Payments to help offset the rising cost of living are to be lodged to thousands of accounts in Carlow and Kilkenny from today.
The first of three €200 electricity credits will begin to be paid out to 2.2million account holders, with further instalments due in January/February and March/April.
While the Budget-promised double child-benefit payment of €280’s to be allocated to 638,000 families nationwide.
Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys says the increased payment is aimed at helping struggling families deal with the cost of living;
“This is to help with the difficulties that families are facing now in relation to increased bills and the cost of living and I was particularly keen to do something to help families with children during the Budget negotiation because there are hundreds of thousands of families out there who don’t necessarily qualify for a Welfare payment, nonetheless they’re feeling the squeeze like everybody else and this is about supporting them over the winter months with their bills”.