The Irish government has earmarked the first of nine anticipated lump-sum payments to commence from mid-November, a step taken to battle soaring costs of living. These payments will amount to a staggering €1.2 billion in total, as disclosed during the last week’s budget announcement. The impending financial wave aims to alleviate the struggling households nationwide, according to Heather Humphreys, the Minister for Social Protection.
Eamon Ryan, the Minister for Energy, will further bolster the economic relief efforts by beneath the Government with the blueprint of three universal payments, valued at €150 each. The intent of these payments, scheduled for disbursement on December 1st, January 1st 2024, and March 1st 2024, is to offset the escalating electricity expenses of Irish citizens nationwide.
Detailing the blueprint of the lump-sum distributions, Ms Humphreys outlined the plan of discharging the payments over strategic intervals. The first three installments are slated for the week starting Monday, November 20th. Among the initial payouts, the working family payment, valued at €400, will benefit the identified pool of 46,500 households that collectively nurture 98,000 children. The same week will witness the distribution of the €400 disability support grant to a staggering 214,000 recipients and a €300 fuel allowance lump sum for over 400,000 households.
The consequent week features a series of three support payments, namely the €400 carer’s support grant catering to 130,000 individuals caring for family members, a €200 support filling the coffers of 237,000 beneficiaries of the living alone allowance, and a distinctive €100 qualified child benefit intended for a total of 370,000 children.
The holiday season will bring some additional cheer in the form of a 100% Christmas bonus for 1.33 million beneficiaries, including pensioners, carers, individuals with disabilities, and other welfare groups. This additional distribution, equivalent to the worth of their social welfare payments, will be topped off with a double child benefit of €280 per child during the same week. The final lump-sum, a January bonus, is scheduled for disbursement in the last week of January, focused primarily on pensioners, carers, and individuals with disabilities.
Looking at the parallel efforts of the energy department, Mr Ryan is soon expected to introduce a memorandum to the Cabinet, seeking approval for the publication of legislation that sanctions payments against electricity credits. This landmark legislation, once approved, will offer a pathway for the three payments, cumulatively worth €450, directly benefiting 2.2 million households over the harsh winter period. This relief will reflect as credits automatically applied to the bills of energy provider customers, becoming visible in their immediate billing cycles following the December, January, and March dates.
The meeting will also see the Minister for Children and Integration sharing expectations of Ireland reaping an initial €50 million from the freshly introduced EU Asylum Migration and Integration Fund. This funding caters to program refugees – individuals bestowed with refugee status fleeing conflict-ridden zones like Syria and Afghanistan, and also facilitates the cost of transfers within the International Protection system across member States. Anticipating the arrival of the initial €50 million tranche, the Minister is optimistic about the receipt of future funding.
