There has been a decrease in the number of families receiving the Working Family Payment in the Shannonside region this year.
However, Leitrim was the only county to experience an increase.
The Working Family Payment is a weekly tax-free payment for employees with children which is designed to support people in low paid employment. The latest figures issued by the Minister for Social Protection show an overall decrease in claimants in the Shannonside region between December 2021 and October of this year. Longford experienced the largest decrease in the region, with 628 now on the payment, down from last year's figure of 670. 603 families in Roscommon are receiving the payment, also a decrease from the 2021 figure of 627. Leitrim was the only county to see an increase, albeit marginal, from 301 to 306.
It means the total figure for this year is 1,537, down from 1,598.
Nationally, 45,236 families are in receipt of the payment
