St Helena : St Helena: Increases in Basic Island Pension and Income Related Benefits
Submitted by Saint Helena Herald (Public Relations Information Office) 07.04.2012 (Article Archived on 19.05.2012)
Recipients of Basic Island Pension (BIP) and Income Related Benefits (IRB) are to receive a 4.7% increase from 1st April. This increase affects the basic rates of BIP and IRB and was agreed by Executive Council on 21st February 2012 as a step forward to protect the more vulnerable members of the community.
Increases in Basic Island Pension and Income Related Benefits
Recipients of Basic Island Pension (BIP) and Income Related Benefits (IRB) are to receive a 4.7% increase from 1st April. This increase affects the basic rates of BIP and IRB and was agreed by Executive Council on 21st February 2012 as a step forward to protect the more vulnerable members of the community.
This means that BIP recipients on £45.00 a week will receive an increase to £47.12, those on £33.75 will now receive £35.34 and those on £22.50 will now receive £23.56.
Recipients of IRB will see an increase in their weekly benefits from £43.30 to £45.34.
Households receiving benefits under transitional protection arrangements may not necessarily receive an increase on their current overall amount of benefits as this will depend on the amount of transitional protection benefits they are receiving. The Household will however continue to receive at least the same amount of benefits as they did before the increase.
The Health and Social Welfare Directorate will also be distributing letters to recipients of both BIP and IRB informing them of the increases and changes in their weekly benefits.
Further increases are planned for 1st October 2012.
SHG and Councillors will continue to carefully monitor the impact of economic reforms on vulnerable and low income households and seek to apply appropriate protective measures.
Public Relations/Information Office
The Secretariat
2nd April 2012
|
