€250 universal electricity credit to help everyone keep warm this winter
Two double Child Benefit payments before Christmas for everyone
Triple Child Benefit ‘baby boost’ when you have a new baby
Free public transport for children under 9
As the current Government delivered its final budget to the Dáil this afternoon, it was clear once again that the Green Party's influence has shaped a budget that will help people with the increased cost of living, support parents and families, boost delivery of housing, and provide targeted assistance to help the most vulnerable in society.
This is the fifth budget where government has ensured that those less well off will benefit the most from a wide range of cost of living supports and from the largest social protection budget package to be delivered in the history of the State, worth over €2.6 billion.
With this budget we wanted to ensure that families can feel the impact of targeted measures in their pockets. Measures like a €400 lump sum under the Working Family Payment, two one-off double child benefit payments, and a €100 lump sum for the qualified child increment will have a huge impact for families facing an ongoing rise in their cost of living, and my colleague Minister Roderic O’Gorman has secured a payment of €420 for new parents to assist with the costs of having a new baby.
Budget '25 also includes a range of one-off payments to help ease pressure on the most vulnerable in society, like a €200 lump sum payment for recipients of the Living Alone allowance, and this is in addition to increases in the minimum wage; a €12 weekly increase in the state pension, carer’s allowance, disability payments and jobseeker’s allowance; and a €15 weekly increase in maternity, paternity and parents’ benefit. We’re also announcing two more energy credits worth €250 to reduce household electricity bills for everyone, and a €300 lump sum fuel allowance.
Young people will also benefit from the budget’s cost of living package with measures like a €1,000 reduction in the student contribution for third level students and a €250 increase to the renter’s tax credit introduced in 2022. The Green Party has also ensured ongoing investment in making public transport an affordable and convenient option for more people.
The Greens in government have implemented big cuts to public transport fares in government and we’re keeping that going. In addition, we’re now making public transport free for all children under 9 and enabling all Free Travel Card holders over 70 to bring a companion for free. The record investment in public transport and active travel we’ve secured in government will continue in this budget with funding also provided for the expansion of LocalLink bus services for towns and villages in Kilkenny in 2025 through the Connecting Ireland programme.
A focus on women's health continues in Budget '25 with expansion of access to free IVF and free HRT, which will mean a saving of up to €840 a year. This is alongside free contraception, the first Women's Health Plan, funding for regional fertility hubs and menopause supports introduced in previous years.
All in all I believe this a budget that everyone will benefit from, and I’m proud of the Green Party’s influence in shaping fair and progressive budgets over the lifetime of this government.
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