The Government has approved the payment of a Christmas bonus again this year for certain social welfare and community employment recipients at a cost of £41.7 million.
The Minister for Social Welfare, Mr De Rossa, said it would amount to 70 per cent of normal weekly payments, reaching almost £100 in the case of a married couple with three children in receipt of long-term unemployment assistance. No one would receive less than £20. It will be paid during the first week in December. About 1.3 million people, comprising 800,000 recipients and 500,000 dependants, will benefit from the bonus.