Latest news with #SusanneRogers
The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- Business
- The Irish Sun
Major boost for thousands of Irish as €33 weekly payment or €462 double lump sum set for return in just weeks
THOUSANDS of Irish households will get an extra €33 a week in their pocket in just weeks as a vital payment returns. The Fuel Allowance Advertisement 2 400,000 households received the allowance last year, with that number set to increase following eligibility reductions made in budget 2025 Credit: Getty Images - Getty Last year, the Now the Currently, the weekly Fuel Allowance payment is issued to over 400,000 Irish households. To qualify for the payment, you must be over 66, live alone, and satisfy a means test. Advertisement READ MORE IN IRISH NEWS If you are under 66, you'll need to be receiving a qualifying social welfare payment, such as a pension, to apply. Those living with dependent People on the Carer's Allowance are eligible as well, provided they meet all other criteria. Only one person per household can receive the allowance, and they must be residing in Ireland at the time of application. Advertisement Most read in Money In 2024, 400,000 households received the allowance. This year, that number is expected to rise following a four-year reduction in the eligibility age under Budget 2025. The news comes following debates in the Dail this week. Taoiseach Micheal Martin recently ruled out a repeat of 2025's €2.6 billion cost-of-living package. Advertisement BUDGET CONCERNS Similarly, government leaders have agreed to scrap one-off payments such as energy credits and double Child Benefit boosts. But what does this mean for those hardest hit by the Susanne Rogers of Social Justice Ireland says social welfare rates must increase to ensure vulnerable people are not left behind. She said previous cost-of-living supports offered short-term relief for low-income households, almost 650,000 people remain below the poverty line. Advertisement And without any of those supports, that number would likely be closer to 750,000. 2 Those over 66 do not need to sit a means test to receive the €924 payment Credit: Getty Images - Getty
The Irish Sun
3 days ago
- Business
- The Irish Sun
Major €506 Child Benefit & €25 welfare hike alert for Budget 2026 amid ‘important most vulnerable not forgotten' warning
THE countdown to the Budget has started — but hanging over the negotiations is the US President's potential trade war with Europe. Finance Minister 2 Micheal Martin has ruled out a repeat of 2025's €2.6 billion cost-of-living boon Credit: 2025 PA Media, All Rights Reserved 2 Susanne Rogers believes social welfare rates should increase to prevent vulnerable people being left behind While Taoiseach It is understood Government leaders have agreed to eliminate one-off payments such as energy credits and But where does that leave those hardest hit by the Here, Susanne Rogers, of Social Justice Ireland, says READ MORE ON BUDGET 2026 AS talk of A policy of one-off cost-of-living measures in recent budgets may have provided temporary relief to low-income households, but even with those measures, almost 12 per cent of the population (630,000 people) are living below the Without those one-off measures, more than 758,600 people would be living in poverty. Most read in The Irish Sun Government must use SOCIAL WELFARE : Government made many promises in the Programme for Government. Give me a break' - Watch shock moment Simon Harris & Pearse Doherty clash in fiery spat over cost-of-living crisis Key among them is the commitment to deliver progressive budgets, meaning that those on the lowest incomes are protected. The Minister for Social Protection must benchmark social welfare rates to 27.5 per cent of average weekly earnings. This requires a €25 increase in weekly This is even more critical in light of the increases to essentials such as rent, energy costs and food prices. ELDERLY STRUGGLING OLDER PEOPLE : More than 106,000 older people struggled to make ends meet in 2024, an increase of 64 per cent in a year. Without the temporary measures, one in five older people would have been living below the poverty line. This highlights how vulnerable older people are, due to their reliance on a fixed Contributory and Non-Contributory Pensions by €25 per week and universalise the payment, while increasing the living alone allowance by €10 per week. HIGH RISK OF POVERTY FUEL ALLOWANCE : Increase this by €10 per month and extend the payment to those receiving the Working Family Payment. This also unlocks secondary benefits such as access to retro-fitting grants. DISABILITY : The Programme for Government makes welcome commitments on a cost of The group with the highest risk of poverty and some of the highest rates of deprivation are those unable to work due to long-term illness or disability. To deliver on its promise, Budget 2026 should introduce a cost of disability allowance at €20 a week. BOOST FOR CARERS AND CHILDREN CARERS : Carers provide a huge service to the State. There are over 299,000 people in Ireland providing unpaid care each week, an increase of 53 per cent in six years. To acknowledge and support them, at the very minimum, Government must expand the Free It must increase the annual Carer's Support Grant to €2,150, implement an independent review of Carer's Allowance, increase Domiciliary Care Allowance to €385 per month, and pilot a Universal Basic Services and a Universal Basic Income Scheme for Carers at a cost of €10million, in line with the Programme for Government Commitment to a Carers Guarantee. KEY ROUTE CHILDREN : Child benefit remains a key route to tackling child poverty. In 2024, more than 190,000 children in Ireland were living in poverty, a statistic that should shock us all. Government should increase Child Benefit by €506, increase the Child Support Payment for under-12s by €6 and for those aged 12 and over by €15. It should also introduce an additional two weeks' paternity and Life on a low income is the norm for a large number of people in Ireland. But it shouldn't be. Government must use Budget 2026 to change this trend and improve the standard of living for vulnerable households. The first step is setting adequate social welfare rates.
