
Latest double €280 Child Benefit update after August promise for 650k Irish families amid new ‘targeted' payment plan
THE Department of Social Protection has confirmed that the Government is exploring a new "targeted" Child Benefit payment.
However, a
Advertisement
1
Parents expected the €280 double payment should not rely on the money
Credit: Getty Images - Getty
In November 2024, then Taoiseach
In a post on Instagram, he said: "A double child benefit payment every August to help parents with costs, particularly around the costs of schools and the additional costs parents often face over the summer.
"Please share to spread the word. I need your support for Fine Gael so I can get on with delivering on this agenda."
Harris also pledged to ensure parents
Advertisement
READ MORE IN MONEY
However, his proposed August double payment is unlikely to happen as the double payment was not included in the
The programme instead vows to introduce Pay Related Parents Benefit, explore the extension of Parents Leave, continue to "support families with cost of raising their family through the Child Benefit payment" and increase core welfare payments.
It also outlines plans for a "targeted" Child Benefit payment.
When asked if the double August Child Benefit is being considered, the Department of Social Protection confirmed that the boost is not outlined in the Programme for Government.
Advertisement
MOST READ ON THE IRISH SUN
A spokesperson told The Irish Sun: "The Programme for Government commitments relating to Child Benefit are to:
Continue to support families with the cost of raising their family through the Child Benefit payment, and
Explore a targeted Child Benefit payment and examine the interaction this would have with existing targeted supports to reduce Child Poverty such as the Working Family Payment and Child Support Payment.
Minister Heather Humphreys backs quadrupling child benefit payment
"The Department is working to advance these commitments and, in any event, schemes, including Child Benefit, are kept under review in the context of the annual budget process."
The Programme for Government states that it is "committed" to
Separately, thousands of parents across Ireland will receive their €140 monthly
Advertisement
CHILD BENEFIT PAY DATES
WE have compiled a list of all the dates Child Benefit is set to be paid out for the rest of the year - including the months the boost could be paid early.
6th May - paid early due to May Bank Holiday
3rd June - may be paid early due to June Bank Holiday
1st July
5th August - may be paid early due to August Bank Holiday
2nd September
7th October
4th November
The cash
is
on the first Tuesday of every month.
However, it has been confirmed that the sum, worth €140 for each child, due to be paid on Tuesday, May 6 will arrive into accounts a few days early.
Any
The schedule change is due to the May
Advertisement
And the closure means any social welfare payments due on the Monday, as well as Child Benefit on the Tuesday, will be made available on either Friday, May 2, or Saturday, May 3 instead.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


RTÉ News
an hour ago
- RTÉ News
Harris urges exemption for key sectors from retaliatory tariffs
Tánaiste Simon Harris has urged the EU's trade commissioner to exempt sectors key to the Irish economy, such as aviation, medical, agrifood and the equine industry, from any retaliatory tariffs the EU could impose on a range of US products should the current trade negotiations fail. In a letter to Maroš Šefčovič, seen by RTÉ News, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade also urged the trade commissioner, previously the EU's Brexit negotiator, to ensure that Europe's potential retaliation against US President Donald Trump's threat of sweeping tariffs does not adversely impact Northern Ireland. The letter essentially sets out the Government's position as the deadline for a potential escalation of the trade war between President Trump and the European Union looms. Talks between EU and US trade officials have been intensifying in recent days in an effort to avert wholesale US tariffs on European goods, which in turn would trigger a significant retaliatory response by the EU. On 2 April, President Trump announced 20% "reciprocal" tariffs on nearly all European goods, as well as sweeping duties on scores of other countries. After turbulence on the bond markets Mr Trump paused the 20% tariffs for 90 days (until 9 July). Negotiations between the European Commission, led by Mr Šefčovič, and the Trump administration, led by Trade Secretary Jamieson Greer and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, then got under way. Last month, Mr Trump threatened to hit the EU with 50% tariffs, complaining that negotiations were "going nowhere". That threat was lifted following a phone call with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. US and EU teams negotiating a potential trade deal that would lift the threat of mutual tariffs have intensified their work in recent days. Despite that the EU has been readying a list of hundreds of US product lines worth some €95 billion which could be hit by retaliatory tariffs should those negotiations fail. The list, which was published on 8 May, was followed by a four week consultation period between the European Commission and member states. Mr Harris's letter to Mr Šefčovič essentially codifies Ireland's concerns about the damage the list could do to key sectors of the Irish economy. He wrote: "I have heard concerns both about the immediate impact of the proposed rebalancing measures on imports, but also about the potential for them to result in further retaliatory action by the US. "I believe this is a reasonable and well-founded concern which we must also take account of in formulating our approach. It is particularly acute in the