A special Christmas Bonus payment was first introduced in December, 1980, for social welfare pensioners and people who depend solely on their social welfare payments for income support. There have been a number of developments in this scheme since its inception, including changes in the level of the bonus payment, the introduction of a minimum payment and the extension of the categories of eligible claimants.
The Christmas Bonus has again been paid this year to all recipients of long-term social welfare payments, at a rate equivalent to 100% of the person's normal weekly payment, subject to a minimum payment of €30. The cost of this measure is an estimated €157 million this year, and it benefited some 1.25 million persons comprising 855,000 recipients and 394,000 dependants. The focus of the bonus has always been on persons who rely on the social welfare system for financial support over the long term. These include recipients of State pension (transition), State pension (contributory and non-contributory), widow's, widower's and invalidity pensions, one-parent family payment, carer's allowance, disability allowance, long-term jobseeker's allowance, farm assist and people in receipt of employment support payments.
As carer's benefit is now payable for up to 2 years, the bonus was, for the first time this year, paid to recipients of this benefit. The bonus is also payable to participants in the rural social scheme, which was introduced in 2004, and operates under the aegis of the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. There are no plans at present to amend or extend entitlement to the bonus payment to short-term schemes, and any such extension could only be considered in a budgetary context having regard to the resources available and the significant cost which would be involved. In relation to illness benefit, it is open to persons who have been in receipt of illness benefit for at least a year to apply for invalidity pension, and, if they qualify for the pension they would also qualify for the Christmas Bonus payment.