Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The Christmas bonus, which was paid each year in the period from 1980 to 2008, inclusive, was abolished by the previous Fianna Fáil-led Government in 2009. I am pleased that I am partially restoring the bonus this year, with the result that a bonus of 25% will be paid in early December to more than 1.1 million recipients, including all long-term welfare recipients, such as pensioners, carers and long-term jobseekers. I am taking this initiative in recognition of the fact that most social welfare recipients rely either wholly or mainly on their weekly payment.

The Christmas bonus this year will be paid to the beneficiaries of all schemes to which it previously applied, including schemes previously administered by other organisations such as the community employment scheme. Short-term jobseekers who have been on the live register for less than 15 months were never eligible for the bonus and this condition will continue to apply this year. It is estimated that approximately 304,000 jobseekers will receive a weekly payment at the end of November. Of this number, some 79% or 212,000 people will receive the 25% bonus at an estimated cost of €10.4 million.

I announced in budget 2015 that recipients of both the household benefits package and-or the fuel allowance will also receive an annual environmental water support payment of €100. This will benefit 650,000 households at an annual cost of approximately €66 million. Other households will benefit from the tax credit of €100 announced in the budget.

See this speech in context