Social welfare increases commencing this week
MAYO'S social welfare recipients are set to benefit from increases in their payments beginning this week.
Fine Gael TD Alan Dillon outlined: “Mayo’s carers, pensioners, widows, widowers, lone parents, people with disabilities and people on jobseekers’ payments are set to benefit from new increases in their social welfare payments as announced in Budget 2022.
“Normally social welfare increases announced in the budget take effect later in the year, but for 2022 they are commencing this week, which is good news for all social welfare recipients in Co. Mayo.
“My colleague, the Minister for Social Protection, Heather Humphreys, has delivered the largest social welfare budget in 14 years, with over €450 million in improvements to weekly payments.”
Deputy Dillon added: “All people in Mayo in receipt of weekly social welfare payments will feel the benefit of the increases to the core rates.
“Pensioners are set to receive a €5 increase in the State Pension, the first time the rate of payment for pensioners has increased since March 2019.
“The Living Alone Allowance is rising to €22 per week, the third year in a row of increases to this payment. As recently as 2019 this payment stood at just €9.
“Many social welfare payment recipients will also this week benefit from an increase for qualified child dependants, the fifth year in a row this payment has increased for families. The rate of payment in respect of a qualified child up to the age of 12 is increasing by €2 per week while the rate of payment is increasing by €3 for children aged 12 years and over. This means that the increase in some households will be somewhere between €8.30 and €9.50 per week.
“For households in receipt of two primary payments, such as a contributory pension, the increase will be at least €10.”
He continued: “Minister Humphreys has also increased the income thresholds for the Working Family Payment and ensured more families will be brought into the scheme.
I am pleased to say also that the Hot School Meals Programme for children in schools is being expanded in time for the new school term, which will benefit many school going children in Mayo.”