DPB Growth Slowing, Overall Benefit Numbers Up

The long upward growth in the number of people receiving a domestic purposes benefit appears to be slowing, the Minister of Social Welfare Hon Roger Sowry said today.

Mr Sowry said that the latest bi-annual overview of benefit trends for the period to 31 December 1997 indicated that the upwards growth in the DPB appeared to have slowed over the last nine months of 1997 most probably related to changes introduced in April 1997 as a result of the employment task force recommendations.

"The expansion of the Compass programme, which is now helping around 16,000 DPB recipients, is also playing an important role in helping people move from DPB to the work force.

"Numbers on all income tested benefits continue to show increases however. The number of people who depend on income support payments as their main source of income rose by 9,754 over the past 12 months," says Mr Sowry.

Unemployment benefit numbers increased 4.6% over the last year, reflecting a slight upwards trend since March 1996.

Invalids benefit numbers increased 8.7% to 48,185 over the year to December while sickness benefits increased by 5.5% to 36,418.

Mr Sowry says the decrease of 13.3% in the number of Special Needs Grants issued, and a reduction of 11.7% in the number of benefit advances reflect the one to one case management focus of Income Support.

"Nevertheless, the continuing overall increase in income tested benefit numbers reinforces the importance of the Government's employment, benefit reform and strengthening Families policies aimed at assisting people towards independence," says Mr Sowry.