Catherine Ardagh (Dublin South Central, Fianna Fail)
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211. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of families in each county currently receiving the working family payment that will qualify for the fuel allowance following Budget 2026, in tabular form. [55621/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Catherine Ardagh (Dublin South Central, Fianna Fail)
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212. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of families and of children, in each county that will benefit from the back-to school clothing and footwear allowance extended to two-and three-year-olds following Budget 2026, in tabular form. [55622/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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The Back-to-School Clothing and Footwear Allowance (BSCFA) scheme provides a once-off payment to eligible families to assist with the costs of clothing and footwear when children start or return to school each autumn.

As part of Budget 2026, BSCFA was extended to children aged 2 and 3 years. It is estimated that this will support an additional 35,000 children.

BSCFA is a means-tested payment and aims to assist those families most in need. Providing this expansion of the scheme will support families with younger children who most need it during a time of increased costs.

As the scheme operates from June to September each year, it is not yet possible for the Department to provide a breakdown of the number of families and children, in each county, that will benefit from the extension of BSCFA to children aged 2 and 3 years.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.

Catherine Ardagh (Dublin South Central, Fianna Fail)
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213. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of families in each county that will benefit from working family payment income thresholds increasing by €60 per week following Budget 2026, in tabular form. [55623/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Working Family Payment (WFP) is a weekly in-work support which provides an income support for employees on low earnings with children. To qualify for Working Family Payment, the customer must be working a minimum of 38 hours per fortnight in ongoing insurable employment and have at least one qualified child who normally resides with them.

Budget 2026 included an increase in the income thresholds for Working Family Payment. This increase will take effect from January 2026 and will see the income limit for all family sizes increase by €60. This will see an increase in payment of €36 per week across current claims. This change to income thresholds will lead to an increase in number of persons eligible to apply for WFP, however, it is not possible to predict the level of this increase.

Please see table provided with breakdown by county of customers in receipt of WFP at the end of September 2025.

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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214. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated additional number of recipients that will qualify for the carer's allowance after the income disregards increase in July 2026. [55669/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Budget 2026 increased the earnings disregard for Carer’s Allowance by €375 to €1,000 for a single person and by €750 to €2,000 for a couple. This amounts to cumulative increases to the disregards of €667.50 and €1,335 respectively, since June 2022.

The measure will benefit both those current recipients who are on a means-reduced rate and who may see an increase in their payment rate, whether they be full-rate or half-rate recipients, and those people making new claim applications subject to a means reduced rate in 2026, including those whose earnings may been in excess the previous maximum disregard level.

The estimated number of people who will benefit from the measure in 2026 is approximately 3,000. The Department will continue to monitor the inflow into the scheme to assess any change in trends.

Pearse Doherty (Donegal, Sinn Fein)
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215. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated first year cost of Budget 2026 measures to increase the income disregards for carer's allowance which was provided on page 146 of the Expenditure Report 2025; when the Budget 2026 measure to increase the income disregards was announced. [55670/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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The estimated first-year cost of increasing the Carer's Allowance income disregard to €1,000 for a single person and €2,000 for a couple in 2026 is €10 million. This measure will take effect in July 2026.

The costing is subject to change in the context of emerging trends and the associated revision of the estimated number of recipients.