asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will consider paying out one pound extra to all recipients of old age and widows' pensions during Christmas week.
Ceisteanna—Questions. Oral Answers. - Christmas Pensions Increase.
45.
Increases were granted to recipients of non-contributory old age and widows' pensions from 1st August, 1964, and increases in respect of qualified children of both contributory and non-contributory old age pensioners from the 1st of this month.
It is not proposed to introduce legislation for the purpose of making an isolated payment at Christmas.
Arising out of as much as I heard of the Minister's reply, I take it the Minister is not going to give this £1 to the old age pensioners for Christmas.
Why should he?
Is he not the Minister for Social Welfare?
We will not cut the pension anyway.
When I give an increase in the old age pension, I give it on a permanent basis and not on a temporary basis, as was done on one occasion by the Coalition Government.
Deputies
Hear, hear.
Is the Minister aware that old age pensioners are so badly off now, due to the high cost of living, that this would be some relief to them? I suggest it as a temporary measure only. Would the Minister consider doing this?
I am not interested in temporary measures. When we give an increase we leave the increase with them. We do not take it off them the next day or the next week.
Is it the Minister's idea to let these people starve?
They are better off now than they were 30 years ago.
There was no mention of them at the Ard Fheis yesterday.
They were mentioned and it was shown that the increases given are more than double the increase in the cost of living.
They are, in my foot.
They are more than double. The non-contributary old age pension, which is apparently the only social welfare scheme Deputy T. Lynch ever heard of, has improved considerably and the increases given in this and also in every other social welfare scheme are more than double the increases in the cost of living.
(Interrruptions.)
Is the Minister aware that since the day the increase was granted the cost of living has increased substantially?
Question No. 46.
The Minister is ducking that one.
I am not ducking anything. We will deal with this matter at the proper time and in the context of the raising of the money necessary to provide the increase, and that is something Deputy T. Lynch does not want to deal with. Every year he votes effectively against these increases, in company with his colleagues on the Labour benches.
(Interruptions.)
Question No. 46.
The Minister is going to take the free turf off them now, sure.
The poor man, he has to make a show for the people in the Gallery.
Who is making the show?