Social Security Benefits expenditure up
During the first quarter of 2017, government expenditure on Social Security Benefits increased by €1.8 million compared to the same quarter in 2016, the National Statistics Office said.
Social Security Benefits Expenditure Social Security Benefits expenditure totalled €208.4 million by the end of the first three months of 2017, a 0.9% rise from the same period in 2016. The increase was due to a €3.8 million rise in Contributory Benefits outlay.
Conversely, Non-Contributory Benefits expenditure recorded a decline of €2 million. In the first quarter of 2017, Contributory Benefits expenditure amounted to €165.8 million, 2.3% higher than the corresponding 2016 period.
Pensions in respect of Retirement registered the largest increase of €3.5 million, followed by Pensions in respect of Widowhood (€2.2 million) and Contributory Bonus (€0.7 million). The rise in Contributory Benefits outlay was partially offset by decreases recorded under Pensions in respect of Invalidity (€2.1 million) and Other Benefits (€0.5 million).
Non-Contributory expenditure totalled €42.6 million in the first three months of 2017, reflecting a 4.4% decrease from 2016. The drop in outlay was mainly due to a €2.3 million decline recorded under Social Assistance outlay. Further decreases were also registered in Children’s Allowance (€0.5 million), In-Work Benefit (€0.2 million) and Non-Contributory Bonus (€0.1 million).
On the other hand, a €0.4 million increase in outlay was recorded under both Disability Pensions/Allowance and Supplementary Assistance, together with a €0.2 million rise registered under Old Age Pension.
The Two-Thirds Pension contained the largest cohort of Contributory Benefits’ beneficiaries with 44,741 recipients registered by the end of the first quarter of 2017. The same benefit recorded the biggest increase in beneficiaries with 1,976 more recipients than the first quarter of 2016. Conversely, the largest drops in recipients were recorded by the Unemployment Benefit (272) and the National Minimum Invalidity Pension (235).
In the first three months of 2017, the majority of Non-Contributory recipients consisted of Children’s Allowance (40,659) and Supplementary Assistance (22,652). Unemployment Assistance Tapering and In-Work Benefit recorded the largest increases in beneficiaries with 663 and 558 more recipients respectively. On the other hand, Unemployment Assistance registered the largest drop with 1,472 less recipients.