Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 21 November 2018
242. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection further to Parliamentary Question No. 194 of 15 November 2018, if she will direct officials in her Department to answer the question as it was put, that is, to provide the financial savings made in each of the years from 2015 to 2017 as a direct result of the introduction of reduced rates of social welfare payments to persons under 25 years of age. [48616/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs stated in the reply to Parliamentary Question No. 194 of 15 November 2018, the age-related reduced rate of €100 per week for Jobseeker's Allowance recipients was introduced in Budget 2010 in respect of 18 and 19 year olds, and extended in subsequent Budgets to those under the age of 25.
The following table shows the financial savings (i.e. the estimated cost that would have been incurred to increase the age–related reduced rates to the maximum rate for those under 25 years of age) in respect of the years 2015, 2016 and 2017:
|
Year |
Estimated cost of maximum rate |
|
2015 |
€131.3 million; |
|
2016 |
€133.6 million |
|
2017 |
€101.9 million |
These costs do not include increasing the weekly rates for those aged 25 on age-related reduced rates.
