Written answers
Tuesday, 5 November 2013
Department of Social Protection
Budget 2014
Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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583. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide in tabular form the partial year and the full year monetary effect of her Department's budget 2014 reductions to expenditure. [47083/13]
Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The information sought by the Deputy is set out in the tabular statement.
| Measure | Savings 2014 € million | Savings Full Year € million |
|---|---|---|
| Recovery of social welfare payments - Recover the value of certain social welfare payments from compensation awards made to persons in relation to loss of earnings. To be introduced in 2014. | 21 | 22 |
| Illness Benefit - Increase the number of waiting days for entitlement to Illness Benefit from 3 days to 6 days, from January 2014. | 22 | 22 |
| Invalidity Pension - In line with the abolition of the State Pension Transition from January 2014, discontinue the weekly rate of €230.30 for Invalidity Pension at age 65 and align with the weekly rate of €193.50 currently payable to Invalidity Pension recipients aged under 65. Analogous adjustments will also take place in the Invalidity Pension Qualified Adult weekly rate of payment. These measures will apply to Invalidity Pensioners reaching their 65th birthday and to qualified adults reaching their 66th birthday, both with effect from January 2014. | 5 | 10 |
| Jobseeker’s Allowance – Extend the application of the €100 rate of Jobseeker's Allowance and SWA to persons without children who reach the age of 22, 23 and 24 and extend the application of the €144 rate of Jobseeker's Allowance and SWA to persons without children who reach the age of 25, from January 2014. (The Back to Education maximum rate for 25 year olds will be reduced to €160 per week for relevant new entrants). Lower rates of Jobseeker’s Allowance will apply to applicants under 25 who have exhausted their Jobseeker Benefit entitlement. | 32 | 72 |
| Maternity and Adoptive Benefit - Standardise the minimum and maximum weekly rates (currently €217.80 and €262 respectively) of Maternity & Adoptive Benefit at €230 per week. Applies to new claimants only from January 2014. | 30 | 36 |
| Mortgage Interest Supplement - Discontinue the scheme for new applicants and allow a winding down of the current MIS recipient base over a four year period, from January 2014. | 12 | 30 |
| Rent and Mortgage Interest Supplement - Increase the minimum contribution for couples by €5 per week, from €35 to €40, thereby further aligning Rent and Mortgage Interest Supplement contributions with the Local Authority rents structure, for new and existing recipients, from January 2014. | 6 | 7.1 |
| Household Benefits Package - Reduce the annual payment to RTÉ for the Free TV Licence by €5 million from €59.17 million to €54.17 million. | 5 | 5 |
| Household Benefits Package - Discontinue the Telephone Allowance for all recipients, from January 2014. | 44 | 47.1 |
| Bereavement Grant - Discontinue payment of the €850 grant in respect of deaths on or after 1 January 2014. | 17 | 22 |
| Supplementary Payments - Reductions in expenditure on certain supplementary welfare payments. | 5 | 7.8 |
| Savings from increased Employment support efficiencies | 12 | 12 |
| Savings from increased labour market activation | 10 | 10 |
| Fraud and Control Measures – additional fraud and control initiatives. | 30 | 30 |
| Administrative Savings | 5 | 5 |
| Expenditure reductions arising from lower than anticipated estimate of expenditure for 2014. | 34 | 34 |
| Total | 290 | 372 |
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