An estimated 970,000 people on average are expected to claim weekly social welfare payments next year and almost 1.5 million people, including dependants, will benefit from these payments. Compared to 1997, when this Government came into office, total social welfare expenditure will have almost doubled. During the same period, unemployment has dramatically declined to 4.4%. This has enabled substantial improvements to be made, not alone in the rates of social welfare payments but also in the conditions for entitlement to these services.