Vol. 375 No. 4
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if a bonus payment will be made to social welfare recipients at Christmas; if so, if he will give details of the amount to be paid; the categories of recipients to whom it will be paid; when it will be paid; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
35.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he will clarify the present position regarding the double week social welfare payments for Christmas; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
114.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the Government's proposal for bonus payments at Christmas 1987.
119.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare if a Christmas bonus is being paid to social welfare recipients this year; and the estimated cost of paying same.
125.
asked the Minister for Social Welfare the plans, if any, he has to pay a Christmas bonus to social welfare recipients; if any such bonus payments will exceed 65 per cent of the 1986 Christmas bonus; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
It is proposed to take Questions Nos. 32, 35, 114, 119 and 125 together.
A Christmas bonus will be paid to long term social welfare recipients this year. The categories of recipients which will be included in the measures are persons in receipt of old-age pensions (contributory and non-contributory), retirement pension, blind pensions, widow's and orphan's pensions (contributory and non-contributory), invalidity pension, long term unemployment assistance, deserted wife's benefit and allowance, social assistance allowances for unmarried mothers, prisoners' wives and single women, and occupational injuries benefits by way of pensions from the Department of Social Welfare. Persons in receipt of long term health payments, namely, disabled persons maintenance allowance, infectious diseases maintenance allowance, blind welfare allowance and domicilliary care allowance for handicapped children will also be included.
The bonus, which will be paid during the first week of December, will be at the same rate as last year; that is, 65 per cent of the recipient's weekly payment. The measures will benefit over 571,000 recipients, with an estimated 350,000 dependants, giving a total of over 921,000 beneficiaries. The total cost of the bonus is £19.8 million, as compared with £18 million last year. Examples of the effects of the bonus are as follows:
(a) an elderly couple in receipt of an old age contributory pension will receive a bonus of £58.60, bringing their total payment in the first week in December to £148.80;
(b) a couple with three children on long term unemployment assistance will receive a bonus of £59.90, bringing their total payment to £152;
(c) a widow with three children in receipt of a contributory pension will receive a bonus of £58.80, bringing her total payment to £149.30;
(d) an invalidity pensioner with a dependant spouse and three children will receive a bonus of £73.10 bringing their total payment to £185.50.
The decision to pay the bonus, despite the difficult financial position, is in keeping with the Government's commitment to protect those dependent on social welfare payments. It is in recognition of the extra financial commitments which people have to face coming up to Christmas.
