Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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44. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the extent, if any, to which scope exists for an increase to be made to the various social welfare payments that have been subject to reduction or cessation, or have received no increase in payment for several years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33085/15]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Budget 2015 was the first Budget in recent years where there was scope to make improvements for welfare recipients, and in this regard, I was pleased to be in a position to increase Child Benefit by €5 per child per month, to increase the Living Alone Allowance, which is paid to pensioners and people with disabilities who live alone, to €9 per week, and introduce a new Back to Work Family Dividend to provide an additional incentive for families to move from welfare to work.I also partially restored the Christmas Bonus, which had been abolished in 2009, and to increase funding for School Meals by €3 million.

The Government’s Spring Statement, published last April, stated that “On the basis of present estimates, Budget 2016 will include a package within the range of €1.2 billion to €1.5 billion, to invest in services, support employment and boost growth potential while still maintaining fiscal prudence.”

The Government has decided that this ‘fiscal space’ will be split evenly between taxes and expenditure. The expenditure component, of up to €750 million, will have to address public sector pay demands, as well as capital and current expenditure. It is within this context that deliberations for Budget 2016 will be considered.

I held my annual Pre-Budget Forum on 3 July, during which I listened to the views and recommendations of almost 40 community and voluntary groups in relation to the their priorities for the upcoming Budget. The National Economic Dialogue held later that month was also a valuable contribution to the overall budgetary process. The scale and composition of the 2016 DSP Budget package is currently under consideration and will be announced on October 13.