Welfare Benefits Cut in Budget

After the Budget – the following Welfare payments will be reduced by €8.30 per week from January 1st 2010

* Jobseeker’s Benefit

* Jobseeker’s Allowance

* Supplementary Welfare Allowance

* One-Parent Family Payment

* Prisoner’s Wife’s Allowance

* Pre-Retirement Allowance

* Farm Assist

* Health and Safety Benefit

* Widow’s and Widower’s (Contributory) Pension (under 66)

* Widow’s and Widower’s (Non-Contributory) Pension

* Guardian’s Payment (Contributory)

* Guardian’s Payment (Non-Contributory)

* Deserted Wife’s Allowance

* Deserted Wife’s Benefit (under 66)

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Qualified adult rate for the following payments will be reduced by €5.50 per week:

* Jobseeker’s Benefit

* Jobseeker’s Allowance

* Supplementary Welfare Allowance

* Pre-Retirement Allowance

* Farm Assist

* Health and Safety Benefit

* Illness Benefit

* Disability Allowance

* Blind Pension

Injury Benefit

Note: The Qualified child rate for all social welfare payments will be increased by €3.80 per week . This is to balance the reduction in Child Benefit of €16 a month (3.69 a week). So  the child benefit cut will not affect people on welfare benefits.

These reductions come after another drop in the cost of living figures in Ireland. Also – recent CSO figures show that many families on Welfare Benefits had larger income increases than workers in recent years. See More about that Here