Social welfare spending rose by 11 per cent last year to almost £4.2 billion.
Annual statistics issued by the Department show that the three major areas of expenditure were supports for families (28 per cent), pensions and other benefits for old people (25 per cent) and unemployment payments (25 per cent).
Nearly 1.5 million people benefit from social welfare weekly payments when dependants are taken into account. The total number of direct recipients is over 800,000 a week.
