Thomas Gould (Cork North Central, Sinn Fein)
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584. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection if the Christmas bonus will be paid in 2020. [27162/20]

Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, 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.  Any decision to pay the bonus this year will be made in an overall budgetary context, and announced as part of Budget 2021 in October.

I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.