Batt O'Keeffe
Ceist:141 Mr. B. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Social Welfare when he will make the Christmas bonus payments available. [22899/96]
Written Answers. - Social Welfare Christmas Bonus.
This year's Christmas bonus payment to certain social welfare recipients and others, which was approved by the Government last month, will be paid during the first week of December and will benefit almost 800,000 recipients and their 500,000 dependants i.e. a total of 1.3 million beneficiaries. The bonus will amount to 70 per cent of normal weekly payments, subject to a minimum payment of £20, and will cost a total of £41.7 million.
In line with previous years, the Christmas bonus will be paid to people in receipt of long-term social welfare payments including those receiving old age, retirement, widows', widowers', invalidity pensions, lone parent's allowance, unemployment assistance at the long-term rate, carer's allowance, disability allowance — formerly disabled person's maintenance allowance — as well as FÁS and CERT trainees.