

The current earnings disregard for One Parent Family Payment and the Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment is €165 per week. In addition, 50% of earnings above this figure is also disregarded in the assessment of means.

Increasing the disregards by €1, to €166 per week, would not have a material effect or cost as such an increase would result in little or no change to the lone parent’s personal rate of payment. This is because, where a person has means their personal rate of payment is determined using the relevant scheme payment rate table, with payment rates grouped into bands. In the case of these payments, these bands are in increments of €2.50.

For example, one of the rate bands is ‘over €90.10 up to €92.60’. Therefore, a person who is assessed as having means of €90.10 per week after all disregards have been applied receives the same personal rate of payment as a person assessed with means of €92.60 per week, after all disregards. In this case, the personal rate of payment is €135 per week. The applicable Increases for a Qualified Child are paid in addition.

The payment rates and bands for all schemes are published in the SW19 booklet ‘Social Welfare Rates of Payment 2023’, which is available on Gov.ie.

I trust this clarifies the position.

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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JobPath is a payment by results model and all set-up and day-to-day operational costs are borne by the companies. Referrals to the JobPath service ceased in June 2022 and the service is now in a run-off phase. Research into JobPath, including by the OECD, indicates that the programme led to positive employment and earnings outcomes across a variety of hard-to-reach groups.

The companies providing the JobPath service are paid on the basis of performance and, with the exception of the initial registration fee, payments are made only when a client has achieved sustained employment. The overall cost of JobPath is determined by the number of people who participate in the programme and the number who get sustainable jobs.

The total cost of JobPath in 2022 was €43.6m, and in 2023 to date was €22.4m. Please note this is gross expenditure and does not take into account the savings made in welfare payments for those who secured sustained employment, or any resulting increase in tax receipts.