I propose to take Questions Nos. 219, 245 and 246 together.
The 2015 Budget will be considered by Government in the forthcoming months and will be announced on October 14. Changes to the household benefits, free travel and fuel allowance schemes and the re-introduction of a bonus at Christmas would have to be considered in that context.
In this regard, the cost of increasing fuel allowance by €1 and €2 per week, is estimated at €9.8 million and €19.7 million, respectively, in a full year. It is estimated that the re-introduction of a bonus payment at Christmas (analogous to the bonus payment which applied up to 2008) would cost in the order of €261 million.