Vol. 498 No. 2
225 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the savings involved as a result of the removal or reduction of the Christmas bonus for the recipients of supplementary welfare pursuant to the circular issued on 27 November 1998. [27033/98]
226 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the number of supplementary welfare recipients whose Christmas bonus will be removed or reduced as a result of the circular issued on 27 November 1998. [27034/98]
227 Mrs. B. Moynihan-Cronin asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if a Christmas bonus will be paid to people on social welfare and supplementary welfare payments; if any group which usually receives a Christmas bonus on a supplementary welfare payment will be excluded in 1998; if any group will receive a reduced payment in 1998; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27053/98]
It is proposed to take Questions Nos. 225, 226 and 227 together.
Christmas bonus payments are provided by my Department to people in receipt of long-term social welfare payments, such as old age pension, widow's pension, long-term unemployment assistance, one-parent family payment, invalidity pension and certain other long-term payments.
The amount paid is 70 per cent of their basic weekly payment, subject to a minimum payment of £20. Some 715,000 people will automatically receive these Christmas bonus payments this year, at a cost of about £40 million.
Health boards have responded over the years to the extra demands placed on people at Christmas time by making exceptional needs payments, ENPs, under the supplementary welfare allowance, SWA, scheme. However, practice has evolved differently in the eight health boards. One feature adopted in seven of the eight health boards is the payment of a standard amount to certain categories of SWA recipients. The standard amount which was paid differed from health board to health board, as did the criteria applied to who would get a payment and would not.
The circular issued by my Department on 27 November related solely to the treatment of these standardised payments within the ENP system. The objective of the circular was to ensure that those who receive a standardised payment are treated in a fair, equal and consistent manner regardless of the health board area in which they reside.
Health boards are not limited to making standardised payments in respect of the additional needs people have at Christmas time. They are obliged to make additional payments, not limited to any fixed percentage of the basic rate, to any individual where the board is satisfied that their means are insufficient to meet their needs, including the additional needs that arise at this time of the year.
