Vol. 529 No. 1
881 Mr. O'Shea asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the additional measures he will introduce to provide real improvements in the standard of living for the poorest in society (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1068/01]
The Government is committed to combating social exclusion, ending marginalisation and creating a fairer society. Last December's budget represented a further step towards achieving these goals.
The most vulnerable in society, i.e. the young, the elderly and those dependant on social welfare, will all greatly benefit from the improvements announced.
At £850 million, the social welfare budget allocation is the biggest ever and more than double last year's welfare package. This allocation will, to an unprecedented extent, direct the resources of the State at the needs of our disadvantaged citizens and communities.
Among the most significant of these improvements are £25 and £30 increases in monthly child benefit for the lower and higher rates, respectively, with increases to be paid three months earlier from June next; £10 a week increase for single old age pensioners; up to £25 a week increase for pensioner couples (66 years and over); £12.90 special increase for contributory widows and widowers over 66 years; social welfare increases to be paid four weeks earlier from the first week in April; over 5,000 extra carers to qualify for carer's allowance and almost 3,000 existing carers to benefit from improvement in the means test; entitlement to free schemes to be extended to everyone over 70 years of age regardless of household income or composition; special £10 per week islander allowance for pensioners over 66 years; additional four weeks maternity and adoptive benefits payments, with increases in minimum and maximum payments; fuel allowance paid for an additional three weeks, from early October to late April; living alone allowance of £6 to be paid to people under age 66 on invalidity pension, disability allowance, Unemployability supplement and blind person's pension.
The significant improvements in the weekly rates of social welfare payments represent real increases of between 4.3% and 9.6% in personal rates and real increases of between 7.2% and 11.2% in the rates payable to couples.
In addition to the improvements outlined above, the Government has also set targets in a number of key areas: to substantially increase child benefit by £1 billion over the next three years to assist families; to progressively increase payments for those on widows and widowers contributory pension aged 66 and over, up to the rate of old age contributory pension; to bring the payments for qualified adults (aged over 66) of contributory pensioners up to the old age non-contributory pension rate; to further improve the means test for the carer's allowance; and to pay general social welfare increases three months earlier, from the beginning of January 2002.
The Programme for Prosperity and Fairness also contains a commitment to make substantial progress over the period to 2003 towards a target rate of £100 per week for the lowest social welfare rates. The improvements provided in the recent budget fully comply with the PPF commitments.
