€200 cost-of-living payment to go out to 1.3m people this week

Kenneth Fox

Around 1.3 million people, including pensioners and lone parents, are set to receive cost-of-living supports from this week.

Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys is set to inform Cabinet of a number of €200 payments that will be given to welfare recipients to help households with rising costs.

On Friday almost 611,000 pensioners in receipt of the State pension will receive their €200 lump sum on top of their weekly payment, according to the Irish Examiner.

On Thursday, those in receipt of carer’s allowance and carer’s benefit will receive €200, and almost 50,000 households in receipt of the working family payment will receive their €200 top-up on the same day.

And on Wednesday, around 158,000 people in receipt of the disability allowance will receive their additional support.

Those on jobseekers' allowance will receive their lump sum between Monday and Friday this week, as will the 41,000 people in receipt of the one-parent family payment.

The payments, announced last February, will be made to pensioners, carers, people with disabilities, and other groups such as those receiving the back-to-education allowance.

Ms Humphreys will also tell Cabinet colleagues that a further €100 child benefit payment will be paid at the end of June.

Separately, Minister for Housing Darragh O'Brien will inform Cabinet of his three new measures to escalate the supply of housing.

It is understood the existing development levy, which is due to be temporarily waived, will cost the State up to €300 million a year.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said the move will cut the cost for developers and those buying homes.