The Minister for Social Protection has said she does not believe there is a policy rationale for increasing welfare payments for the long-term unemployed.
Heather Humphreys said there were lots of supports to help people get back to work and Ireland is at full employment.
The minister said her budget priorities were helping pensioners, carers, people with disabilities and working families.
"For the long-term unemployed, I don't see how there should be be a strong policy rationale for increasing their payment, there are many opportunities for them to take up offers of work."
She said her department works with people to help them get back into workforce, upskill, retrain or go back to college.
Ms Humphreys also said that the pay-related benefit scheme will be in place early next year,
This offers enhanced unemployment benefit to new recipients.
The minister also highlighted last year's once-off extra child benefit payment as something that worked very well last year and helped many families.
On requests by some Fianna Fáil backbenchers for a €20 increase in the pension, Ms Humphreys said that a €20 across the board increase to welfare payments would cost €1.5 billion which, she indicated was too large.
She also suggested that cutting inheritance tax was not a priority saying she needed to raise taxes to fund welfare.
But she added that Minister for Finance Jack Chambers is examining the issue.
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Minister Chambers said that he expects the Government to agree a cost of living package, but the scope and extent of it had to be worked through closer to the announcement of Budget 2024.
"What we have budgeted for is a strong social protection package that is substantial and supports people and families, many of whom still face significant pressures around cost of living which are continuing.
"The cost of living is a major issue for people and that's why we have to support people in the winter, Mr Chambers told RTÉ's News at One.
"The scope of the package might be different to previous years because inflation has moderated, but we still hear people when there are concerns about prices being still high across many aspects of our economy."
Mr Chambers said the core part of the tax package in the budget would be supporting workers and families, giving them a break in income tax, and putting money back in peoples’ pockets.
