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OLDER PEOPLE SAW a fall in their average income between 2009 and 2011, reversing an earlier upward trend, new data released today has shown.
In 2011, the average weekly income of an elderly person was €407.28, a drop of more than €20, according to the CSO. The data outlines that about 9.7 per cent of people over the age of 65 are at risk of poverty.
“It has been a perfect storm,” says Alone CEO Seán Moynihan. “These figures properly reflect what we’re finding on the ground. Winter is the busiest time of year for us and calls have been increasing 25 per cent year-on-year but in June, we took the same amount of calls as we did last November.”
He also noted that the figures are two years behind and that there have been other changes since 2011.
“The pensions have held steady but the problem is that while older people’s income is fixed, the cost of living is going up. The basics such as fuel, medication and food are all increasing and, at the same time, services grants and supports are being cut or are harder to get.
There is a myth out there that older people have not been affected but that is not true. Some are literally being forced to pick between heating and eating.
Another support group, Age Action Ireland, says it is not surprised by the report, reiterating that “many older people seriously struggling to make ends meet”.
The CSO’s Thematic Report on the Elderly uses findings from the Survey on Income and Living Conditions from 2004, 2009, 2010 and 2011. It shows that the consistent poverty rate among older people has risen from 1.1 per cent to 1.9 per cent between 2009 and 2011. The deprivation rate has increased from 9.5 per cent to 11.3 per cent over the same period.
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What a complete waste of money, this is going to be a bonanza for dodgy fas trained web designers putting up lame websites for dog groomers and hairdressers. Any business that has a genuine online business model should invest in their own business. Instead of a grant why not a low interest loan?
Joe, I have grown a business from 1 employee to 14 without any financial backing over the last few years, so I feel qualified to comment here. First off, I think this is an excellent idea – for a small business this would be a huge help. Businesses NEED to be on the web these days, but it does cost about 2500 for the most basic decent web presence (unless you are a web designer yourself). Small businesses don’t have that kind of money. It’s a vicious circle. You know you could increase sales (way more than 2500 per year) with a good web presence, but you don’t have the spare money to get one and the banks won’t lend it to you unless you are buying something tangible that they could repossess if they had to. Websites do not fall into this category.
Second, there’s nothing wrong in Fas trained people. Whenever I hear people talking down FAS training, I know they have never employed anyone who has completed a fas course. It’s an unfounded prejudice with no basis in fact, you are merely quoting “bloke down the pub says…” and it doesn’t reflect well on you. I’ve employed 4 fas trained people and they are excellent.
Having said all that, yes, I think the idea of a low cost loan, with a long repayment period is a fair compromise, though.
I agree with most of your points Andy, but I think Joe is talking about FAS trained web designers. I am a web designer myself and I agree with him that a course in web design with FAS doesn’t make you a designer. You might learn how a website can be created, mostly with outdated software and techniques, but the design part is not taught. This results in pretty ugly bloated websites.
IT Developers can not be got at the moment, lucky for them they are flat out if they are good.
Good sentiment here but poor execution again. Grants are a joke. We need on the ground assistance, less red tape and a lowering of costs for doing business.
This is like what FF did in the 90s &00s horsing out grants to build and worsened a “building bubble”. IT Developers will do as the builders did and jack up prices.
I wonder if an IT lobby had anything to do with this decision??
Oh I am getting very cynical about politics in this country.
Andy I have what I believe to be a brilliant web based business idea but cannot secure funding to get it off the ground,as a man who seems to know about such things what would you recommend my next step to be? Thanks in advance.
John, I’m working on a few ideas online myself at the present with a business partner. There are ways of doing it cheap. Drop me an email if you’re interested, darrenoceall@gmail.com
Use open source software, dip into your own pocket and start designing.
John, try kickstarter. Crowd funding is really taking off. Either that or talk to enterprise Ireland about their hpsu (high potential start up) programme. Good luck.
Why not cut real business costs for us like rates! If 2,500 was gone off my rates bill this year it would be a start! Government please start listening to small business’s, we are on our knees. Asking business’s who don’t have a shilling to spare to “match” any money invested by government is down right insulting at this moment in time, as we struggle daily to pay government induced costs. We need urgent incentives that mean something, not watery options like this were only a few will benefit!
Lets face iy it looks better for Rabbitte to be seen givng out (taxpayers) money than cutting rates and sorting out restrictive rent contracts.
Your rates aren’t set by central government they’re set by your local authority.
In the meantime at Enda’s breakfast table…eur 50 tax for every new domain plus we can create the mb tax, that works out at…
Once the money is handed over to a damn good web designer or developer then I think it’s a great idea for small business. Portfolio and good testimonials/refererrals can help you find the right developer or else It’s money down the drain.
Seconded.
People with MONEY to purchase products, thats what small business requires.
A business owner that needs to be incentivised to get online, is not a business owner that should be in business.
I just find it incredible that just 37pc of SME business in this country use the internet and now they are being subsidised by the taxpayers with a grant to do do,i have used it for years and im nearing 70,and would find life impossible without it, as would most people,as i say it just beggers belief.
sPEND IT IMPROVING THE BROADBAND NETWORKS OUTSIDE OF DUBLIN, THEN MAYBE A BUSINESS CAN ACTUALLY GET ONLINE TO SET UP A WEBSITE!
Super idea! Good move by the govt!
You really must be stupid.
Hey Brian,
Take your negative comments and name calling some place else. If you have a counter suggestion on how the govt can assist small companies I would love to hear it.
Name calling is for little boys.
Good lad Brian.
It is not name calling its an observational comment, Unlike your back Kenny and Co at all cost reductions contribution.
Kenny has his major faults however this initiative is a great one. To think it is stupid is stupid, are you stupid?
Actually you sentence does not make sense. It’s grammatically poor.
You are correct the word “reductions” should have been “ridiculous”
No counter suggestion then Brian or are you just a negative person who points out faults and doesn’t contribute?
The majority of SME’s are begging for cash flow. Free up cash to assist in this. And not thro the corrupt banking system. Companies like pay pal, visa etc take up to 6 months to forward payments to suppliers from
On line sales. Where is the working capital for even 60 days coming from. No bank over drafts or credit facilities for established SME. What chance a new start venture have???
Support for SME’s. Started a new business, promised before I came off the live register of a grant from my local development office. Went for grant to be told in April I may add that there was no funds left for that grant for the rest of the year. Disgraceful !!
As initiatives go, it’s a step in the right direction, but there is a caveat – and this is not a complaint, but a genuine concern, which I hope will be yielded by even one SME business owner.
I hope there is some vetting involved in sourcing the website designers and developers, before a lump sum is paid out. My fear is that a growing number of template-merchants and hack ‘designers’ will be running (if not sprinting) to cash in on this.
So – please vet any third party based on portfolio, testimonials, ask for ‘links’ to previous work (and how these sites are doing on Google), and an outline of their working process, discuss website warranty etc
A hint; if you receive offers of simply ‘x pages for x€’, this is selling on a template as a commodity, and ‘not’ an invested designer interested in finding a ‘solution’ for your business.
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