Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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41. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she will improve income and activation supports for persons with disabilities by increasing disability payments by €20 per week and strengthening supplementary benefits; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36140/14]

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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42. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she will maintain the back to education allowance at its current rate and make no reduction to this. [36154/14]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 41 and 42 together.

The appropriate rates of welfare supports in 2015, including the weekly rates of disability payments and back to education allowance, will be considered in the context of the Government’s discussions on the next Budget. In this regard, a €20 increase per week in disability payments (such as Disability Allowance, Illness Benefit, Invalidity Pension, Disablement Benefit, and the Blind Pension) would cost approximately €254 million in a full year.