4,000 public servants forced to apply for income supplement

One in 10 of the workers in full-time employment who are forced to boost their earnings with family income supplement payments are state employees.

There are currently 41,000 families in receipt of the supplement of whom almost 4,000 are public servants.

The Department of Social Protection describes the scheme as an “in-work income support for employees on low earnings who have families and who otherwise might be at risk of financial poverty”.