Largest welfare share to older people

PAYMENTS TO older people accounted for the largest proportion of the social welfare budget last year, followed by payments to job seekers.

Minister for Social Protection Joan Burton yesterday published her department’s annual report, as well as the Statistical Information of Social Welfare Service 2010.

While the department’s social expenditure budget increased by 1.5 per cent to €20.8 billion last year, spending in some areas fell, including child benefit, which was paid to 591,432 families in respect of 1,124,003 children.

Spending on child benefit fell by 11.3 per cent to just over €2.2 billion. Child benefit rates dropped last year, from €150 a month for each child to €140 a month for the first and second children in a family and to €167 for third children and €177 for fourth and subsequent children.

Child-related payments accounted for 12.7 per cent of the social welfare budget in 2010.

The highest proportion, 22.1 per cent, was made up of payments to older people; followed by job seekers’ supports (19.6 per cent); illness, disability and caring (16.6 per cent); supplementary welfare allowance (4.6 per cent) and employment supports (2.9 per cent).

Expenditure on State pensions increased by 1 per cent to just over €4.6 billion. Payments were made to almost 394,000 people in this area.

The family income supplement was paid to 28,223 families last year.