Vol. 513 No. 2
35 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the extent, if any, to which he has enhanced the anticipated social welfare provisions of the 2000 budget; the plans, if any, he has to offer concessions to those in receipt of social welfare, lower income families and one income households in addition to those contained in the budget; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2020/00]
131 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the proposals, if any, he has to cater for the needs of one income families; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2156/00]
133 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the degree, if any, to which he will further address the question of income support for lower income recipients; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2158/00]
I propose to take Question Nos. 35, 131 and 133 together.
The various social welfare measures announced in the recent budget amount to more than £418 million on a full year basis – the biggest ever social welfare budget allocation. To put this investment in context, the equivalent figures for my previous two budgets were £316 million in 1999 and £225 million in 1998. The 1997 budget, which was introduced by my predecessor, amounted to some £215 million.
The budget provides for an increase of £7 a week for old age pensioners, together with an increase of £4 a week for all other social welfare recipients aged under 66 years. In addition, as part of the process of aligning the implementation of tax and social welfare increases by 2001, the improved payments will take effect four weeks earlier this year, from the beginning of May.
The budget also provides for a range of other major improvements in the social welfare system, including additional increases in the rates of qualified adult allowances to bring these rates up to 70% of the appropriate personal rate over three years; increases in monthly child benefit of £8 per child for the first and second child and £10 per child for subsequent children; £20 increase in the back to school clothing and footwear allowance; major improvements in the method of assessing capital for means test purposes; introduction of a new PRSI-based carer's benefit scheme; introduction of a new £1,000 widowed parent's grant; extension of the free schemes to all persons aged 75 and over, regardless of their income or household situation; substantial changes in the arrangements for the retention of rent and mortgage supplements under the supplementary welfare allowance scheme to assist long-term unemployed people with families who are seeking to return to work with employment incentive schemes; and improvements in the retention of the qualified adult and child allowances when the qualified adult takes up work.