agri-food and drinks sector." The Tánaiste highlights the risk to Ireland's "leading" role in the global aviation sector, given that it is home to Ryanair, "Europe's largest airline, as well as the world's leading aircraft leasing sector." The Government believes that the leasing sector would be damaged given its reliance on US spare parts. "Given the limited capacity of EU manufacturers to meet demand in the sector, I believe that rules of origin for goods with a very long service life, such as whole aircraft and helicopters, need to be very carefully considered in the eventual approach to applying tariffs. "Specifically, I would ask that used aircraft are excluded from import tariffs," he wrote. The Tánaiste also highlighted the risk to Ireland's medtech industry, which relies heavily on an integrated supply chain with the United States. He wrote: "I have consulted with stakeholders and have concerns about the potential impact of the proposed list, which includes a large number of tariff lines (around 800) which could potentially impact on essential medical devices for European patients. "I would ask that you engage in detail with the medtech sector to ensure that our rebalancing measures are targeted in a way that does not undermine this important sector and the lifesaving technologies they supply to consumers across the EU." He said that while it may be "theoretically possible" for companies to switch suppliers, in practice this was not an immediate option in the short term due to the regulatory and certification requirements. Mr Harris also raised "an issue of serious concern in Ireland," namely the potential for the EU to retaliate by imposing tariffs on animal feed "for which Irish farmers have a very high reliance on imports from the US." He wrote: "Increasing costs on these vital inputs will not only put further pressure on a stressed sector but risks feeding through in increased prices for consumers (in one area, beet pulp, Ireland accounts for the entirety of EU imports)." The Tánaiste also raised concerns about the inclusion of pure breeding horses on the EU's list of countermeasures. He wrote: "The equine sector provides significant employment in rural areas, with the US by the far the largest export market for Irish thoroughbreds outside the UK. "This trade depends on horses moving in both directions. I would ask that these items be removed from the list - doing so will have a very limited impact on the overall value of the list and would reduce disproportionate impact on Ireland." The Tánaiste concluded by warning about the risk of EU retaliatory measures to Northern Ireland, given its hybrid trade status post-Brexit. "I would also like to highlight the need to minimise unintended consequences on Northern Ireland of the current situation to the extent possible," he wrote. "Considering your deep experience from EU-UK negotiations, and your continuing responsibilities in that relationship, I know you will appreciate that this is a politically sensitive topic and will need careful management." The Government is understood to be relieved that neither pharmaceuticals nor dairy products appear on the list of EU countermeasures. Officials have stressed that while aircraft, spirits, including whiskey, and medical devices are included, the EU's retaliatory measures would be implemented immediately and may not be implemented at all if a deal is reached. While officials have said EU and US teams are making progress, it is understood the final say on whether a trade agreement can avert an escalating trade war will go to President Trump.


Irish Times
2 hours ago
- Irish Times
Government had to choose tenants over investors
After months of deliberation the Government seems to have finally settled on a rent control strategy . It is something of a dog's dinner and can best be seen as an attempt to reconcile two things that are fundamentally irreconcilable. The first is the need to reassure the increasing number of people in rented accommodation that their already sky-high rents are not going to be driven even higher by avaricious landlords capitalising on a severe housing shortage . The second is creating the conditions that will entice international institutional investors into the property market, which requires convincing them that they will be able to set and keep rents at a level where they can earn the sort of market-beating returns that would make investing in Ireland an attractive option relative to the myriad of other global opportunities. READ MORE Much of the emphasis is understandably being put on the measures intended to protect existing tenants, which include the extension of rent controls across the State. Rent increases will be subject to a limit – inflation or 2 per cent – and landlords will be severely restricted in their ability to reset rents to market levels when a tenancy ends. [ Why is the housing crisis Ireland's most enduring failure? Opens in new window ] There will, however, be a distinction drawn between small and large landlords. Those with fewer than three properties will be able to evict tenants and presumably put up rents. There is less emphasis or detail on the measures intended to encourage institutional investment. New builds will not be subject to rental caps and landlords will be able to increase rent to match inflation. The industry is understood to be disappointed. The Government will argue with some justification that it has done its best to balance various competing interests and that a compromise was inevitable. Doing nothing was not an option. The Government is right about that. But how this fudge will work in practice is anyone's guess and the potential for unintended consequences is high. One thing is for sure. Rents will go up. A combination of upward pressure from small landlords at the bottom and a pull from large