Government ministers will this morning sign-off on hundreds of thousands of pensioners and other welfare recipients getting an extra €12 a week in benefit payments.
The total value of the benefits giveaway that will be signed-off by the Government today will top €1billion.
Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys will formally bring the Social Welfare Bill to Cabinet for signing-off.
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The Bill will see the measures agreed in the Budget in September come into force.
Once it gets the green light from ministers, it will begin its journey through the Dáil and Seanad and will be voted in before the payments come into effect from January 1.
The main provisions in the Bill apply across-the-board increases in weekly payments to pensioners, people with disabilities, carers and lone parents.
The Bill also includes measures to expand the Working Family Payment to more households and changes to the Means Test for the Farm Assist Payment.
Among the measures included in the Bill are:
€12 increase in the maximum rate of all core weekly payments
Working Family Payment thresholds to increase by €40 per week for all family sizes
An increase of €20.50 in the monthly rate of Domiciliary Care Allowance bringing the payment to €330 per month
€2 increase in payments in respect of children of social welfare recipients, bringing the payment to €42 per week for children under 12 and €50 per week for children aged 12 and over.
These measures are on top of the eight lump payments that Minister Humphreys secured as part of Budget 2023, to assist families with the Cost of Living.
These payments include the Autumn Cost of Living Payment, a double payment of Child Benefit, an additional €400 for Fuel Allowance recipients, an additional €200 for recipients of the Living Alone Allowance, an additional €500 for Working Family Payment recipients, a €500 Lump Sum Disability Payment and a special €500 Carer’s Support Grant which will issue to over 114,000 Carers on this week.
The total cost of these measures, which did not need legislation, came to another €1.2 billion.
Minister Humphreys last night said: “Many of the changes in the Social Welfare Bill will take effect in January and are in addition to the unprecedented eight lump sum payments which my Department is providing to support people with the Cost of Living.
“Six of these lump sum payments have already been paid out and the seventh, the €500 Carer’s Support Grant will issue this week.
“The changes in the Social Welfare Bill together with the Lump Sum Payments are designed to put more money back in people’s pockets and assist families across the country with the cost of living.”
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