Report calls for child benefit to be paid for children living in direct provision and for an increase in the daily allowance

The parents of children in direct provision should be entitled to child benefit like the rest of the society, a new report has stated.

There are 23,000 people currently in the direct provision system. Currently the parents of those who are children do not qualify for the €140 a month universal child benefit payment.

The Irish Refugee Council report has stated that depriving families in direct provision from receiving child benefit “starkly contradicts with the principles of equality and protection enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).

“The research findings underscore that this exclusion perpetuates relative poverty among protection-seeking families, denying them the financial means to live with dignity and secure a better future.”

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The IRC has also called on the Government to increase the daily expenses allowance (DEA) in line with inflation. It has not been increased since 2018.

The research, undertaken by independent researcher Sarah Cid, was commissioned by the Irish Refugee Council and funded by the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission. She interviewed mothers from nine countries who are in direct provision.

Currently families in the direct provision system get €38.80 per week for adults and €29.80 per child through what is known as the daily expenses allowance (DEA). They are separately provided with accommodation, food, a medical car and access to education. If their allowance does not cover some of their exceptional needs, they can apply for an Additional Needs Payment.

The survey found that the money international protection applicants is not sufficient to meet their basic needs and cover expenses associated with starting a new life in Ireland. The allocation has not changed since 2018 yet inflation has been almost 17 per cent in that period.

The report concludes: “This is especially the case given the rising cost of living and the costs associated with raising children in Ireland, and it is exacerbated by the unjust denial of child benefit payments to children without status, compounding the financial hardships these families face.

“The research findings underscore that this exclusion perpetuates relative poverty among protection-seeking families, denying them the financial means to live with dignity and secure a better future.”

Irish Refugee Council chief executive Nick Henderson said Budget 2024 will be a “huge opportunity” for the Government to ensure that child benefit becomes “truly universal by reaching those children currently excluded or introducing an equivalent payment.”

“In addition, we are urging the government to include an increase of the Daily Expenses Allowance in line with inflation. It is completely inappropriate to increase welfare payments across the board as a cost-of-living measure, while ignoring this particularly marginalised group. People seeking protection rely on the DEA to afford necessities like sanitary products and public transport, often from very rural locations.”