Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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39. To ask the Minister for Social Protection to increase working age payments above the rate of inflation similar to the commitment made in the programme for Government that the State pension and the living alone allowance are to be increased above the rate of inflation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11769/16]

Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Per the most recent CSO data, inflation in the 12 months to end April has declined by 0.1%. The Central Bank, in their most recent Quarterly Bulletin, estimate that inflation, as measured by the Consumer Price Index, will be 1.7% in 2017. The cost of a 1.7% increase across all working age payments, based on 2016 recipient numbers, is €138 million in a full year. A €1 per week increase in all weekly welfare payments costs €74.6 million in a full year while a €1 per week increase in all working age payments costs €43.7 million. My Department operates a wide range of schemes which offers income and employment supports to people experiencing a variety of working age contingencies, such as disability, caring, unemployment, the death of a spouse or civil partner, and having children.

As mentioned by the Deputy, the Programme for Government commits to increasing the rates of the state pension and the living alone allowance above the rate of inflation. The Programme also sets out targeted welfare improvements for a number of key working age contingencies. It supports rate increases for people with disabilities and for carers. It commits to increasing rent supplement limits and extending the dental treatment benefit scheme.

The Government is focussed on increasing employment by 200,000 jobs across the country. According to the latest CSO figures for the first quarter of 2016, unemployment has fallen to 8.3%. In the year to the first quarter of 2016, the number of people in employment increased by 46,900. In addition to the existing Pathways to Work 5-year strategy, which aims to help 50,000 long-term unemployed people into jobs, we also commit to publishing a new dedicated ‘Pathways to Work’ strategy for jobless households.

The Programme for Government takes a multifaceted approach to improving the living standards of working age social welfare recipients. This includes strengthening the provision of employment supports, and developing a new working family payment. I believe that the Programme for Government contains ambitious proposals which will benefit all people in receipt of social welfare.