Gary Gannon (Dublin Central, Social Democrats)
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6. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection whether there are plans to enhance long-term social welfare support for one-parent families in the upcoming Budget 2025. [37654/24]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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There are two primary social welfare supports available from my Department which are specifically for one parent families. These are the One Parent Family Payment and the Jobseeker's Transitional Payment. Lone parents may be eligible for other payments such as the Working Family Payment Back to Work Family Dividend and the Back to School Clothing and Footwear scheme.

The Budget 2024 included a social welfare package of almost €2.3 billion, the highest in the history of the State for the second year in a row. Those Budget measures are progressive and proportionately benefit those in lower income quintiles most.

Budget 2024 built on other recent Budgets where the Government has provided an extensive package of cost-of-living payments along with targeted measures to assist low-income families, including one parent families. Over the past three Budgets, these measures have included:

• A €29 weekly rate increase in primary payments, including for the One Parent Family Payment and the Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment, bringing the maximum personal rate to €232 per week.
• A €104 weekly increase to the income thresholds for those in receipt of the Working Family Payment. Over half of recipients of this payment are single adult households.
• Increases to the level of Increases for Qualified Children, bringing the weekly rate to €54 for each child aged 12 or over and to €46 for each child aged under 12. This represents increases of €9 and €8 respectively since 2022.