The Irish Sun
23-05-2025
- Politics
- The Irish Sun
‘Crucial' €50 Child Benefit hike alert with €190 ‘more money in pocket' Budget 2026 demand after 9 years of no increases
IRELAND'S monthly €140 Child Benefit payment must be hiked by €50 to address alarming levels of child poverty, a think tank has said. The universal payment, which is of particular value to the thousands of Irish families struggling on the lowest incomes, has not been increased since 2016. Social Justice Ireland last year And the independent think tank today confirmed it will again be asking for a €50 increase in the universal payment rate in Budget 2026. Susanne Rogers, a Research and Policy Analyst with the organisation, told The Irish Sun: "Social Justice Ireland will be calling on the government to introduce a higher payment rate of "The rapid increase in prices in the past few years has posed particular challenges for low-income households throughout Ireland. READ MORE IN MONEY " Last year, the government set itself a mission to tackle child poverty, but Rogers has pointed out that hundreds of thousands of Irish children are still living in households experiencing poverty. Figures published in the CSO SILC data revealed that just over 844,700 people Rogers said: "Child Benefit hasn't been increased since 2016 despite MOST READ ON THE IRISH SUN "A €50 increase is required in Child Benefit to address Ireland's level of child poverty." Minister Heather Humphreys backs quadrupling child benefit payment The increase would mean Social Justice Ireland also said the The cash is an extra amount for a child provided to parents who are already on social welfare. The payment is currently €50 at the full rate for children under 12 and €62 at the full rate for children who are aged over 12. INFLATION IMPACT ON POORER HOUSEHOLDS Rogers explained: "Fundamentally, child poverty cannot be separated from the poverty experienced by the families to which children belong. "Had Government been serious about tackling child poverty, it would have addressed income adequacy, housing, education and health." The expert also explained that, although the CSO shows all households are experiencing significant price increases, the impact of inflation is greatest for the bottom 20 per cent of people. She said: Given that these lower income households spend a greater proportion of their income compared to better off households, they have been more exposed to price increases. "They also spend a greater proportion of their income on areas that experienced significant price increases like food, housing and energy." CHILD BENEFIT PAYMENT DATES CHILD Benefit will be paid out six more times before the end of the year. The universal cash is typically paid out on the first Tuesday of each month, but may be paid out earlier at times due to bank holidays. 3rd June - may be paid early due to June Bank Holiday 1st July 5th August - may be paid early due to August Bank Holiday 2nd September 7th October 4th November And Rogers said that measures targeting households impacted most by inflation are necessary to reduce child poverty, with Child Benefit being "of particular value to those families on the lowest incomes". She explained: "Our long-standing failure as a society to adequately engage with the issue of child poverty, and drive substantial and permanent reductions in it, is building long-term problems. "Given the slow and limited progress achieved by many previous anti-poverty strategies, it is crucial that anti-child poverty ambitions translate into actual measures that put more income in the pockets of poorer families and make the public services they rely on more readily available and more affordable. "Child poverty is essentially an issue of low income families and child poverty solutions hinge on issues such as adequate adult welfare rates, decent rates of pay and conditions for working parents, and adequate and available public services. "Child benefit also remains a key route to tackling child poverty." 1 Child Benefit is currently €140 per child each month Credit: Getty Images
The Irish Sun
18-05-2025
- Business
- The Irish Sun
Thousands warned amid major social welfare payment schedule shake-up coming in DAYS
THE Irish public is set to see a major social welfare shakeup in days, with thousands set to be impacted. Thousands are set to be impacted by the June Advertisement The bank holiday Monday falls on June 2 and people will see a change to their Due to the bank holiday, This means that anyone who was expecting to be paid on Monday will most likely be paid early. It's expected that people will see the payment in their account on Friday May 30. Advertisement READ MORE IN MONEY The payment schedule will then go back to normal on Tuesday June 3. The shakeup will also impact anyone who is set to be paid the New Baby Grant on June 6. This grant is paid on the same day as Child Benefit, which is the first Tuesday of every month. It comes after it was recommended that Advertisement Most read in Money This would mean vital payments such as BENCHMARK A new report from Social Justice Ireland indicates that the average weekly earnings for households across the country is €968.25. The National Social Monitor report found that 30 per cent of Gross Average Industrial Earnings is equivalent to 27.5 per cent of the new average earnings data being collected by the CSO. This figure has been claimed to be the benchmark for "minimum social welfare payments and reflects a continuation of the previous benchmark using the current CSO earnings dataset." Advertisement And, as 27.5 per cent of average weekly earnings currently sits at €266.27, there is a shortfall of just over €22 between the minimum social welfare rates being paid in 2025 and the average earning of households across Ireland. The report stated: "By the end of 2024 average weekly earnings equalled €968.25. "Taking this as the starting point for earnings in 2025, we can determine that the updated value of 27.5 per cent of average weekly earnings equals €266.27 implying a shortfall of just over €22 between the minimum social welfare rates being paid in 2025 - €244 - and this threshold." PAYMENT INCREASE Speaking to The Irish Sun, Susanne Rogers, Research and Policy Analyst, said payments needed to be increased to ensure those relying on social welfare are not "falling behind" others in society. Advertisement She said: "According to our calculations, if core social welfare rates were bench marked at 27.5 per cent of average earnings, the payment would currently be €266 a week, not €244 a week. "This level would mean that those relying on social welfare for all or part of their income would not be falling further behind the rest of society. "Every household in the country has seen their bills increase for the essentials - food and energy in particular. "Low income households however, have stark choices to make between those essentials when costs rise and income doesn't. The heat or eat response." Advertisement 1 Thousands will see a shakeup in payments Credit: Getty Images - Getty
