asked the Minister for Social Welfare the expenditure on social welfare schemes in 1978 and the number of recipients.
Written Answers. - Social Welfare Schemes.
159.
The information requested is as follows:
|
(a) Benefit Schemes |
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|
Expenditure 1978 |
Number of Recipients at 31 December, 1978 except where otherwise indicated |
|
|
£000s |
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|
(1) Social Insurance Fund:— |
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|
Disability Benefit |
72,026 |
67,831 |
|
Maternity Allowance |
2,879 |
17,299 claims paid in 1978 |
|
Maternity Grant |
307 |
47,163 claims paid in 1978 |
|
Death Grant |
268 |
6,387 claims paid in 1978 |
|
Treatment Benefit |
4,298 |
298,278 claims paid in 1978 |
|
Unemployment Benefit |
44,486 |
47,756 |
|
Old Age (Contributory) Pension |
64,694 |
61,838 |
|
Widow's (Contributory) Pension |
53,035 |
65,484 |
|
Orphan's (Contributory) Allowance |
473 |
876 |
|
Retirement Pension |
29,792 |
28,585 |
|
Invalidity Pension |
12,235 |
14,113 |
|
Deserted Wife's Benefit |
2,637 |
2,215 |
|
Pay-Related Benefit |
18,148 |
See Note (a) |
|
(2) Occupational Injuries Benefit |
7,500 |
See Note (b) |
|
(3) Supplementary Unemployment Benefit (“Wet-Time” Scheme) |
1,371 |
Reimbursement payments made to employers in respect of 67,230 stoppages of work |
The expenditure figures for (1), (2) and (3) above are not final figures.
|
(b) Assistance Schemes |
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|
Expenditure in 1978 |
Number of recipients at 31 December, 1978 except where otherwise indicated |
|
|
£000s |
||
|
Old Age Pensions (Non-Contributory) |
93,874 |
133,669 |
|
Children's Allowances |
50,947 |
439,000 families for 1,198,000 Children |
|
Unemployment Assistance |
63,416 |
72,477 |
|
Widow's and Orphan's (Non-Contributory) Pension |
8,815 |
10,130 |
|
Miscellaneous Grants |
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|
(1) School Meals—Urban |
345 |
average daily number of recipients in 1977 was 78,000 |
|
(2) School Meals—Gaeltacht |
7 |
average daily number of recipients in 1977 was 8,600 |
|
(3) Fuel Grants |
1,331 |
49,722 recipients in 1977/78 |
|
(4) Footwear Grants |
6 |
See Note (c) |
|
(5) Free Travel |
7,592 |
349,000 |
|
(6) Free Electricity Allowances |
5,330 |
130,775 |
|
(7) Free T.V. Licences |
1,663 |
82,309 |
|
(8) Free Telephone Rental |
114 |
5,430 |
|
(9) Supplementary Welfare Allowances |
1,670 |
14,767 |
|
(10) Free Bottled Gas |
1 |
190 |
|
Social Assistance Allowances |
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|
(1) Deserted Wives' Allowances |
2,982 |
3,022 |
|
(2) Unmarried Mothers' Allowances |
3,830 |
4,041 |
|
(3) Single Women's Allowances |
1,489 |
3,201 |
|
(4) Prisoners' Wives' Allowances |
247 |
155 |
NOTES
(a) On 31 December, 1978, 35,474 persons who were receiving Unemployment Benefit, Disability Benefit, Injury Benefit or Maternity Allowance were also in receipt of Pay-Related Benefit.
(b) The numbers of recipients of occupational injury benefits are as follows:
|
Injury Benefit |
1,486 at 31 December, 1978 |
|
Disablement Benefit |
4,713 at 31 December, 1978 |
|
Death Benefit |
304 at 31 December, 1978 |
|
Medical Care |
1,829 payments made in 1978 |
|
Funeral Grants |
32 grants paid in 1978 |
(c) This scheme was subsumed in the Supplementary Welfare Allowances Scheme which came into effect on 1 July, 1977. The expenditure incurred in 1978 covered arrears payments in respect of previous years' schemes.