FAMILIES WITH CHILDREN in Direct Provision will not be getting access to Child Benefit payments under the measures introduced in Budget 2024.
Minister for Children and Equality Roderic O’Gorman said that his department has secured €4.8 million in funding for “anti-poverty measures” aimed at supporting children in direct provision, but he said that he is not in a position to say exactly what the funding will be spent on.
O’Gorman said that he will be meeting with officials to discuss how the funding will be allocated, and that when he met with stakeholders including the Children’s Rights Alliance two weeks ago, “the issue of Child Benefit payments for families in Direct Provision was the foremost issue we discussed”.
He said that the funding will in part go towards continuing existing efforts – including the work done by family support workers who work with international protection applicants.
“Securing Child Benefits for families in Direct Provision was one of the policies set out in the Government’s white paper and we continue to work to that end,” O’Gorman said.
Earlier today, Minister Heather Humphries said that Minister O’Gorman would have “an announcement to make” on financial support measures for children in direct provision.
However, O’Gorman was not able to provide any further detail on what the funding secured by his department would be used for.
Minister O’Gorman also said that Budget 2024 will see the largest ever increase in the budget of Tusla, more than €1 billion in funding for the agency – a €90 million increase on its 2023 budget.
Childcare supports
The Department of Children has been allocated a further €338m in its core spending.
Partially, the Government says this is being leveraged to secure a decrease of up to 25% in childcare costs through the National Childcare Scheme.
The National Childcare Scheme subsidy is increasing from €1.40 per hour to €2.14 per hour from next September, which is an increase of 74c. Last year, increased it from 50c to €1.50, which was a 90c increase – therefore overall, the increase in the subsidy is less than what was implemented last year.
The Government’s NCS scheme is also being expanded to cover children cared for by childminders.
Speaking at Government Buildings today, Minister O’Gorman defended the increase in the subsidy on childcare costs coming on stream in September 2024.
“In summer 2022, I set out an ambition to half the cost of childcare for parents in this country recognising it is a major cost for so many families,” he said.
“I was able to take 25% off the cost in the budget in Budget 2023, and in Budget 2024 we have been able to announce that we will take a further 25% off the cost. It is going to apply from September of next year and it applies through increasing the subsidy we give to parents through the national childcare scheme,” O’Gorman added.
He said that like “every Minister”, he had to work within limits when securing funding under Budget 2024.
He added that it is noteworthy that the National Childcare Scheme will be extended to childminders for the first time in 2024, making subsidies available to thousands of more families.
The CEO of Early Childcare Ireland Teresa Heaney said that the additional funding announced for childcare provision in Budget 2024 is welcome, but there is “a lot still to be done”.
“Budget 2024 has not provided the radical rethink which was needed to bring Ireland in line with the best countries in the world for young children,” she said.
Heaney added that parents will be “disappointed” not to see further decreases in the cost of childcare until late last year.
“We are also heartened to see that the Access and Inclusion Model will be extended beyond the Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) programme hours. This has long been sought by Early Childhood Ireland and early years and school age care settings throughout Ireland,” she added.
Measures aimed at improving the lives of children in Budget 2024 include extending the hot school meals scheme to 900 additional primary schools and the introduction of free textbooks for students studying the junior cycle.
Additionally, Child Benefit payments will be extended to 18-year-olds in full time education, the income threshold for the Working Family Payment has been increased by €54 per week, and the Qualified Child Increase has been raised by €4 to €46 per week for under 12s, and to €54 for over 12s.
Parents’ Benefit will be extended to nine weeks from August 2024 and the Domiciliary Allowance will increase by €10.
There will also be a Christmas bonus payment for Child Benefit recipients this year.
While charities and advocacy groups have welcomed a range of measures, they have also pointed out where, in their view, the Government has fallen short.
The Society of St. Vincent de Paul said that the increases in the Qualified Child payment are inadequate.
A spokesperson said the increase of €4 for children in the poorest households will not meet the level of need that the organisation witnesses.
An SVP spokesperson said that the budget allocation for homeless prevention is “totally inadequate”.
Dr Tricia Keilthy, SVP Head of Social Justice, said, “This Budget was a real test of the Taoiseach’s commitment to addressing child poverty, and it has delivered on a number of fronts.”
“However, we are dismayed to see the Qualified Payment to the poorest children will only increase by €4, which is well below the recommended increase of €10 for children under 12 and €15 for children over 12. The inadequate increases in core rates will also mean families forgoing essentials as they still grapple with the cost-of-living crisis,” she added.
Keilthy said that SVP is concerned about in-work poverty among lone parents in particular.
“The increase in the Minimum Wage is welcome, but significant poverty traps still exist, and not enough support with childcare was targeted to the lowest-income families,” she added.
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