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AHEAD OF TODAY’S announcement, there has been plenty of debate and speculation about the likely contents of Budget 2017.
In the Dáil on Thursday, Social Protection Minister Leo Varadkar fielded questions on a number of different social welfare benefits.
Sinn Féin TD John Brady asked if the Minister would commit to reversing cuts to the rate of jobseeker’s payments for young people under the age of 26.
Varadkar declined to make that commitment, and claimed:
…Even though the rates are lower [than previously], they’re still much higher than they are in Northern Ireland, where your party is in government for a very long time.
Later in his comments, the Minister alleged that Brady had said his claim was “untrue”, and invited TheJournal.ie to do a fact check.
We accepted that invitation.
(Send your FactCheck requests to factcheck@thejournal.ie, tweet @TJ_FactCheck, or announce them in the Dáil chamber).
Claim: Jobseeker’s payments are higher here than in Northern Ireland
Verdict: TRUE
What was said:
You can watch an excerpt of the exchange in the video above.
Our focus is on this claim, by Leo Varadkar:
…I would point out that, even though the rates are lower [than previously], they’re still much higher than they are in Northern Ireland, where your party [Sinn Féin] is in government for a very long time.
According to the official UK government information website for Northern Ireland, Jobseeker’s Allowance is paid to anyone (generally) over 18, who doesn’t work, or works an average of less than 16 hours per week, is looking for work, and is not in certain types of education or receiving certain other benefits.
If you’ve made National Insurance contributions through working in the previous two tax years, you’re eligible for contribution-based Jobseeker’s Allowance.
If you haven’t paid enough National Insurance contributions, you may be eligible for income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance, which you can claim jointly with your partner.
Increases (known as “premiums”) are available for certain recipients, such as those with disabilities, those looking after children, or pensioners. Details on premiums are available here.
In response to our request for evidence, the Department of Social Protection accurately provided FactCheck the basic weekly Jobseeker’s Allowance and Benefit rates in Northern Ireland and the Republic.
According to the official government information website Citizens Information, Jobseeker’s Benefit is paid to anyone who is unemployed for at least four out of seven days a week, available and looking for work, and who has made enough PRSI contributions.
There are other details, exemptions, and disqualifications which you can read about here.
Your weekly rate depends largely on how much you were earning before losing your job or experiencing a significant loss of income per week.
This is calculated based on your PRSI contributions two tax years before your Jobseeker’s Benefit claim (i.e. your rate in 2016 will largely depend on your earnings in 2014).
Increases on that basic personal rate are available if you have an adult dependent, or children.
Jobseeker’s Allowance, which is the specific payment discussed by John Brady and Leo Varadkar in the Dáil on Thursday, is (generally) for those who don’t qualify for Jobseeker’s Benefit due to insufficient PRSI contributions.
You must be unemployed for at least four out of seven days a week, capable, available and looking for work, and satisfy a means test, which assesses your household income (including your partner’s income), your property, and so on.
If you’re aged 26 or older, increases are available for adult dependents (i.e. partners) and children.
For those aged up to 25, increases are only available for adult dependents. For every day you work each week, one-fifth of your weekly payment is deducted.
Comparison
The highest basic weekly rate available to an individual in Northern Ireland is €81.05.
In the Republic of Ireland, the lowest basic weekly rate of Jobseeker’s Benefit is €84.50, and the lowest weekly rate of Jobseeker’s Allowance is €100 for 18-24 year-olds and €144 for 25-year-olds – the youth contingent at the centre of the Minister’s claim.
Each individual’s actual payment will depend on their specific circumstances – their age, marital status, income, and other factors such as disability, and whether they have child or adult dependents.
However, it is clear that the standard weekly rates for jobseekers are higher here than in Northern Ireland.
And while increases are available, north of the border, for dependent children, disabilities, and so on, similar (generally larger) increases are available in the Republic, too.
We rate Varadkar’s claim TRUE, but there is important context to go with it.
While Leo Varadkar was right about the higher level of jobseeker’s payments in the Republic, John Brady did not actually literally call his claim “untrue”, as the Minister alleged.
In the video of the exchange, the Sinn Féin TD can be heard calling the claim a “red herring”, and according to the official transcript, Brady accused Varadkar of “hiding behind false facts”, which may have led the minister to conclude he was calling it untrue.
In response to our enquiries, Brady told FactCheck that he did not reject the claim that jobseeker’s payments were lower in Northern Ireland, but that, in essence, he rejected the validity of the comparison.
