THE GOVERNMENT HAS recently approved an increase in the weekly direct provision allowance payment for child asylum seekers.

An allowance of €9.60 per week was being paid to children living in Direct Provision accommodation centres but this has been increased to €15 per week.

The increase came into place from January. Overall, the government provided €3.6 million for direct provision allowance in 2016 and the cost of this increase for 2016 is about €345,000.

Around 3,000 adults and 1,100 children are currently being paid direct provision allowance.

Here’s how much is would cost to increase the weekly child rate of €9.60 by small increments.

While here’s how much is would cost to increase the weekly adult rate:

The Minister of State at the Department of Social Protection, Kevin Humphreys, said the numbers of people seeking asylum in Ireland is increasing which will increase the costs.

The direct provision allowance is a non-statutory payment administered by the Department of Social Protection on behalf of the Department of Justice and Equality to persons in the Direct Provision system.

Read: ‘Despite our best efforts, 1 in 12 children still live in poverty’>