merrion street

Minister for Social Protection, Heather Humphreys TD, has today announced that President Michael D. Higgins has signed the Social Welfare Bill 2022.

The bill introduces over €1 billion in Social Welfare improvements in 2023.

The Social Welfare Budget package is the largest in the history of the State and provides for a range of supports for pensioners, carers, people with disabilities and low-income families.

The main provisions in the Bill apply across-the-board increases in weekly payments to pensioners, people with disabilities, carers and lone parents.

The Bill also includes measures to expand the Working Family Payment to more households and changes to the Means Test for the Farm Assist Payment.

Among the measures included in the Bill are:

• €12 increase in the maximum rate of all core weekly payments
• Working Family Payment thresholds to increase by €40 per week for all family sizes;
• An increase of €20.50 in the monthly rate of Domiciliary Care Allowance bringing the payment to €330 per month.  This is the first increase since 2009 for people who play a valuable and difficult role in Irish society – parents or guardians who look after a child with a severe disability;
• €2 increase in payments in respect of children of social welfare recipients, bringing the payment to €42 per week for children under 12 and €50 per week for children aged 12 and over;
• Farm Assist, Jobseeker’s Allowance, and State Non-Contributory Pension – a doubling in the amount of income that can be derived from agri-environmental schemes (e.g., Glas, ACRES) and counted in assessing means.   As a result of this measure, €5,000 can be disregarded from January;
• extend eligibility for participation on Community Employment Schemes to spouses, civil partners or cohabitants of Jobseeker’s Allowance recipients;

• Increase in earnings attracting the lower Employer PRSI rate in line with increase in the national minimum wage which should encourage employment especially in the service sector.

These measures are on top of the eight lump payments that Minister Humphreys secured as part of Budget 2023, to assist families with the Cost of Living.

These payments include the Autumn Cost of Living Payment, a double payment of Child Benefit, an additional €400 for Fuel Allowance recipients, an additional €200 for recipients of the Living Alone Allowance, an additional €500 for Working Family Payment recipients, a €500 Lump Sum Disability/ Carer’s Payment. 

The total cost of these measures comes to €1.2 billion.

Commenting on the enactment of the Bill, Minister Humphreys said:

“I am delighted that the Social Welfare Bill has passed through both Houses and now signed into law by our President. The Bill gives effect to a wide range of Budget measures.

“The Bill gives effect to a €12 increase in weekly rates of payment for pensioners, carers, people with disabilities and other core weekly payments. This represents the largest increases in weekly payments for over a decade.

“To ease the burden on low-income families, I am expanding the Working Family Payment thresholds so that more households will qualify for the payment.

“I am also making changes to the Farm Assist Means Test to support our farmers and we’re continuing the policy of increasing the rates paid to children of people on social welfare payments.

“Each year, there are a number of babies who are born with serious conditions that require them to remain in hospital after birth. Under current Domiciliary Care Allowance legislation, children who don’t leave hospital after birth cannot qualify for the payment.

“This Bill will amend these rules so that families in this very difficult situation will now qualify for the payment.

“In addition, I am increasing the rate of payment from €309.50 to €330 per month. This is the first increase in the Domiciliary Care Allowance payment for many years.

“The changes in the Social Welfare Bill, together with the unprecedented series of Lump Sum Payments issued recently, are designed to put more money back in people’s pockets and assist families across the country with the cost of living.”

ENDS

Note to Editors:

Full list of measures (as a result of the passing of the Social Welfare Bill and other Budget 2023 related changes in non-statutory schemes) and commencement dates below: