Annual Report 2024

The Department of Social Protection’s 2024 Annual Report has now been published.

The department plays a vital role in supporting individuals, families, and communities across Ireland. Our mission is to promote active participation and inclusion in society through a wide range of income supports, employment services and social inclusion programmes.

The report details the significant work carried out during the year. In 2024, total expenditure was €26.99 billion. A €2.6 billion package of additional supports was provided under Budget 2025, aimed at easing cost-of-living pressures through a combination of lump sum payments and increases to weekly social protection rates.

Key highlights during the year included:

• Increased supports for pensioners, carers, people with disabilities and low-income families.
• Expansion of the School Meals Programme, adding over 1,000 schools and laying the groundwork for universal access in all primary schools from April 2025.
• Launch of the School Meals Holiday Hunger pilot, supporting up to 40,000 vulnerable children to begin during summer 2025 in partnership with the Department of Education.
• Introduction of the Newborn Baby Grant, recognising the additional costs faced by families with new arrivals.
• Extension of Child Benefit eligibility to children aged 18 and legislative changes to exclude child maintenance from means testing.
• Progress on major policy reforms, including the introduction of the Jobseeker’s
  Pay-Related Benefit and the enactment of the Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System Act, paving the way for the launch of My Future Fund in 2026.
• Enhanced disability services, including the launch of the new WorkAbility Inclusive Pathways to Employment Programme and the relaunch of the Work and Access Programme which provides financial support for employment of people with a disability. The department became a JAM card friendly organisation in 2024 and began the rollout of Quiet Rooms in Intreo centres.