Brendan Howlin (Wexford, Labour) | Oireachtas source

This means that a lower adjustment is required for those Departments than previously stated in the budgetary outlook. These increases will be funded by a number of taxation measures, as set out by the Minister for Finance, and by an increased dividend payment to the State.

Social Protection

The social protection expenditure ceiling for next year will be more than €20.2 billion. Expenditure on social supports has an important impact on stabilising our domestic economy through supporting the overall demand for goods and services. Many of our communities depend on that spend.

In this context, we concluded that reducing the primary weekly rates of social welfare payments would have a detrimental impact on domestic consumption and should not happen. Accordingly, I can confirm that we are, once again, not reducing any primary weekly rate of social welfare payment.

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