Paul Connaughton
Question:85 Mr. Connaughton asked the Minister for Social Welfare whether long term disability benefit recipients will receive a Christmas bonus payment this year.
Written Answers. - Social Welfare Benefits.
The Government have again approved the payment of a Christmas bonus this year of 70 per cent of normal weekly payments. The cost of the bonus this year is £28 million, an increase of £2.4 million on last year.
The bonus will be paid to pensioners and other people receiving long term social wlefare and health payments including the elderly, widows, lone parents and the long term unemployed. It will also be paid to those in receipt of the new carer's allowance. In all, almost one million people will benefit i.e. 620,000 recipients and their 360,000 dependents.
The Christmas bonus was introduced originally in 1980 for elderly and other pensioners. It was subsequently extended to include the long term unemployed in receipt of long term unemployment assistance. The long term sick in receipt of invalidity pension are also covered for the bonus. Disability benefit is regarded as a short term social insurance payment and there are no proposals to extend the Christmas bonus to recipients of that benefit.