And it also states as above re the deal with Minister Burton:-
The Telephone Allowance will be set at €22.22 per month (from €25.91 per month) from September 2011. However, the Department of Social Protection has negotiated with Eircom, the main supplier, to ensure that all Eircom customers will get a value of €26.86 towards their telephone bill.
Commenting on this change Minister Burton said: “I welcome this new ‘social benefits’ deal with Eircom to obtain maximum value for the State and for our customers. We’ll no longer pay a monthly rental for handsets, but customers will be able to keep their set at no charge. It just makes more sense.”The amounts paid in respect of customers of other companies or to customers who receive the allowance on a cash basis will also be reduced to €22.22 per month.