Social Welfare
# social-welfare - Tuesday 23 April, 2013
Rip-off pension charges make a ‘huge difference’ to your pension pot, says OECD expert
John Martin, who was behind the major OECD study published into Ireland’s pensions timebomb, says private pensions need to start sending regular letters out to people. Here’s why.
# social-welfare - Monday 22 April, 2013
Pensions timebomb: Let’s link pension age to life expectancy, says expert
People are living longer so it makes sense to increase the pension age beyond 68 – so says the man behind today’s OECD report into Ireland’s pensions.
# social-welfare - Thursday 18 April, 2013
Column: ‘I thought I did everything right – so why have I ended up here?’
Aoife O’Connor has gone to college, got good results, borrowed money to get more qualifications by doing a postgrad, but she still finds herself with no job. Here she asks why she can’t catch a break?
# social-welfare - Friday 5 April, 2013
Column: This property tax is callous and a breach in democratic norms
The Government has no democratic mandate from the electorate for a property tax. In fact, they were elected on the very opposite of commitments, writes Kieran Allen.
# social-welfare - Thursday 14 March, 2013
Oireachtas agenda: Horse meat, Gaeilge, and welfare spending
The Public Accounts Committee scrutinises the accounts of the Department of Social Protection this morning.
# social-welfare - Friday 8 March, 2013
# social-welfare - Wednesday 6 March, 2013
Average welfare payments for religious ceremonies halved in 2012
Joan Burton reveals that the average welfare payment for religious ceremony clothing went from €245 to €120.
# social-welfare - Friday 1 March, 2013
The 5 at 5: Friday
5 stories, 5 minutes, 5 o’clock…
New figures on foreign nationals ‘debunk migrant welfare myth’
The CSO report said that the decline in employment activity for foreign nationals has not resulted in a corresponding increase in social welfare activity.
# social-welfare - Friday 22 February, 2013
McDonald criticises plan to take property tax from bank accounts
The Sinn Féin TD said the idea was “simply wrong” at a time when households are experiencing financial distress.
# social-welfare - Thursday 21 February, 2013
New child benefit will hurt poorer families, says Vincent de Paul
The recommended two-tier child benefit system will worsen the situation of families who are already struggling, the charity said.
# social-welfare - Monday 4 February, 2013
# social-welfare - Saturday 19 January, 2013
# social-welfare - Friday 18 January, 2013
Oireachtas agenda: Dáil to debate social welfare ‘amnesty’
Sinn Féin wants to make it legally possible for someone to declare a welfare overpayment without penalty.
# social-welfare - Friday 4 January, 2013
Small drop in live register figures – but unemployment stays at 14.6 per cent
The number of people aged 25 or under on the live register dropped for the 29th month in a row.
# social-welfare - Tuesday 1 January, 2013
The 9 at 9: New Year’s Day
Happy New Year! Here’s the nine things you need to know as you begin the first morning of 2013.
# social-welfare - Saturday 29 December, 2012
# social-welfare - Thursday 20 December, 2012
Spain passes massive austerity cutbacks
Crowds gathered today to protest against job and benefit cuts as well as the tax increases passed today.
# social-welfare - Wednesday 19 December, 2012
Labour senator James Heffernan resigns party whip
The Labour Party spokesperson on Transport, Tourism and Sport Heffernan has resigned the whip.
# social-welfare - Sunday 16 December, 2012
# social-welfare - Saturday 15 December, 2012
Keaveney criticises ‘cynicism’ of ministers over his voting against government
The Labout TD said ministers and party members were attempting to distract from problematic issues in the budget.
# social-welfare - Wednesday 12 December, 2012
# social-welfare - Tuesday 11 December, 2012
ESRI: One in five people are living in jobless households
The percentage of households where adults are not working has grown from 15 per cent to 22 per cent in just three years.
# social-welfare - Sunday 9 December, 2012
Labour chair still hoping Budget cut to child benefit can be reversed
“I think it is and it has to be,” Labour TD Colm Keaveney said when asked whether child benefit was still up for negotiation in the Budget.
Poll: Should the reduction in the respite care grant be reversed?
The decision to cut the grant by over €300 has proved controversial. Should it be reversed or does the government need to stick to its plans?
# social-welfare - Saturday 8 December, 2012
Fine Gael politicians urge Burton to roll back on respite grant cut
A Fine Gael TD and a Senator have both asked the Minister to reconsider the decision to cut the grant by over €300.
# social-welfare - Thursday 6 December, 2012
Labour TDs meet with Burton in last-ditch bid to stop child benefit cuts Exclusive
Two Dublin TDs want to stop the government from cutting child benefit – but if they can’t, will they vote against the Budget?
Column: This Budget isn’t just bad – it’s at odds with Government policies
The cuts contained in this Budget fly in the face of Government statements on growth and protection. They’re difficult to justify, writes Michael Taft.
Noonan defends PRSI increases as ‘best value taxpayers can get’
Michael Noonan says paying €5.08 extra a week for a guaranteed pension is “the best value anyone will ever get”.
Counting the pennies: where your tax money will go in 2013
The government’s going to spend €69 billion in total next year. So where does the average taxpayer’s money go?
Oireachtas agenda: Budget aftermath, expert group and same-sex partnerships
The Dáil debates the Budget and the Expert Group report, while the Seanad allows secular bodies to perform civil ceremonies.
The 9 at 9: Thursday
It’s the morning after the €3.5 billion day before… so let’s bring you up to speed. Good morning!
# social-welfare - Wednesday 5 December, 2012
# social-welfare - Sunday 2 December, 2012
Older people could delay paying property tax until they die – Burton
The Social Protection minister says a range of ‘easy-pay options’ are being considered for payment of the property tax.
# social-welfare - Saturday 1 December, 2012
Budget 2013: Four days to go, here is the speculation so far
The Budget is days away and though there has been fewer leaks than last year there’s plenty of speculation. This is what we can expect on Wednesday… definitely, maybe.
# social-welfare - Friday 30 November, 2012
Poll: Should child benefit be cut by €10?
Reports suggest the government is planning to cut child benefit from €140 to €130 per month. What do you think – good idea? Bad idea?
Budget 2013: Children’s groups hit out at likely €10 cut to child benefit
Various reports indicate that child benefit will be cut from €140 to €130 per child in next week’s Budget.






















































