asked the Minister for Social Welfare if he has considered the recent submission made to him by the Combat Poverty Agency on the inadequacy of welfare payments; and when he will be in a position to respond to this submission.
Written Answers. - Welfare Payments.
65.
The issue of the adequacy of social welfare payments has been referred to on a number of occasions by the Combat Poverty Agency and several other bodies, including the Commission on Social Welfare.
The improvement of the position of the less well off in our society is central to the Government's Programme for National Recovery under which the Government is committed to “maintaining the overall value of social welfare benefits and within the resources available, to consider special provision for greater increases for those receiving the lowest payments', The increases in social welfare payments announced in this year's budget. which will come into effect next month, are a major step in this direction.
In line with this comment all social welfare recipients will receive a general increase of 3 per cent in July this year and this will more than protect the real value of payments given that the annual rate of inflation is currently less than 2 per cent. Those on the lowest social welfare payments, namely unemployment assistance and supplementary welfare allowance, will receive special increases consisting of an 11 per cent increase in the personal rate of payments and a 6 per cent increase in the child dependant payments.
These changes, which will cost an additional £101 million in a full year, will considerably improve the incomes of two of the categories of persons most at risk, namely, large families and the long term unemployed. This represents a concrete example of the Government's concern for the less well off members of the community and is a major step forward in the implementation of one of the principal recommendations of the Commission on Social Welfare.