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Social Insurance Data

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 29 March 2018

Thursday, 29 March 2018

Ceisteanna (406, 407, 408, 410, 414, 416, 419, 420, 423, 428)

Willie O'Dea

Ceist:

406. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated full year cost of increasing all social insurance payments factoring into account increases announced in budget 2018 by €5, €10, €15, €20 and €25, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14726/18]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Willie O'Dea

Ceist:

407. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated full year cost of increasing all social assistance payments factoring into account increases announced in budget 2018 by €5, €10, €15, €20 and €25, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14727/18]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Willie O'Dea

Ceist:

408. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated full year cost of increasing the living alone allowance by €2 to €10, inclusive, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14728/18]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Willie O'Dea

Ceist:

410. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated full year cost of increasing the fuel allowance by one to six weeks, inclusive; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14730/18]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Willie O'Dea

Ceist:

414. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated full year cost of increasing the income thresholds for the working family payment by €5, €10, €15, €20 and €25; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14734/18]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Willie O'Dea

Ceist:

416. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated cost of increasing the carer's support grant by €50, €100, €150, €200 and €250; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14736/18]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Willie O'Dea

Ceist:

419. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the full year cost of the household benefits package; the estimated full year cost of increasing the monthly electricity allowance and the natural gas allowance by €5, €10 and €15, respectively; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14739/18]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Willie O'Dea

Ceist:

420. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated full year cost of increasing child benefit by €5, €10, €15, €20 and €25, respectively; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14740/18]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Willie O'Dea

Ceist:

423. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated full year cost of extending the Christmas bonus to those in receipt of the invalidity pension; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14743/18]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Willie O'Dea

Ceist:

428. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the estimated cost of increasing the disability allowance, carer's allowance, blind pension and invalidity pension by €5, €10, €15 and €20; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14748/18]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

I propose to take Questions Nos. 406 to 408, inclusive, 410, 414, 416, 419, 420, 423 and 428 together.

The costings sought by Deputy O’Dea are detailed in the following series of tables.

Table 1: Full year cost of varying increases in all weekly social insurance payments

-

€5 increase

€10 increase

€15 increase

€20 increase

€25 increase

Schemes

€m

€m

€m

€m

€m

Social Insurance Schemes

181.26

362.52

543.78

725.04

906.3

Table 2: Full year cost of varying increases in all weekly social assistance payments

-

€5 increase

€10 increase

€15 increase

€20 increase

€25 increase

Schemes

€m

€m

€m

€m

€m

Social Assistance Schemes

159.1

318.2

477.3

636.4

795.5

Table 3: Full year cost of increasing the Living Alone Allowance by varying amounts

Weekly Increase

Cost

€m

€2.00

20.87

€3.00

31.31

€4.00

41.74

€5.00

52.18

€6.00

62.61

€7.00

73.05

€8.00

83.48

€9.00

93.92

€10.00

104.35

Table 4: Full year cost of increasing the duration of the Fuel Allowance by varying numbers of weeks

Number of weeks

Cost in 2019

€m

1 week

8.58

2 weeks

17.16

3 weeks

25.74

4 weeks

34.32

5 weeks

42.90

6 weeks

51.47

Table 5: Full year cost of increasing all of the weekly income thresholds for Working Family Payment by varying amounts

-

€5 increase

€10 increase

€15 increase

€20 increase

€25 increase

Scheme

€m

€m

€m

€m

€m

Working Family Payment

11.7

21.9

31.5

43.2

53.6

Table 6: Full year cost of increasing the Carer’s Support Grant by varying amounts

Annual Increase

Cost in 2019

€m

€50.00

5.63

€100.00

11.26

€150.00

16.89

€200.00

22.53

€250.00

28.16

Table 7: Full year cost of increasing the monthly electricity allowance and the natural gas allowance by varying amounts

-

Monthly Electricity Allowance

Monthly Natural Gas Allowance

Monthly Increase

Cost

€m

Monthly Increase

Cost

€m

€5.00

23.30

€5.00

2.84

€10.00

46.61

€10.00

5.68

€15.00

69.91

€15.00

8.52

The 2018 Revised Estimates for Public Services provides €246.8 million in 2018 for the household benefits package.

Table 8: Full year cost of increasing the monthly Child Benefit rate by varying amounts

-

€5 increase

€10 increase

€15 increase

€20 increase

€25 increase

Scheme

€m

€m

€m

€m

€m

Child Benefit

71.8

143.7

215.6

287.5

359.4

Table 9: Full year cost of increasing Disability Allowance, Carer’s Allowance, Blind Pension and Invalidity Pension by varying amounts

Scheme

€5 increase

€m

€10 increase

€m

€15 increase

€m

€20 increase

€m

Disability Allowance

37.5

75.1

112.6

150.2

Carer’s Allowance

10.9

21.8

32.6

43.5

Blind Pension

0.3

0.7

1.0

1.4

Invalidity Pension

17.2

34.3

51.5

68.6

An 85% Christmas Bonus was paid in December 2017 to over 1.2 million long-term social welfare recipients, including all recipients of invalidity pension. The cost of the Christmas Bonus paid to invalidity pension recipients is estimated at €11.1 million.

The costs shown above are on a full year basis and are based on the estimated number of recipients in 2018. It should be noted that these costings are subject to change in the context of emerging trends and associated revision of the estimated numbers of recipients for 2019. It should also be noted that these costings include proportionate increases for qualified adults and for those on reduced rates of payment, where relevant.

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