Written answers
Tuesday, 7 February 2017
Department of Social Protection
Departmental Expenditure
Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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297. To ask the Minister for Social Protection the first-year cost in 2017 and the full-year cost in 2018 of measures announced in budget 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5445/17]
Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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The 2017 and 2018 costs of the Department’s Budget 2017 measures are outlined in the table.
| Budget 2017 Measures | 2017 Cost (€m) | 2018 cost (€m) |
|---|---|---|
| €5 Weekly Rate increases | ||
| Increase the weekly rates of payment €5 per week for pensioners and recipients aged under 66, with proportional increases for qualified adults and those on reduced rates [March 2017]. | 284.5 | 349 |
| Social Insurance Improvements for the Self-Employed | ||
| Social insurance cover for self-employed will be extended to dental and optical benefits [March 2017] and Invalidity Pension [December 2017]. | 5 | 27.5 |
| Treatment Benefits | ||
| The Dental Benefit scheme will be expanded to include an annual free scale and polish and the Optical Benefit scheme will include the option of either free spectacles or a contribution (€42) towards the cost of upgraded spectacles. These measures will apply to both insured employees and self-employed. [October 2017] | 9 | 47 |
| Farmers | ||
| Improvements in the means testing arrangements for lower-income farmers on Farm Assist including farm families with children [March 8, 2017] and expansion of the Rural Social scheme by 500 places [2017]. | 10.5 | 17 |
| Lone Parents | ||
| Increase of €20 per week in the income disregard for One Parent Family Payment and the Jobseeker’s Transition payment, from €90 to €110 per week [January 2017]. | 9 | 9 |
| Children | ||
| Increase funding for the School Meals scheme [2017]. | 3 | 8 |
| People with Disabilities | ||
| New funding for projects to provide pre-activation supports for people with disabilities [2017]. | 2 | 2 |
| Miscellaneous Improvements | ||
| Including the introduction of a cost of education allowance for Back to Education recipients with children (Sept., 2017), increasing the €166 Back to Education Allowance weekly rate for people under 26 to €188 [Sept., 2017], additional funding for the Community Services programme [2017], introducing payment of the Carer’s Allowance for 12 weeks where care recipients enters a nursing home [Jan 2017] etc. | 7 | 9 |
| Total | 330 | 468.5 |
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