Christmas bonus for asylum seekers in direct provision is €16

Over 1,000 asylum seekers will get their Christmas “bonus” this week – of €16.23 for adults and €13.26 for their children.

These asylum seekers are among 1.2 million welfare recipients who will get the “bonus”, worth 85 per cent of their weekly allowance, along with their regular payment, between now and Friday.

According to figures from the Department of Social Protection, some 1,170 recipients of the direct provision allowance – of €19.10 per week for adults and €15.60 for children, will be entitled to the "bonus".

As with several other schemes – including jobseeker’s allowance and the back to education allowance – recipients of the DP allowance must have been eligible for the payment for 15 months to qualify for the bonus.

The rates of allowances paid to those in direct provision are set by the Department of Justice.

The weekly allowance for asylum seekers and their children, and the "bonus", are so low that families in direct provision are "effectively unable to participate in Christmas" according to Tanya Ward, chief executive of the Children's Rights Alliance

“We know children in direct provision try to hide the fact that they live there because they are so ashamed of the poverty. Christmas makes the reality of that poverty even more stark for them.

“This would be the ideal time for the Government to follow through on recommendations made in their own working group report, that the allowance for children of asylum seekers be increased to €29.80 per week.”

Working group report

The report, from the working group chaired by former justice Dr Bryan McMahon, recommended the weekly allowance for children be increased by €20.20 from €9.60 for children, to the rate paid in respect of child dependents of other welfare recipients. The allowance for children was increased, but by €6 only.

The report also recommended the allowance for adults be increased to €38.74. It remains €19.10.

Recipients of 32 other welfare payments, including farm-assist, community-employment and the carers allowance, will be eligible for a Christmas bonus this week, at a cost to the Department of Social Protection of €221 million.

A single person in receipt of the contributory State pension will get their usual payment of €233.30, plus €198.30.

A lone parent with one child will get their usual payment of €217.80, plus €185.10 while a carer will get €204, plus €173.40.

Minister Leo Varadkar, describing the "bonus" as "very important" said: "I'm especially pleased that we have been able to pay it at a rate of 85 per cent of the benefit. This is the highest level of payment since the bonus was abolished by the previous Government.

“The most important impact of the Christmas bonus is for the recipients. But it also represents a significant boost for local economies with an additional €221 million being made available.”