In his response, the Sinn Féin TD made claims regarding differences in the cost of living between Northern Ireland and the Republic, and in the provision of free healthcare and education in Northern Ireland.
These fall beyond the scope of this fact check.
However, Brady also stated that:
Sinn Féin do not set the welfare rates. They are set in Westminster, as I pointed out during the exchange.
This is perhaps the crucial piece of context, and it is true. Benefit rates are determined by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and are uniform throughout the UK.
Therefore, the Northern Ireland Executive, in which Sinn Féin has had ministers since the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, does not have any say in welfare rates, including Jobseeker’s Allowance.
So while Leo Varadkar’s claim is certainly true, it does not support any criticism of Sinn Féin, in this respect.
TheJournal.ie’s FactCheck is a signatory to the International Fact-Checking Network’s Code of Principles. You can read it here.
For information on how FactCheck works, what the verdicts mean, and how you can take part, check out our Reader’s Guide here.
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He sounds like a colossal prat.
Not this tosser again. Calling female customers c**nts,classy guy.
Outrageous. And on facebook everyone is lauding the guy for calling her that, and for somehow “telling it like it is”.
He seems like a collossal arsehole, and I sure as hell wouldn’t even entertain the idea of going to any place he works at.
Also, if I was the owner of the place I would sack Stenson immediately. Horrific business strategy to let a fool like that speak for your company.
Veronica he’s probably generated more publicity for the company than anyone else ever could. When he penned this response he was hoping to god that it would make the national media again and low and behold it has worked. In all honesty I would never go to the restaurant but judging by the responses under his comments on Facebook he has as much support as he has haters so it might be another great business move.
As an aside if you have a bad experience in a restaurant it should be brought to their attention immediately while you are there instead of this modern idea of getting your own back with a bad review, especially if you go over the top as this original poster is alleged to have.
Counts?
It’s ‘lo and behold’ not ‘low and behold’
That’s great news, please feel free never to go there then
The “positive” responses to his post and to his picture of the letter from the DPC with “F**k Off” written across it are almost all from the US. They continually refer to the woman in extremely derogatory terms that are possibly actionable. Those supporters are not going to travel to Ireland to visit his restaurant, and the comments from Irish people tend to not to be on his side.
Exactly diarmuid- he has a huge fan base of angry hate-filled Americans who are aligned because of his ‘war’ against vegans. A handful will actually be his customers. He might sell a few t-shirts but he has to continue this persona of arrogant hatred to keep his fans happy. He’s created a monster
” The Journal has reached out ” WTF ?
I hate that term. “The Journal contacted…” would be more appropriate.
It”s the latest Americanisim that you hear expecially in cop shows, “So,I reached out to the FBI”. Actually that’s another thing, starting every scentence with “So,” ie. “So, I wrote an article for the Journal and I reached out to to the cafe owenr”.
Methinks Cianan watches a lot of Castle, Elementary and Hamaii Five-O because evey second scentence seem to involve either so or reach out.
Let’s reach out and touch base to promote synergy in our cross functional team.
Unless you’re a member of the Four Tops, don’t be saying “Reach Out”.
How can a still photo show someone enjoying a meal, she could be puking rings around her, in the next still.
(Reach out) Come on girl reach on out for me
(Reach out) Reach out for me
(Reach out) Come on girl reach out for me
Reach out, just look over your shoulder
(Reach out) Come on girl reach on out for me
(Reach out) Reach out for me
(Reach out) Come on girl reach out for me
Reach out, just look over your shoulder
Reach out and touch faith
There is nothing wrong with Castle!
Moving forward, that is strategically on point and I will touch base on this with stakeholders
I might check into his hotel and just thrash the place. Just to see if it makes it onto the Journal.
I’ll join you. Tray of Dutch Gold?
You can get two 2 litres of Devils Bit for €11.99 in my local off licence. We’ll go with that.
And a €12.99 bottle of vodka from Aldi. You can’t go wrong.
And a gram of coke.
Jesus. Better bring some rennies so.
And a couple of Lithuanian escorts.
He sounds like an ex-employee from Ryanair’s Marketing Department. Does he check bag sizes on the way in?
And the Journal is just doing what they want by advertising them with this story???
Yes people go there in hopes of being called names or threatened by the staff.
If that’s the gig they can come to my house for christmas dinner… lots of name calling going on. Oddly enough its in direct proportion to the amount of wine which has been consumed.
Joanna, yes some people like that, they do it on the X Factor??? lol.
Tony, see what happens with the spirits lol…
No such thing as bad publicity.
