Annual Report 2023

The Annual Report for 2023 has now been published.

In the foreword of the report, Minister Heather Humphreys highlights the department’s mission to promote active participation and inclusion in society through various supports and services. She reflects on the reliability, resilience and commitment of the staff of the department.

“I am consistently impressed by their commitment to the public, their work in developing and implementing new income support schemes at pace, and responding to unprecedented challenges with dedication and care. This has been critical to the maintenance of social cohesion in recent years.”

The report details significant work carried out during the year, driven largely by Budget 2023, which included a historic €2.2 billion package of social protection measures. These measures aimed to alleviate cost-of-living pressures through lump sum supports and increased weekly payments. Key initiatives included increases in State pensions, lump sum payments for individuals living alone, carers, and low-income working families, as well as an expansion of the School Meals Programme to benefit more children.

Highlights for 2023:

• historic €2.2 billion social protection package in Budget 2023.
• €12 increase in the maximum weekly rate of all State pensions.
• €500 lump sum payments for carers and low-income working families.
• expansion of the School Meals Programme, benefiting an additional 64,500 children.
• approval of the new Pay-Related Jobseeker’s Benefit scheme to be introduced in 2024.