The Irish Sun
15-05-2025
- Business
- The Irish Sun
New €266 weekly social welfare pay increase alert for Irish households amid ‘falling behind' warning after bill spike
CORE social welfare payments should be hiked to €266 each week to prevent Irish households from "falling behind" the rest of society, a think tank has said. This would mean vital payments such as Advertisement A new report from Social Justice Ireland indicates that the average weekly earnings for households across the country is €968.25. The National Social Monitor report found that 30 per cent of Gross Average Industrial Earnings is equivalent to 27.5 per cent of the new average earnings data being collected by the CSO. This figure has been claimed to be the benchmark for "minimum social welfare payments and reflects a continuation of the previous benchmark using the current CSO earnings dataset." And, as 27.5 per cent of average weekly earnings currently sits at €266.27, there is a shortfall of just over €22 between the minimum social welfare rates being paid in 2025 and the average earning of households across Ireland. Advertisement READ MORE IN MONEY The report stated: "By the end of 2024 average weekly earnings equalled €968.25. "Taking this as the starting point for earnings in 2025, we can determine that the updated value of 27.5 per cent of average weekly earnings equals €266.27 implying a shortfall of just over €22 between the minimum social welfare rates being paid in 2025 - €244 - and this threshold." Speaking to The Irish Sun, Susanne Rogers, Research and Policy Analyst, said payments needed to be increased to ensure those relying on social welfare are not "falling behind" others in society. She said: "According to our calculations, if core social welfare rates were bench marked at 27.5 per cent of average earnings, the payment would currently be €266 a week, not €244 a week. Advertisement MOST READ ON THE IRISH SUN Exclusive "This level would mean that those relying on social welfare for all or part of their income would not be falling further behind the rest of society. Little known social welfare benefits thousands are entitled to "Every household in the country has seen their bills increase for the essentials - food and energy in particular. "Low income households however, have stark choices to make between those essentials when costs rise and income doesn't. The heat or eat response." She added that the Advertisement She said: "Government must commit to bench marking payments so that those households are afforded an income level that provides for a basic but decent standard of living. "Government has anti-poverty commitments in both the Roadmap for Social Inclusion and the Sustainable Development Goals and cannot hope to meet them unless core welfare rates are addressed." CHILD BENEFIT When it comes to She explained: "Government has recognised and responded to the damage done to children who experience poverty by introducing the Child Poverty and Well-Being Programme Office. Advertisement "So as well as ensuring adequate levels of household income, housing would be the number one ask! Every month sees new record homelessness figures, many are children. "Universal access to childcare is also vital for families." COST OF LIVING LATEST THE Taoiseach has signalled at an increase in social welfare payments and tax cuts after being slammed over the planned end to cost-of-living boosts. But Micheal Martin again ruled out a specific repeat of the €2.6 billion cost-of-living package unveiled in Budget 2025. The package - the Yesterday, after facing stinging criticism from the opposition over the planned end to the Responding to He declared: "Our agenda and objective in the budget, when it comes in the autumn, will be again to provide within the social protection payment programme and in terms of taxation, to do what we can to alleviate the pressures on people." Susanne added that there is currently an under investment in early Among three to five-year-olds, in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Ireland now has the third lowest amount of expenditure at 0.3 per cent of GDP. Advertisement She said: "One of the key challenges identified towards the provision of universal early childcare in Ireland is the market driven approach to provision at present. "High staff turnover and poor pay and conditions are also a feature of the sector. 'First 5: A Whole of Government Strategy for Babies, Young Children and their Families' contains welcome high-level policy commitments and strategic actions to improve the lives of babies and children and their families. LONG-TERM PLANNING NEEDED "The Programme for Government also contains commitments on childcare and early years education. "In order to deliver on these commitments for all children having access to safe, high-quality, developmentally appropriate early childhood education, long-term planning and sufficient resourcing are required." Advertisement Susanne explained that high childcare costs present a "barrier to employment", particularly among young women with children. She said: "An increase in the cost of childcare led to a decrease in the number of paid working hours for mothers. "An increase in the cost of provision of just 10 per cent could lead to a 30 minute reduction in a mother's working hours." 1 There has been a shortfall of €22 Credit: Getty Images - Getty Advertisement
