Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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140. To ask the Minister for Social Protection to set out the cost of restoring the telephone allowance at the 2013 level; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38264/14]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Maintaining the rate of the State pension and other core payments is critical in protecting people from poverty. Expenditure on pensions at approximately €6.5 billion is the largest element of expenditure in the Department in the Estimate for 2014, representing approximately 33% of overall expenditure. Due to demographic changes the Department’s spending on older people is increasing year on year.

The overall concern of the Government in Budget 2014, and previous Budgets, was to protect the primary social welfare rates. In 2013, the Department had to make provision for an additional €190 million for the increasing number of pensioners. The decision to discontinue the telephone allowance provided significant annual savings and meant that the Department was able to retain other elements of the household benefits package such as the electricity and gas allowance and the television licence. These are valuable supports for recipients. The Department will spend €230 million this year on these elements of the household benefits package for over 411,000 customers.

The cost of restoring the telephone allowance at 2013 levels would be approximately €48 million annually.