Almost 20,000 newborn baby grants have been paid since it was introduced by Fine Gael in the last Budget, said a Fine Gael Minister.
Minister Hildegarde Naughton indicated that figures showing the payment of the grant in respect of 19,750 babies nationwide demonstrates Fine Gael’s commitment to helping young families at an important and precious time in their lives.
The newborn baby grant of €280 was announced as part of Budget 2025 and is paid to families of babies born or adopted after 1st December 2024 in addition to their regular first month’s Child Benefit payment of €140.
Minister Naughton said that the Newborn Baby Grant was introduced in last year’s Budget to help families with the costs of a new arrival.
“The grant demonstrates Fine Gael’s continued commitment to putting money back in peoples’ pockets and ensuring that all children have positive experiences and get off to a good start in life. I am particularly pleased to see that the grant has been paid in respect of 1156 babies in Galway,” she said.
Minister Naughtion added that looking after a new baby can be a costly time for many families.
“The good news is the newborn baby grant is paid automatically with your child benefit payment, there is no additional application for the grant. Therefore, parents of newborns do not need to do anything extra to receive the grant.
“This grant has been introduced to support young families, but we need to do more. I want to see key commitments in the Programme for Government, such as the introduction of Pay Related Parents Benefit, so that we can provide further support to young families,” the Minister said.
It is estimated that in 2025, the grant will be paid in respect of some 54,000 children, at a cost of approximately €15 million.
