Latest news with #OireachtasSocialProtectionCommittee
Dublin Live
a day ago
- Business
- Dublin Live
Social welfare Ireland: TD says €12 dole rise in Budget 'not feasible' as row deepens
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Nearly 13,500 people have been on Jobseekers Allowance for over five years, with nearly 5,000 on the payment for a decade or more, new figures have revealed. It comes as the coalition is on yet another collision course over whether to increase pension rates and the social welfare rates to the same extent during Budget 2026. John Paul O'Shea, a Fine Gael TD and Chairman of the powerful Oireachtas Social Protection Committee, stated a €12 dole rise "will not be feasible" in October's budget as he said there is "no reason" why people should be on the payment for more than 12 months. Last week, Tánaiste Simon Harris suggested that he was "not convinced that you need to see as significant a rise in the dole as you do on the pension, for example, at the time when our country's in full employment and there's lots of supports out there for people getting into work". However, speaking in Japan, Taoiseach Micheál Martin warned against creating distinctions and said that Fine Gael had never proposed the idea of differing increases. This is despite senior Fine Gael sources confirming to the Irish Mirror that it was put forward by then Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys as an option. New figures provided to the Irish Mirror by the Department of Social Protection confirmed that 46,940 people had been on Jobseeker's Allowance for more than one year. Some 9,809 people have been receiving the payment for between two and three years, while 5,066 people have been on Jobseekers for three to four years. Another 2,784 people have been receiving the weekly payment for four to five years. In total, 13,391 people have been on Jobseekers for more than five years. Of these, 8,487 people have been in receipt of it for more than five years, while 4,904 have been classified as unemployed for a decade or more. Deputy O'Shea, Fine Gael TD for Cork North-West and chair of the Oireachtas Social Protection Committee, told the Irish Mirror that "there is no reason why people should be on Jobseekers for longer than 12 months". When asked if he agreed with the Tánaiste's suggestion that social protection rates and pensions did not need to be increased at the same rate as part of Budget 2026, he said, "Absolutely". He continued: "We obviously went and gave everyone on social welfare benefits €12 of [an] increase last year. I don't think that is feasible this year, given the conversations we've had only last week in terms of trying to fund the [third level] student contribution fee as part of Government next year. "A €1 increase [to social welfare payments] would actually pay for the whole of the entire student contribution fee that's required. "I don't [know] why we should be prioritising job seekers who are on Jobseekers for over 12 months, and not to mention five years or 10 years, on the basis of the other requirements we have to fund within budget." At a press conference on Monday following the Government's Competitiveness Summit, Public Expenditure Minister Jack Chambers declined to wade into the potential budget clash between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. He said: "[Social Protection] Minister [Dara] Calleary will obviously examine the different supports that exist in the social protection system and how best to prioritise that in the context of Budget 2026. "One component is obviously Jobseekers. There's Disability Allowance, Carers and obviously pension supports as well. "It's within that context that he'll have to assess what the relative increases will be as part of next year's budget. "But it will be in a different fiscal context than we've seen in previous years, and that means every minister will have to prioritise the increased supports they want to see for different areas that they're responsible for." Join our Dublin Live breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive your daily dose of Dublin Live content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. For all the latest news from Dublin and surrounding areas visit our homepage.
