Why are we still putting a price cap on children’s needs in 2025?

In Ireland, the District Court currently caps child maintenance at €150 per week — no matter how much the paying parent earns, no matter what the child’s actual costs are, and no matter how high the cost of living has risen.

This figure hasn’t been updated in decades. Meanwhile, everything else — rent, food, electricity, transport, education — has gone up. Children are growing up in a world where €150 doesn’t even begin to cover their basic needs, yet the court system treats that amount as if it’s enough.

This is not just outdated — it’s unjust.

We are asking for the €150 cap to be urgently reviewed and raised in line with modern living costs and income levels. Children deserve proper financial support, and single parents deserve a system that reflects real life, not outdated policies.

It’s time to stop putting a limit on what our children are worth.