Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)

What we have done in this budget is to move away from the temporary so-called one-off payments into more permanent payments. That is why we have increased the fuel allowance by €5 a week from January to €38 a week. That is an investment of nearly €58 million and will benefit 414,188 recipients. I am very happy that we expanded the fuel allowance to those on the working family payment. I have been very clear that it will be paid in March but backdated to January. It is really important that for the first time we have had an expansion of the remit of the fuel allowance in that space. The increases in the child support payment, which will affect the families on the lowest incomes, are really extraordinary in terms of previous increases - €16 for a child aged 12 and over and €8 for children under 12. That will directly benefit 330,000 children on the lowest of incomes.

The working family payment qualifying for the fuel allowance will assist over 43,000 families. That is an investment of €39 million. We have also increased the working family payment income threshold.

I have been very targeted. The Chairman said that it is a quarter of the budget of the country. It is still a tight budget and I have deliberately targeted benefits in it. We have also ensured that those on disability, who leave their disability payment to go into employment, will keep the fuel allowance for five years after they enter into that employment, as well as putting processes in place to make sure that somebody in receipt of a disability payment who gives up that payment to move into employment will get straight back on to their payment if for whatever reason it does not work out. That was a big deterrent.

There are loads of things that I would love to do, but in the context of this budget and of our new measures, I have been very focused on the fuel allowance and expanding it to the people on the working family payment. I do not disagree with Deputy Guirke on the impact on pensioners, in particular where there is one left. The expansion of the living alone allowance is something I will be looking at in next year's budget.