Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 October 2014
156. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if recipients of back to education allowance will receive the 25% Christmas bonus; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40104/14]
View answer167. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if recipients of family income supplement will receive the 25% Christmas bonus; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40160/14]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 156 and 167 together.
I announced in Budget 2015 that a 25% Christmas bonus will be paid this year to recipients of certain social welfare payments. Where payable, the minimum bonus will be €20 and the measure as a whole is expected to benefit over 1.16m people.
The Christmas bonus was introduced in 1980 and was last paid in 2008. In that year, the Bonus was paid to all recipients of back to education allowance (BTEA) who were in receipt of long-term jobseeker’s allowance prior to commencing the BTEA scheme or to short-term jobseeker’s allowance or jobseeker’s benefit provided, if they had remained on the live register, they would have exhausted 15 months prior to the application of the bonus week. A bonus was not paid to recipients of family income supplement in 2008 and in prior years.
Similar arrangements will apply this year in relation to eligibility to a bonus payment for recipients of the schemes in question.
