Pension Provisions
Dail Éireann — 2026-02-19
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Norma Foley (FF), Kerry

There is a commitment in the programme for Government. What is really helpful to us as well is the public consultation we are having. It is a great framework for us to engage with the Department of Social Protection regarding this issue because it is an issue that is consistently raised by foster carers themselves. We need to do all we can to secure the foster carers who are involved in providing care to children but also to attract more into this space. I know it is one of one of the key issues, if not the key issue, for foster carers but I also have to point to other changes that have been introduced. Foster carers now receive additional funds between €3,796 and €3,900 per year compared with the previous allowance, depending on the age of the child. Foster carers now receive a weekly payment of €400 for children under 12 and €425 for children over 12. A revised mileage payment scheme is in place, while the cumulative weekly travel distance to qualify for these payments has been reduced from 300 km to 250 km. In June 2025, the Department introduced the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance, while Tusla funding of €152 million will be used to maintain and grow foster care capacity and expand the foster care peer support programme and foster care recruitment teams.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-02-19/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:40+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-02-19