The amount people receive will be based on their own individual earnings and the number of people living in their household, whether that be spouses, children or adults in their care. 

It is expected to cost an average of  €300 per recipient, while pensioners will also benefit significantly. The whole measure will cost roughly €11 million. 

The government hopes that the measure will lift a large number of people out of poverty, with the country still coming to grips with rising costs. 

A separate government cheque will be distributed among the country once again. However, this is different from the new initiative.

In the budget, the government announced a COLA of €9.90 for the entire country, the largest it has been in decades. 

Pensioners, meanwhile, will see a €12.50 COLA – an outlay of €65 million to cover roughly 100,000 pensioners.

A separate mechanism will also apply to the collective agreements of government workers following discussions with unions on the issue. 

Set through a mechanism that was established in the early 1990s following an agreement by social partners, the COLA has so far fluctuated between a low of 58c a week (2015) and a high of €5.82 a week (2010).

However, as a result of the ongoing global cost of living crisis, it has increased substantially for the first time in years.

Will the initiative enough to help those who need it?