institutional investors at the top will ensure that rents in the middle also rise. The details of the plan have not been published but the apparent decision to focus more on protecting tenants than encouraging investors may prove the right one. The inherent contradictions in trying to coax private capital seeking high returns into investing in a sector in which policy is to keep rents down is probably insurmountable. The most likely outcome is that the new measures will prove sufficient to swing the investment case for some projects already in the pipeline and a few more top-end developments will be built for rent than might have been otherwise. Every little helps of course The Government would appear to have resisted the entreaties of property developers and their backers as represented by lobby group Irish Institutional Property, which holds that 60 per cent of the funding needed to address the housing shortage must come from international investors. The State and the domestic banks will make up the rest, they believe. The fundamental problem with this argument is that we are approaching the limit in terms of people who can pay the sort of rent that international investors will be seeking without enduring significant financial pain, which in turn will have a detrimental knock-on effect for the economy. Most people are already paying rents in excess of what economists deem sustainable, which is between 20 and 35 per cent of net income. The average Irish person earns about €44,000 a year and the average rent is €1,600 a month or about €20,000 a year. The political pressure that has led to implementation of nationwide rent controls and other pro-tenant measures confirms that we are at the limits of what can be tolerated by society in terms of housing costs. Any international investor looking at investing in housing in Ireland as a long-term bet that will return more than 10 per cent a year would really want to get their head around that before committing. The ones that get in early might do okay, but the risk premium they will want is only going to push up the rent they charge. The reality is that a property market as badly broken as our one does not represent an appetising low-risk investment opportunity. The system – based around widespread home ownership and the accumulation of private wealth – worked reasonably well for a long time but now it doesn't. The reasons are a combination of factors beyond the State's control and the ball being dropped in areas that are its responsibility, such as planning and infrastructure. Housing and rental accommodation in particular are increasingly taking on the characteristics of a public good along the lines of health and education in the minds of voters: something the State regulates, provides and supports on a not-for-profit basis. Nationwide rent controls are just further evidence of this. Health and education are not services that the State looks to fund via hedge funds. They are funded by the exchequer and ultimately in the sovereign debt markets. That is where the Government should be looking for investment. It may now have no choice.


Irish Times
2 hours ago
- Irish Times
Arts Council ‘deeply regrets' Minister's decision on director's contract
The Arts Council board has said it 'deeply regrets' that Minister for Arts Patrick O'Donovan refused to wait until the results of an external review into the spending of €6.75 million on an abandoned IT system before deciding not to appoint director Maureen Kennelly for a further five-year term. The council said the board 'are in unanimous agreement that it was essential that the decision on the director's contract be deferred until the external review is concluded and the findings are available, and had requested this. This request was subsequent to a business case that had been made by the board in December 2024, which recommended a renewal for the director for a further five years.' However, the Department of Arts confirmed that Mr O'Donovan 'would consider a proposal from the council for one further appointment of the director for up to nine months', said the council. The council was told 'there is no mechanism to defer a decision on the director's contract'. READ MORE 'The board of the Arts Council deeply regrets this situation,' it said. The council and department confirmed that, contrary to previous briefings by Government sources to The Irish Times, Ms Kennelly was not offered an extension of her existing contract, but rather a new contract of nine months duration only. Ms Kennelly did not accept the offer of a new nine-month contract. In February, the Government announced a full review into the operations of the council after hearing €6.75 million was spent on a proposed new IT system that has since been abandoned. Mr O'Donovan said an initial report commissioned by his department last year found the council was not prepared for the scale of the IT project and did not assign adequate resources to deliver it. Why Europe needs to realise the truth about America – with Helen Thompson Listen | 42:33 Tánaiste Simon Harris said he was 'furious' upon learning the news and said the matter raised serious questions about the governance and controls within the agency. Council representatives – including Ms Kennelly and chairwoman Maura McGrath – are likely to be questioned on the controversy today when they appear at the Oireachtas Arts and Media committee. Ms Kennelly will tell the committee that she 'deeply' regrets the loss of public funds. She will also tell the committee the council has 'commenced legal proceedings against two contractors and are in the pre-action stage in relation to two others. We are vigorously pursuing our cases to reduce the loss to the taxpayer.' However, it is not clear if the department supports the pursuit of potentially expensive legal actions.