The Christmas bonus, which has been paid at a rate equivalent to 70% of a person's normal weekly payment since 1989, subject to a minimum payment of £20, will be increased this year to 100% of a person's normal weekly payment. It will be paid in the first week in December to some 716,000 long-term social welfare recipients at a cost of £65.7 million.
The bonus will be paid to recipients of the following payments: disability pension, death benefit, by way of pension, old age contributory and non-contributory pension, retirement pension, invalidity pension, widow's and widower's non-contributory pension, orphan's contributory and non-contributory pension, pre-retirement allowance, blind pension, carer's allowance, one parent family payment, unemployment assistance at the long-term rate, farm assist, disability allowance, payments to people formerly in receipt of deserted wife's benefit and allowance, and prisoner's wife's allowance.
The Christmas bonus is not payable to recipients of short-term payments such as unemployment benefit or short-term unemployment assistance. Any change in the categories of persons to whom the bonus is paid would have cost implications and would have to be considered in the context of other priorities and commitments.