Minister Leo Varadkar has announced that the €5 increase in the State pension will begin from March 10.

He said the €5 increases in other benefits payments will begin in the days that follow. These include hikes in the widow's pension, carer's benefit, disability allowance and illness benefit.

All of the changes to the payments should be in place by St Patrick's Day.

The Minister said today: "Budget 2017 and the social welfare measures in particular aim to ensure that everyone benefits from the recovery. The ESRI has already shown that Budget 2017 contains the greatest benefits for the least well off. Key to this is the proposal in the Social Welfare Bill to increase the maximum rate of all weekly benefits by €5 a week, to people of working age as well as retired people aged 66 or older."

"The Government will implement the increases as early as resources allow. The Social Welfare Bill therefore provides for the increases to come into effect from the second week of March."

"This will commence with the payment of the €5 increase for pensions on March 10th, with the remaining increases being applied to other benefits over the following six days as the payments for individual benefits fall due in accordance with the payment calendar," he added.