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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 21 Feb 1989

Vol. 387 No. 4

Written Answers. - Social Welfare Recipients.

80.

asked the Minister for social welfare the number of social welfare recipients in each category for the past five years; and the percentage change in each category for each year.

The information requested by the Deputy is given in the following table.

Number of persons in receipt of weekly Social Insurance or Assistance Payments at December of each year.

Type of payment

1984

1985

% change 1985-84

1986

% change 1986/85

1987

% change 1987/86

1988*

% change 1988-87

Old Age Contributory Pension

72,354

72,973

0.9

73,905

1.3

74,725

1.1

74,996

0.4

Old Age Non-Contributory Pension

128,270

126,058

-1.7

124,913

-0.9

124,419

-0.4

122,761

-1.3

Retirement Pension

33,870

35,919

6.0

37,904

5.5

40,489

6.8

39,710

-1.9

Invalidity Pension

21,981

24,229

10.2

26,107

7.8

28,415

8.8

29,242

2.9

Disability Benefit†

76,379

82,914

8.6

83,338

0.5

68,446

N/A

59,450

-13.1

Widow's Contributory Pension

76,193

78,815

3.4

79,826

1.3

81,144

1.7

82,167

1.3

Widow's Non-Contributory Pension

15,413

16,509

7.1

17,320

4.9

18,060

4.3

18,548

2.7

Deserted Wife's Benefit

4,403

5,165

17.3

6,165

19.4

7,302

18.4

8,492

16.3

Deserted Wife's Allowance

3,653

3,965

8.5

4,445

12.1

4,870

9.6

5,125

5.2

Unmarried Mother's Allowance

10,309

11,530

11.8

12,039

4.4

13,930

15.7

15,062

8.1

Prisoner's Wife's Allowance

256

260

1.6

276

6.2

262

-5.1

218

-16.8

Single Women's Allowance

2,913

2,684

-7.9

2,558

-4.7

2,574

0.6

2,490

-3.3

Orphan's Contributory Allowance

855

798

-6.7

751

-5.9

725

-3.5

714

-1.5

Orphan's Non-Contributory Pension

196

174

-11.2

183

5.2

169

-7.7

149

-11.8

Maternity Benefit

4,530

4,085

-9.8

4,714

15.4

5,133

8.9

3,705

-27.8

Unemployment Benefit

91,606

89,219

-2.6

87,668

-1.7

84,604

-3.5

77,786

-8.1

Unemployment Assistance

130,246

136,983

5.2

146,016

6.6

153,591

5.2

163,891

6.7

Supplementary Welfare Allowance‡‡

20,504

21,341

4.1

22,644

6.1

11,774

N/A

13,861

17.7

Family Income Supplement**

1,424

4,664

227.5

4,947

6.1

5,532

11.8

5,159

-6.7

Rent Allowance

1,256

1,362

8.4

1,348

-1.0

1,285

-4.7

1,231

-4.2

Notes:

N/A—Not Applicable.

* Provisional.

† Figures prior to 1987 include persons on the DB system but who were not actually in payment at that point in time. Figures for 1987 and 1988 ar therefore, not comparable with those for preceding years.

‡‡From 1987 onwards, there was a change in classification of SWA payments and the post 1986 figures refer to persons on basic weekly pa only.

**The Family Income Supplement Scheme was introduced in September 1984.

Source: Statistical Information on Social Welfare Services 1987 and previous reports.

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