Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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413. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated increase to the WFP threshold included in the base projections for Government expenditure contained in the APR and the Summer Economic Statement; to what level; if increases to thresholds are taken from ELS or new measures; the estimated additional cost of increasing WFP thresholds by 10% or €70.05; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49969/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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The Working Family Payment is an in-work support which provides an income top-up for employees on low earnings. The Working Family Payment is designed to prevent in-work poverty for low paid workers with child dependents, and to offer a financial incentive to take-up employment.

The APR and the Summer Economic Statement are published by the Department of Public Expenditure, Infrastructure, Public Service Reform and Digitalisation, and are a matter for the Minister of that Department.

Increases in thresholds on any scheme represent changes in scheme rules and, as such, are new measures which would be part of Budget changes, rather than ELS.

The Department’s best current estimate for the full year cost of increasing the thresholds on Working Family Payment by €70.05 is €105 million.

This costing estimate is based on the estimated average number of recipients in 2025, and is subject to change in light of emerging trends and subsequent revision of the estimated number of recipients.

Any prospective changes to thresholds on Working Family Payment will need to be evaluated and considered within the broader context of overall policy and budgetary considerations as part of Budget 2026.