social welfare increases more moderate

[Brendan Burgess]

100% xmas bonus
€5 for living alone allowance

I am providing for further increases of €15 for the One Parent Family Payment and Jobseeker
Transition income disregards and €10 for the Working Family Payment income threshold for
families with up to three children to ensure that work pays.

I am also committing to increases in the Qualified Child Payment by a further €3 for over 12s
and €2 for under 12s.

The burden of the increase in carbon tax falls unequally.
That is why I am increasing the fuel allowance by €2 per week and I will match this with
increases to programmes that help address the causes of fuel poverty.

 

[noproblem]

Prudent and correct decision by the minister. As a pensioner myself, of course I would have liked a few bob but I do believe we're getting enough and with the Xmas bonus it's almost an increase of a €5 a week anyway. Over 70's I'd imagine are over the moon with the new medical card reviews. My children are grown up now with their own children. I do know they've never touched the children's allowance over the years (very tempted at times though) and have a nice education fund built up, and they won't be overly angry, or whatever, that there's no big increases. I've no doubt they never expected anything at all. Surprised that he didn't put a small charge on free public transport as I do think it's being totally exploited but there you go. Happy all round.

 

[michaelm]

€10 for the Working Family Payment income threshold for families with up to three children to ensure that work pays.

That's affectively €6/week. I can't imagine he saved much money by withholding same from families with four or more children.

 

[roker]

They are after 10 yrs means testing the dependent relative allowance, some wives have spent time away from work to look after young children an may not have enough contributions to be contributory allowance, they are classes none contributory, if they have other income over €100 week they will be deducted