I propose to take Questions Nos. 51, 116, 128, 131 and 132 together.
I share the Deputies' concerns in relation to the impact of inflation on people dependent on social welfare payments. As the Deputies will recall, the budget last December provided for a £7 a week increase for pensioners over 66; a special increase of £5.90 a week for invalidity pensioners aged under 65 years; and a £4 increase for other recipients under 66 years. The £7 increase for pensioners represents an increase ranging between 7.9% and 8.9%, while the £4 general increase represents an increase ranging between 5.2% and 5.6%.
Since this Government took up office, social welfare payments have been substantially increased in real terms. For example, social welfare pensioners aged 66 years and over have received total increases of between 23% and 27% compared with an increase of 11.2% in the cost of living during the same period.
It is also clear that for many social welfare recipients and their families, the overall rate of increase in payment this year will be ahead of the increase in the cost of living. Pensioners who received the £7 increases are well ahead of inflation. In addition, special increases in the rates of qualified adult allowances were provided this year, ranging from 8% to 17%. The budget also provided for significant increases of between 22% and 23% in monthly child benefit payments.
Furthermore, as part of our commitment to align the tax and social welfare changes by 2001, all of the increases were paid four weeks earlier this year, from the beginning of May. We have already announced that the increases will take place at the start of the tax year from April next. In addition, I recently announced that this alignment of tax and social welfare changes will be maintained when the tax year is changed to coincide with the calendar year in January 2002. Social welfare weekly rates will be increased from January in that year – a full 23 weeks earlier than when we came into office. This progressively earlier payment of increases has to be taken into account in assessing the real level of increases which have been provided by this Government over its period of office.