Noel Harrington (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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229. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the total number of claimants of the living alone allowance for each of the years 2010 to 2014 and in 2015 to date; the total expenditure on this allowance for each of those years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20606/15]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The information requested by the Deputy in respect of the number of recipients of the living alone allowance during the period 2010 to 2015 is detailed in the attached tabular statement.

The living alone allowance is an extra allowance paid by my Department to people on certain social welfare payments who are living alone. Information regarding the cost of this allowance is not segregated from the expenditure statistics of the schemes under which it is paid. However I am informed that during the period 2010 to 2014 a weekly rate of €7.70 was payable and that this rate was increased in Budget 2015 by €1.30 to €9.00 per week with effect from January 2015. On this basis, the estimated spend is in the order of €9.5 million.

Number of Recipients of Living Alone Allowance2010 to April 2015