Social welfare rises due in new year

SOCIAL welfare increases announced in last month’s Budget are due to come into effect in the new year with a minimum €10 increase in all weekly social welfare payments.

The Minister for Social and Family Affairs, Mary Coughlan, said yesterday that the €670m package announced in Budget 2004 would double social welfare expenditure levels of 1997, despite unemployment figures having halved over the same period.

The increases will apply to people in receipt of old age, retirement and invalidity pensions, death benefit, widow, widower and deserted wife’s benefits, unemployment benefit as well as a range of other allowances.