Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

In the case of a widow or widower with a dependent child or children, we pay a special grant of €6,000 on the death of his or her spouse. I am sure the Deputy will agree that this is a significant amount.

As the Deputy said, we also make exceptional needs payments, dealt with on a case by case basis, to meet funeral and burial expenses. During the debate on the Bill I gave Deputies the details of the amounts paid in different parts of the country. As Deputy Willie O'Dea noted, burial costs are very significant in different parts of the country. Many of the bereavement grants were paid to the estates of people who were deceased; those who inherit an estate are often the nieces and nephews of the deceased person and who might also inherit the property of the deceased.

In having to find savings last year which, unfortunately, we had to do because of the situation in which we had found ourselves on entering government I decided that the payments made on bereavement to the next of kin, the widow or widower, would continue, that they would continue to receive the six week payment, that a widowed parent would continue to receive the €6,000 payment and that the special needs payment would continue. These are significant amounts and all target immediate next of kin and dependants of the person who has died. That was the best way of addressing the matter. Given the fact that we are paying €160 million extra in pension payments this year alone, as the Deputy discussed, we had to find some savings and, unfortunately, that was one area in which it was appropriate to do so.

On the new treatment of sick days, at this point in January we do not have data for how that is working out, but when I obtain more information, probably towards the end of March, I will give it to the Deputy and bring it forward for discussion. He asked how many employers had sick pay schemes in place. According to IBEC, 75% of employers who are members of that organisation have occupational sick pay schemes in place, by which, obviously, many employees are covered. In the public service and organisations funded from the public service there are generally sick pay schemes in place also. Significant numbers are covered by sick pay schemes, but I am not quite clear on exactly how many are covered. As we develop the new scheme, I am sure we will receive more information which we will make available to the Deputy who also asked another question.