Written answers

Tuesday, 16 January 2018

Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection

Social Insurance Payments

Photo of Willie O'DeaWillie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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1616. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the full-year cost of increasing all social insurance payments by amounts (details supplied), in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1222/18]

Photo of Willie O'DeaWillie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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1617. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the full-year cost of increasing all social assistance payments by amounts (details supplied), in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1223/18]

Photo of Willie O'DeaWillie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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1619. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the full-year cost of increasing the living alone allowance by amounts (details supplied), in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1225/18]

Photo of Willie O'DeaWillie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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1620. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the full-year cost of increasing the fuel allowance by one, two, three, four, five and six weeks, respectively, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1226/18]

Photo of Willie O'DeaWillie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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1625. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the cost of increasing the carer's support grant by amounts (details supplied), in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1232/18]

Photo of Willie O'DeaWillie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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1628. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the full-year cost of the household benefits package; the full-year cost of increasing the monthly electricity allowance and the natural gas allowance by €5 and €10, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1235/18]

Photo of Willie O'DeaWillie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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1632. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the full-year cost of extending the Christmas bonus to persons in receipt of the invalidity pension; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1239/18]

Photo of Willie O'DeaWillie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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1637. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the cost of increasing disability allowance, carer's allowance, blind pension and invalidity pension by €5, €10, €15 and €20 respectively, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1245/18]

Photo of Regina DohertyRegina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1616, 1617, 1619, 1620, 1625, 1628, 1632 and 1637 together.

The costings sought by Deputy O’Dea are detailed in the following series of tables.

Table 1: Full year cost of varying amounts in all weekly social insurance payments

Schemes€5  increase  €10 increase  €15 increase  €20 increase  €25 increase 
€m€m€m€m€m
Social Insurance Schemes 181.26362.52543.78725.04906.3

Table 2: Full year cost of varying amounts in all weekly social assistance payments

Schemes€5  increase  €10 increase  €15 increase  €20 increase  €25 increase 
€m€m€m€m€m
Social Assistance Schemes 159.1318.2477.3636.4795.5

Table 3: Full year cost of increasing the Living Alone Allowance by varying amounts

Weekly IncreaseCost

€m
€2.0020.87
€3.0031.31
€4.0041.74
€5.0052.18
€6.0062.61
€7.0073.05
€8.0083.48
€9.0093.92
€10.00104.35

Table 4: Full year cost of increasing the duration of the Fuel Allowance by varying numbers of weeks

Number of weeksCost  in 2018]

€m
1 week8.58
2 weeks17.16
3 weeks25.74
4 weeks34.32
5 weeks42.90
6 weeks51.47

Table 5: Full year cost of increasing the Carer’s Support Grant by varying amounts

Annual Increase Cost  in 2018

€m
€50.005.63
€100.0011.26
€150.0016.89
€200.0022.53
€250.0028.16

Table 6: Full year cost of increasing the monthly electricity allowance and the natural gas allowance by varying amounts

Monthly Electricity AllowanceMonthly Natural Gas Allowance
Monthly IncreaseCost

€m
Monthly IncreaseCost

€m
€5.0023.30€5.002.84
€10.0046.61€10.005.70

The 2018 Revised Estimates for Public Services provides €246.8 million in 2018 for the household benefits package.

Table 7: Full year cost of increasing Disability Allowance, Carer’s Allowance, Blind Pension and Invalidity Pension by varying amounts

Scheme€5 increase 

€m
€10 increase 

€m
€15 increase 

€m
€20 increase 

€m
Disability Allowance  37.575.1112.6150.2
Carer’s Allowance  10.921.832.643.5
Blind Pension 0.30.71.01.4
Invalidity Pension 17.234.351.568.6

An 85% Christmas bonus was paid in December 2017 to over 1.2 million long-term social welfare recipients, including all recipients of invalidity pension. The cost of the Christmas Bonus paid to invalidity pension recipients is estimated at €11.1 million.

The costs shown above are on a full year basis and are based on the estimated number of recipients in 2018. It should also be noted that these costings include proportionate increases for qualified adults and for those on reduced rates of payment, where relevant.

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