Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

The Department of Social Protection will spend €230 million this year on the household benefits package for almost 415,000 customers. The fuel allowance is paid for 26 weeks from October to April to almost 415,000 households, at an estimated cost of €208 million in 2014.

That means well over €430 million will be spent between the two schemes in 2014.

I announced in budget 2015 that recipients of the household benefits package or the fuel allowance would also get an annual water support payment of €100. This measure will benefit 650,000 households at an annual cost in the region of €66 million. The combination of household benefit and fuel allowance as qualifying payments for water support will ensure that the payment is made to those most likely to be impacted by the charges. It is in addition to payments to be made directly via tax credits as announced by the Minister for Finance. Work is under way on the system developments required to implement the payments in 2015. These are in addition to the payment that will be made in December restoring 25% of the annual Christmas bonus, which was, unfortunately, discontinued by the previous Government in 2009. The Christmas bonus will go to some 1.1 million people in the first half of December. In addition, in the first week of January, families who receive child benefit will receive an increase in the monthly payment of €5 per child.

I am happy that budget 2015 is the first in a number of years in which we have been able to have a modest but significant social welfare package to improve the situation, as well as a tax reduction package which takes 80,000 people out of the USC and reduces the rate of USC for those on the first two lower rates.

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