asked the Minister for Social Welfare if she is satisfied that single persons in receipt of £34.95 assistance from her Department and with little other income, living alone, can survive on such amount; and if such persons are in need of special consideration of their case.

19.

asked the Minister for Social Welfare if she considers the present maximum rate of unemployment assistance for single persons to be adequate for subsistence; and if she will make a statement on the matter.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 8 and 19 together.

Entitlement to unemployment assistance is dependent on means and levels of payments are normally fixed at budget time. In any particular case the rate of assistance payable is the appropriate maximum rate less the weekly means assessed, including in the case of single persons living at home the value of board and lodgings. Statistics are not kept in such a way as would enable the average rate of assistance paid to single persons living at home to be determined.

Despite the very difficult financial situation, the Government have more than fulfilled their commitment to maintain the value of social welfare payments and have in fact provided real increases in the levels of those payments. In regard to unemployment assistance in particular, the Government made provision this year and in each of the past three years for higher levels of payment to people who have been unemployed for 15 months or more.

In the period mid-May 1983 to mid-May 1987 the increase in the consumer price index is expected to be of the order of 23 per cent. In that period the long term unemployed will have got increases of about 40 per cent, other long term recipients, such as pensioners, will have got increases amounting to 33 per cent and short term beneficiaries will have received increases amounting to 30 per cent.