This Bill provides for a double week's payment in December 1980 to the recipients of long-term benefits and assistance under the social welfare code. It is the aim of the Government to improve and extend as far as possible social welfare schemes and payments. For example, recently it has been my privilege, as Minister for Social Welfare, to introduce a new national free fuel scheme and also to remove some of the restrictions on the free travel facilities for elderly people.
We are concerned to ensure that long-term social welfare recipients — those who are affected by advancing years, chronic ill-health or the exceptional pressures of widowhood — can meet the additional expenses which affect us all at this time of year. Accordingly, I am very happy that the Government, in the context of the second national understanding for economic and social development, undertook to provide these additional payments this year.
I should also like to mention, although it is not strictly relevant to this Bill, that a double week's payment is also being provided in the case of persons in receipt of disabled person's maintenance allowance, infectious diseases maintenance allowance, blind welfare allowance and domiciliary care allowance for handicapped children, all of which are administered by the Department of Health.
The people who, under this Bill, are being given the extra week's payment are those receiving old age pension, contributory and non-contributory, blind pension, widows' and orphans' pensions, contributory and non-contributory, retirement pension, invalidity pension, deserted wife's benefit and allowance, social assistance allowance for unmarried mothers, prisioners' wives and single women, and occupational injuries disablement pension and death benefit by way of pension.
The additional payment will generally be made at post offices on the appropriate day of payment of pensions and allowances in the second week of December 1980. Old age, blind, widows' and orphans' pensioners will be due payment on Friday, 12 December, the other categories on Thursday, 11 December.
The additional sum to be paid will be equal to the face value of the weekly pension or allowance order and will include all increases in respect of adult and child dependants and any supplements which form part of the regular weekly payments. Certain long-term recipients of occupational injuries benefit by way of pension are paid by cheque monthly in advance. These will be issued with cheques for December at the equivalent of five weeks' payment instead of four.
The numbers of people who will receive a double payment as a result of this Bill totals 345,000. These are made up of 196,000 old age and blind pensioners, 81,000 widows, 1,000 orphans, 32,000 retirement pensioners, 16,000 invalidity pensioners, 6,000 deserted wives, 8,000 social assistance recipients and 5,000 occupational injuries pensioners.
In addition, the increase payable in respect of a further 117,000 persons will also double for that week. The overall total of persons covered by the extra payment will therefore be 462,000.
The cost of the additional payment is estimated at £8.76 million, comprising £5.35 million for contributory and £3.41 million for non-contributory payments.
I feel confident that this Bill will commend itself to all Senators, and I ask for its early passage so as to ensure that the additional sums will be paid in time.