I move: "That the Bill be now read a Second Time."
The purpose of this Bill is to provide for a double week's payment in December 1980 in weekly social welfare payments to long-term recipients. It is the Government's policy to improve and extend whenever possible social welfare schemes and payments.
For example, recently it has been my privilege, as Minister for Social Welfare, to improve the winter fuel scheme and to extend it nationwide and also to remove some of the restrictions on the free travel facilities for old people. We are particularly concerned to ensure that long-term social welfare recipients — those who are affected by advancing years, chronic ill-health or the exceptional pressures of widowhood — can meet the additional expenses which affect us all at this time of year. Accordingly, I am very pleased that the Government, in the context of the Second National Understanding for Economic and Social Development, undertook to provide these additional payments this year.
I should also like to mention, although it is not strictly relevant to this Bill, that a double week's payment is also being provided in the case of persons in receipt of disabled person's maintenance allowance, infectious diseases maintenance allowance, blind welfare allowance and domiciliary care allowance for handicapped children, all of which are administered by the Department of Health.
The categories who, under this Bill, are being given the extra week's payment are persons receiving old age pension, contributory and non-contributory, blind pension, widow's and orphans' pensions, contributory and non-contributory, retirement pension, invalidity pension, deserted wife's benefit and allowance, social assistance allowances for unmarried mothers, prisoners' wives and single women, and occupational injuries disablement pension and death benefit by way of pension.
Apart from occupational injuries benefit payments, the double payment will be made at post offices on the appropriate day of payment of pensions and allowances in the second week of December 1980. Old age, blind, widows' and orphans' pensioners will be due payment on Friday, December 12, the other categories on Thursday, December 11.
The additional sum to be paid will be equal to the face value of the weekly pension or allowance order and will include all increases in respect of adult and child dependants and any supplements which form part of the regular weekly payment. Certain long-term recipients of occupational injuries benefit by way of pension are paid by cheque monthly in advance. These will be issued with cheques for December at the equivalent of five weeks payment instead of four.
The numbers of payees who will benefit as a result of this Bill total 345,000. These are made up of 196,000 old age and blind pensioners, 81,000 widows, 1,000 orphans, 32,000 retirement pensioners, 16,000 invalidity pensioners, 6,000 deserted wives, 8,000 social assistance recipients and 5,000 occupational injuries pensioners.
In addition, the increase payable in respect of a further 117,000 persons will also be doubled for that week. These are 50,000 adult dependants, 3,000 prescribed relatives and 64,000 child dependants. The overall total of persons covered by the extra payment will therefore be 462,000.
The cost of the additional payment is estimated at £8.76 million, comprising £5.35 million for contributory and £3.41 million for non-contributory payment.
I feel confident that this Bill will commend itself to all Deputies, and I ask for its early passage so as to ensure that the additional sums will be paid in time.