Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)
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207. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the first- and full-year cost of extending the guardian payment to cover children over the age of 12. [31201/25]

Louise O'Reilly (Dublin Fingal West, Sinn Fein)
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208. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the first- and full-year cost of increasing the rate of guardian payment to be on par with the foster allowance. [31202/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 207 and 208 together.

Guardian’s payment (contributory) and guardian's payment (non-contributory), are respectively social insurance and social assistance (means tested) payments made to a person caring for a child who satisfies the definition of an “orphan” under social welfare legislation.

A child is considered an orphan if they are under 18 (or 22 if in full time education) and both parents are deceased; or one parent is either dead or unknown or has abandoned and failed to provide for the child and the other parent is unknown or has abandoned and failed to provide for the child. The purpose of the guardian's payment scheme is to provide income support in respect of those children whose parents are unable to provide for them, through death or other circumstances. Guardians payment is payable in respect of a child 18-22 provided the child is in full time education.

Guardians Payment is currently paid in respect of 2,659 children of which 1,614 are aged 12 or older at the weekly rate of €227.00 per child. It is the highest rate of weekly child income support paid by my Department.

The full year cost of increasing the rate of guardians payment to €400 per week for children under 12, and to €430 per week for children over the age of 12, is estimated to cost in the region of €26.4m per annum.

I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.