Mary Lou McDonald (Dublin Central, Sinn Fein)
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761. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if the Christmas bonus will be available in 2019. [29279/19]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The Christmas Bonus payment is made to long-term social welfare recipients, such as pensioners, carers, people with disabilities, lone parents and long-term unemployed people who rely wholly or mainly on their social welfare payments for financial support.

As is the case every year, the payment of a Christmas Bonus is a discretionary decision made by Government in the context of the annual Budget process and available resources.  A decision to pay the bonus this year will be made when announcing the 2020 Budget in October and must be consistent with the legal requirements set out in the Fiscal Responsibility Acts 2012 and 2013, and within the context of achieving targets set for Ireland by the EU rules. 

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.