Jennifer Murnane O'Connor (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I take this opportunity to welcome the news that the Christmas bonus is being issued this week. Preserving the State pension qualifying age at age 66 was so important. All of us had fought for that. I welcome the €5 increase in the weekly living alone allowance. More than 600,000 people are to benefit from the Christmas bonus - the double payment. Together with the fuel allowance increase, these are all good supports.

Where I have a problem, and I will highlight it again, is in terms of the lack of support for carers. Following the budget announcement of a €150 increase to the carer's support grant, I was dismayed to learn that the measures will not take effect until June 2021. I ask the Minister to change that. The increase is so important. Carers play a huge part in society.

I recently asked why persons 66 years of age are not considered for the Covid-19 crisis payment. These people had been working up to the onset of Covid and I was told that they could quality either for the contributory State pension or the non-contributory State pension. These are people are hale and hearty and they deserve to be able to get the Covid payment.

I welcome the decision to return to weekly collection of social welfare payments. As a result of this change, people will be able to go to their local post offices once a week. It was needed because the previous change had a negative impact. We need to keep our post offices open. It is important that we make sure all of us are working together because the post offices play a huge part in this. It is so important that people, even in collecting their benefits, go to the post office.

There is only one issue I want to ask the Minister about and that is the supplementary welfare form. The local authorities used do a lot work on heating repairs, where, for example, a shower was broken or something in general was really needed. They do not do that anymore. We now have the so-called social welfare form. I am asking the Minister to increase the funding relating to that. A number of the people are coming to my clinics seeking to get work done, whether to a shower, a heating system, a roof or whatever. I am asking the Minister if she could put more funding into that because it helps those who are most in need. We need to provide greater funding in this area.

See this speech in context