Irish Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Business
- Irish Daily Mirror
TD says €12 dole rise in Budget 'not feasible' as social welfare row deepens
Nearly 13,500 people have been on Jobseekers Allowance for over five years, with nearly 5,000 on the payment for a decade or more, new figures have revealed. It comes as the coalition is on yet another collision course over whether to increase pension rates and the social welfare rates to the same extent during Budget 2026. John Paul O'Shea, a Fine Gael TD and Chairman of the powerful Oireachtas Social Protection Committee, stated a €12 dole rise 'will not be feasible' in October's budget as he said there is 'no reason' why people should be on the payment for more than 12 months. Last week, Tánaiste Simon Harris suggested that he was 'not convinced that you need to see as significant a rise in the dole as you do on the pension, for example, at the time when our country's in full employment and there's lots of supports out there for people getting into work'. However, speaking in Japan, Taoiseach Micheál Martin warned against creating distinctions and said that Fine Gael had never proposed the idea of differing increases. This is despite senior Fine Gael sources confirming to the Irish Mirror that it was put forward by then Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys as an option. New figures provided to the Irish Mirror by the Department of Social Protection confirmed that 46,940 people had been on Jobseeker's Allowance for more than one year. Some 9,809 people have been receiving the payment for between two and three years, while 5,066 people have been on Jobseekers for three to four years. Another 2,784 people have been receiving the weekly payment for four to five years. In total, 13,391 people have been on Jobseekers for more than five years. Of these, 8,487 people have been in receipt of it for more than five years, while 4,904 have been classified as unemployed for a decade or more. Deputy O'Shea, Fine Gael TD for Cork North-West and chair of the Oireachtas Social Protection Committee, told the Irish Mirror that 'there is no reason why people should be on Jobseekers for longer than 12 months'. When asked if he agreed with the Tánaiste's suggestion that social protection rates and pensions did not need to be increased at the same rate as part of Budget 2026, he said, 'Absolutely'. He continued: 'We obviously went and gave everyone on social welfare benefits €12 of [an] increase last year. I don't think that is feasible this year, given the conversations we've had only last week in terms of trying to fund the [third level] student contribution fee as part of Government next year. 'A €1 increase [to social welfare payments] would actually pay for the whole of the entire student contribution fee that's required. 'I don't [know] why we should be prioritising job seekers who are on Jobseekers for over 12 months, and not to mention five years or 10 years, on the basis of the other requirements we have to fund within budget.' At a press conference on Monday following the Government's Competitiveness Summit, Public Expenditure Minister Jack Chambers declined to wade into the potential budget clash between Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael. He said: '[Social Protection] Minister [Dara] Calleary will obviously examine the different supports that exist in the social protection system and how best to prioritise that in the context of Budget 2026. 'One component is obviously Jobseekers. There's Disability Allowance, Carers and obviously pension supports as well. 'It's within that context that he'll have to assess what the relative increases will be as part of next year's budget. 'But it will be in a different fiscal context than we've seen in previous years, and that means every minister will have to prioritise the increased supports they want to see for different areas that they're responsible for.'
Extra.ie
23-06-2025
- Business
- Extra.ie
Almost 20,000 families benefit from new baby grant
Almost 20,000 families have benefited from the newborn baby grant introduced in the last budget, the head of the Oireachtas Social Protection Committee has claimed. The grant of €280 was announced as part of Budget 2025 and is paid to families with babies born or adopted after December 1 last year, in addition to their regular monthly child benefit payment of €140. Fine Gael TD John Paul O'Shea, chairman of the Oireachtas Social Protection Committee, obtained figures showing the new grant has been paid in respect of 19,750 babies so far. Almost 20,000 families have benefited from the newborn baby grant introduced in the last budget. (Photo by: ASTIER/BSIP/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) Dublin had the highest number with 5,327 newborn baby grants paid up to June while Leitrim had the lowest with 115. Cork is in second place with 2,371, followed by Galway in third on 1,156 and Kildare with 1,056. Mr O'Shea said: 'The newborn baby grant was introduced in last year's Budget to help families with the costs of a new arrival. 'The grant demonstrates our continued commitment to putting money back in peoples' pockets and ensuring all children have positive experiences and get off to a great start in life.' A medical worker is caring for a newborn 'dragon baby' in the maternity department of Zaozhuang Maternal and Child Health Hospital in Shandong province, China, on February 10, 2024. (Photo by Costfoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images) He added: 'Looking after a new baby is a busy, costly and stressful time for families. The good news is the grant is paid automatically with your child benefit payment. 'This grant has been introduced to support young families but we need to do more. 'I want to see key commitments in the Programme for Government, such as the introduction of pay-related parents benefit, progressed so we can provide further support to young families.'
