Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael)
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Question 734: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs his plans to increase weekly income thresholds for the family income supplement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24826/05]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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Family income supplement was introduced in 1984 to provide income support for employees with families who are on low earnings, preserving the incentive to remain in employment in circumstances where they might only be marginally better off than if they were fully reliant on social welfare payments. Weekly payments of FIS are made to families, including one-parent families, with children — that is, under 18 years or between 18 and 22 years if in full-time education — where one or more parent is in full-time remunerative employment of not less than 19 hours per week or 38 hours per fortnight, where the employment is likely to last at least three months and where the income of the family is less than the prescribed weekly amount.

This Government has increased the weekly income thresholds for qualification for a family income supplement payment by €84 since 2002. This has resulted in a net increase in FIS available to low income families of €50.40 per week. In addition, the minimum weekly payment was increased from €13 to €20 from January 2004. Further increases of the family income supplement thresholds will be considered in a budgetary context and in the light of competing priorities.

Tony Gregory (Dublin Central, Independent)
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Question 735: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if it is his intention to achieve the commitment of €200 per week for old age pensioners by the next general election; if it is his intention to increase the living alone allowance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24866/05]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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The Government is committed to increasing the level of the basic State pension to €200 per week by 2007. Significant progress towards achieving this target has already been made in the last three budgets. In budgets 2003 and 2004, the weekly rates of payment for all pensioners were increased by €10 per week in each budget while budget 2005 provided for an increase of €12 per week.

The living alone allowance is an additional payment of €7.70 per week made to people aged 66 years or over who are in receipt of certain social welfare payments and who are living alone. It is also available to people under 66 years of age who are living alone and are receiving payments under one of a number of invalidity type schemes.

Policy relating to support for pensioners has been to commit resources to improving the personal pension rates for all pensioners, rather than supplementary payments such as the living alone allowance. This approach ensures that the position of all pensioners is improved. Over the period since 1997, the rate of old age contributory pension has increased by 81% while the rate of old age non-contributory pension increased by 79%. These levels of increases represent increases of nearly 39% and 37%, respectively, ahead of inflation, thereby ensuring that all pensioners experienced a very significant real increase in their standard of living over that period. I look forward to making further progress in achieving our pension commitment in the next budget.