Paul Gascoigne?
Well none of the publicity this place has received makes me want to eat there so…
Still publicity joanna and free at that.
I’d be interested to know how much revenue they’re actually generating out of this publicity. I would say you’ve a 50:50 split straight away with some loving his response and others hating it. Lets just say that he’s not chasing the more liberal people in society and his comments on vegans/vegetarians would suggest that is the case. Might be for the best that similar minds have one place to convene and keep the rest of us from having to endure it.
The cafe regularly advertises on the coupon deal sites so he cant be raking that much in.
Yeah Ray – Cliff Richard loved all that PR he got when the cops stormed his house. And Hulk Hogan was chuffed when that sex tape came out where he said he was racist and said “f*ckin n*ggers” multiple times – the endorsement deals just flooded in.
“No such thing as bad publicity.” – a phrase coined by an idiot and rattled off by even bigger idiots.
Sounds like nothing but a bully. And there’s nothing worse than a bully.
Two bullies ?
Brilliant, Diarmuid!
Bullies are like the speed of light, no matter how many you add together you still get the same result.
Can’t argue there Diarmuid
Have a look at his Facebook page, his C–otmer came in, a rather large bear-like “woman”, inhaled her lunch and left without uttering a bad word, then went online to slate the place..
I think every business and person has a right to defend themselves against baseless unwarranted reviews…
Big difference between a restaurant defending itself against a bad review and publicly insulting and shaming the customer. I’ve seen restaurants respond to bad reviews in a polite mannerly way and make their case well, but this crass tw@t just loves the attention
“Reached out” no no no no “you contacted them” ffs
I agree with him to a point. Someone writes a poor review of his business on a public forum without making the complaint in person on the day and with video evidence of them eating all of their meal can be challanged right back on a public forum in my view. What’s good for one is good for the other!
I reallllly want to disagree with you there Reg but your logic is impeccable… publicly shaming a business means you put yourself and your visit in the public domain, the manager’s language would make me refuse to visit the place but his refuting the public complaint is fair enough
To be fair, I work in the hotel industry and guests have too much free reign on sites like trip advisor to blackmail the hotel when they are fishing for free stuff, fair play to this guy, speaking what every hotel manager is thinking!!
So you have spoken to every hotel manager in Ireland in the last 30 minutes and made a comment on their behalf. I don’t know you did it but fair play.
Bit of a Basil Fawlty.
I would not like to upset the Chef in that dump if he takes his lead from his manager. The mind boggles and the stomach churns. Yuck!!
One must wonder just what the DPC are at?
While they might argue, publication of a photo of an individual sitting in a place is a breach of privacy (I would contend it is not as others there would have seen the person anyhow, there is not in Ireland any right to your own image, were there, you could not walk past an RTE camera without being able to take a case for such so, time the DPC stopped wasting public monies trying to make a name for itself and concentrated on other more pressing matters.
The owners are correct, shoot any vegans even near the place!
CCTV is a funny one though Joey, there are very strict rules about what it can and cannot be used for. Perhaps the rules are wrong and maybe that is what should be changed but I suspect that once the rules have been breached the DPC are obliged to investigate and were therefore forced to wade head first into this one.
Joey, you opened a parenthesis without closing it. Why would you do this to me?
Joey, that woman wasn’t vegan.
I am referencing the article, not the person who is mentioned as having been shown on CCTV.
Ta bron orm mór, realised this after posting.
Amateur food critics harbouring personal grudges.
Leave it to the pros.
I agree with you, but downvoted your comment because you’re a knob in general.
Another eejit trying to be Gordon Ramsey, not realising that what he doesn’t on TV is not how he acts in real life. Reality television has a lot to answer for.
I’m behind him 100% Cowards who have no concern about a business’s reputation or the livelihood of its employees deserve to be outed. Bet all the bleeding hearts here have no clue how hard it is to run a business.
Is this the same hotel involved in the Garth Brooks fiasco last year?
Stenson is going to land a VERY heavy fine for wasting the DPC’s time.It is obvious that the so called customer was in on the publicity stunt from the beginning.
I wouldn’t trust any food put on my plate by an obvious conman.
Its a rip off kip
He criticised the lady’s grammar yet described himself as a “restauranteur” (which is what some yanks seem to call a restaurateur).
Cianan is probably just back from a j1 visa.
Hi, have a look at what the man said on Facebook,get the facts before you start criticizing the man here.
Good on ya, WMC
Sure paper will never refuse ink, it’s all advertising for the place.
have your say