Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 23 Apr 1996

Vol. 464 No. 3

Written Answers. - Social Welfare Recipients.

Mary Wallace

Ceist:

114 Miss M. Wallace asked the Minister for Social Welfare the number of persons in receipt of each of the social welfare payments administered by his Department in each of the last ten years; the number of persons in receipt of such payments in 1996; the projected figure for each of the years 1997 and 1998; the method used for predicting future requirements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8178/96]

Minister for Social Welfare (Proinsias De Rossa)

The statistical information requested by the Deputy on numbers of social welfare recipients from 1986 to 1994 is contained in the statistical reports for those years published by the Department and available in the Dáil Library. The statistics for 1995 and 1996 are contained in the following tables.

Projections for 1997 and 1998 are being considered in the context of the phased introduction of a multiannual budgetary framework, as announced by the Minister for Finance in his Budget Statement of 23 January 1996 and will have to be considered and approved by Government in due course.

col n = "C665">col n = "C666"> Social Welfare Recipients

Scheme	1995	1996*
Old Age Pension (Contributory)	69,179	68,514
Retirement Pension	65,761	66,882
Old Age Pension (Non-Contributory)	102,984	101,878
Pre-Retirement Allowance	15,023	14,895
Disability Benefit	41,830	41,953
Invalidity Pension	42,092	42,418
Injury Benefit	658	764
Interim Disability Benefit	1,006	1,020
Disablement Benefit	8,977	9,082
Death Benefit Pension	500	505
Widow's Pension (Contributory)†	94,713	95,248
Widow's Pension (Non-Contributory)	19,108	19,053
Orphan's (Contributory) Pension	765	781
Orphan's (Non-Contributory) Pension	299	313
Deserted Wife's Benefit	14,284	14,324
Deserted Wife's Allowance	2,125	2,098
Prisoner's Wife's Allowance	8	6
Lone Parent's Allowance	45,779	46,974
Maternity Benefit	15,664	n.a.
Carer's Allowance	6,915	n.a.
Unemployment Benefit	62,050	64,913
Unemployment Assistance	200,587	201,737
Smallholders	9,904	9,722
Supplementary Welfare Allowance (Total)	68,086	n.a.
Family Income Supplement	11,398	10,877
Rent Allowance	746	737
Total Weekly Recipients	900,443	n.a.
Child Benefit (paid monthly):
Families	491,520	495,447
Children	1,065,471	1,073,084

Notes:

† In 1994 a survivor's pension was introduced which includes both widowed men and women.

* All figures for 1996 are end-March except unemployment payments which are end-February.