Christmas bonuses will be paid to pensioners

PENSIONERS and other long-term welfare recipients will get their Christmas bonus this year in spite of swingeing cutbacks across all departments.

Social Welfare Minister Mary Coughlan will tomorrow announce that the 100% bonus will be paid in the first week of December. The announcement will come as the Government seeks to put its Yes to Nice referendum campaign into top gear with just 12 days left to polling day on October 19.

It will also be part of a move by Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and his ministers to put the political calamities of the past fortnight behind them. FF party sources last night said they will be going all out to secure a reversal of the June 2001 Nice poll which was lost by 54% to 46% but with little more than one in three voters turning out.

Government sources last night confirmed that Ms Coughlan will make the announcement tomorrow. It will dispel speculation that the double-week for Christmas, to be paid round about December 6 next, would be either scrapped or dramatically reduced due to the current economic problems The welfare payments make for interesting comparison with a 4% politicians' pay rise which came through automatically last week under the national wage agreement. From last Tuesday, the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, qualifies for an extra €8,000 per year while the Tanaiste, Mary Harney, will receive a further €7,000 per year and the other cabinet ministers will get €6,500 per year.

All junior ministers, TDs and senators also qualified for the 4% under a scheme linking them to wage agreements in efforts to de-politicise the issue of public representatives' pay.

The Taoiseach's increase is worth an extra €154 per week before tax; the Tanaiste's €135 per week; and ministers' about €125 weekly. An old age pensioner living alone is currently entitled to about €160 per week, provided the winter fuel allowance is counted.

Ms Coughlan is expected to be among the ministers taking a higher profile in the Nice campaign this week. On Saturday she hit out at No campaigners who had been warning that a Yes vote on October 19 would open the floodgates to immigrants from the former East Bloc.

Speaking to Irish immigrant groups in Philadelphia, Ms Coughlan saluted the legacy of the Irish-US Diaspora and said things may have come full circle: "Unfortunately scare-mongering and playing to low prejudice have marked a political debate that should instead be about bettering our nation and the condition of our people and their future."