Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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Question 326: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if, in view of the unfair anomaly whereby persons claiming disability benefit are not entitled to a Christmas bonus, he will review and consider the financial implications of including this sector prior to next year's payment. [12121/05]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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A special Christmas bonus payment was first introduced in December 1980 for social welfare pensioners and people who depend solely on their social welfare payments for income support. There has been a number of developments in this scheme since its inception, including changes in the level of the bonus payment, the introduction of a minimum payment and the extension of the categories of eligible claimants.

The focus of the bonus has always been on persons who rely on the social welfare system for financial support over the longer term. These include recipients of retirement, old age contributory and non-contributory, widow's, widower's and invalidity pensions, one-parent family payment, carer's allowance, disability allowance, long-term unemployment assistance, farm assist and people on employment support payments. The bonus is also payable to participants in the rural social scheme, which was introduced in 2004 and operates under the aegis of the Minister for Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs.

There are no plans to amend or extend entitlement to the bonus payment to recipients of disability benefit or other short-term schemes. It is open to persons who have been in receipt of disability benefit for at least a year to apply for invalidity pension and, if they qualify for that pension they would also qualify for the Christmas bonus payment.