€5 added to social welfare payments this week

Five euro extra is being added to social welfare payments from this week.

An extra €5 is being added to social welfare payments from this week.

The increases were announced in Budget 2018 and will apply across the board, including child benefit, old age pension and the dole.

Minister for Social Protection Regina Doherty explains why they decided to increase it for those on the dole despite the country nearing full employment.

"If you're going to announce that there's a minimum amount of money that people can live on, or need to live on, then it's not fair to penalise people who are between jobs," she said.

"Now I know I have a challenge, particularly on the longer-term unemployed people - we need to probably be more assertive to help those people get jobs - but it is a minimum level of money you accept or deem OK for people to live on, then it isn't fair to penalise one group of people over a different group of people."

- Digital desk