Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

From budget 2009 to budget 2011, inclusive, the full year value of the welfare expenditure reductions introduced by the previous Government was over €2.4 billion. To recall for the benefit of Deputy Willie O'Dea, it included the abolition of the Christmas bonus in 2009, weekly reductions in all working age welfare payments in 2010 and 2011 and weekly reductions in jobseeker's allowance and jobseeker's benefit, disability allowance, invalidity pension, carer's allowance, carer's benefit, one parent family payment, the back to education allowance, illness benefit, the supplementary allowance and others. Most elements of the treatment benefit schemes were discontinued by the previous Government, illness benefit was limited to two years for new claimants and the entitlements to jobseeker's benefit was reduced. The cumulative reduction in the weekly payments mentioned was just over €16 per week. The Deputy has reflected on all of that. These were the most difficult reductions for people. The debate on the issue is probably more suited to a discussion on the Estimates, which will be taken under a revision is ready. I presume this will be some time in January or early February and we can then examine the reductions overseen by Deputy Willie O'Dea as a Minister in the previous Government. I have succeeded in reducing the impact of them. I have been able to maintain the weekly rate. In terms of the discussions we have with people interested in social welfare, that is the measure that gets the strongest mention. As the economy goes into recovery, we have seen in this year's budget a modest €200 million social welfare package that has allowed targeted improvements for different groups that rely on social affairs. This includes the partial restoration of the Christmas bonus, which will be paid from next week on.