Written answers
Monday, 8 September 2025
Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection
Social Welfare Payments
Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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1411. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 518 of 1 July 2025, if the full-year cost of increasing all headline weekly social protection payments to €300 per week, excluding disability allowances, includes State pensions; the breakdown of the estimated total cost of increasing social protection payments to €300 per week including State pensions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46883/25]
Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Further to Parliamentary Question No. 518 of 1 July 2025 [35638/25], I can confirm that the estimated cost of increasing all headline social protection rates to €300 per week, excluding any increase for Disability Allowance, Invalidity Pension, Partial Capacity Benefit, Disablement Pension and Blind Person's Pension, includes both State Pension (Contributory) and State Pension (Non-Contributory) schemes, amongst others.
A detailed breakdown of the cost by scheme at the time of answering Parliamentary Question No. 518 of 1 July 2025 is provided in the below table:
| Payment | Total |
|---|---|
| €million | |
| Social Insurance Schemes | |
| State Pension (Contributory) | €313.14 |
| Widow/er's or Surviving Civil Partner's (Con) Pension (Under 66yrs) | €76.64 |
| Widow/er's or Surviving Civil Partner's (Con) Pension (66yrs or Over) | €54.88 |
| Deserted Wife's Benefit (Under 66yrs) | €2.99 |
| Deserted Wife's Benefit (66yrs or Over) | €1.41 |
| Guardian's Payment (Contributory) | €4.75 |
| Death Benefit Pension (Under 66 yrs) | €0.20 |
| Death Benefit Pension (66yrs or Over) | €0.17 |
| Illness Benefit | €154.59 |
| Injury Benefit | €1.27 |
| Incapacity Supplement | €2.49 |
| Jobseeker's Benefit | €86.29 |
| Jobseeker's Benefit (Self-Employed) | €2.01 |
| Carer's Benefit | €9.42 |
| Health and Safety Benefit | €0.10 |
| Maternity & Adoptive Benefit | €10.94 |
| Paternity & Parent's Benefit | €4.75 |
| Social Assistance Schemes | |
| State Pension (Non-Contributory) | €114.86 |
| Widow/ers or Surviving Civil Partner's (Non-Con) Pension | €2.89 |
| Deserted Wife's Allowance | €0.08 |
| One-Parent Family Payment | €127.03 |
| Carer's Allowance (Under 66yrs) | €105.90 |
| Carer's Allowance (66yrs or Over) | €0.19 |
| Half Rate Carer's Allowance (Under 66yrs) | €14.76 |
| Half Rate Carer's Allowance (66yrs or Over) | €0.47 |
| Guardian's Payment (Non-Contributory) | €2.29 |
| Jobseeker's Allowance Max Rate | €369.14 |
| JA age 18 to 24 | €96.64 |
| Farm Assist | €12.37 |
| Employment Support Schemes (BTWA & BTEA) | €14.32 |
| Employment/Internship Schemes (CE, Tús, RSS etc.) | €46.40 |
| Work Placement Experience Programme | n/a* |
| Supplementary Welfare Allowance | €41.86 |
| TOTAL | € 1,675.24 |
It should be noted that this costing includes a proportionate increase for qualified adults and for those on reduced rates of payment, where relevant.
The above costing is on a full year basis and is based on the estimated number of recipients in 2025. It should be noted that this costing is subject to change in the context of emerging trends and associated revision of the estimated numbers of recipients for 2025.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
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