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SPEAKING IN THE Dáil yesterday, Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe unveiled Budget 2020 and with it an increase of €690 million in 2020 for the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection.
As with much of this “Brexit Budget”, however, there were few surprises and modest allocations for social protection.
The Christmas Bonus remains at 100% for all social welfare recipients in 2020, after being fully restored last year.
For 25-year-old jobseekers, the rate of weekly allowance will increase from €157.80 to the full rate of €203.
People aged 18 to 24 years who live independently and receive State housing supports, meanwhile, will also see an increase to the full Jobseeker’s Allowance from a rate of €112.70.
These figures are contained in the Budget 2020 expenditure allocations.
The earning disregard for lone parents will increase by €15 to €165 per week from January while the Living Alone Allowance will increase by €5 in 2020.
The Working Family Payment income threshold will also increase by €10 for families with up to three children while the Qualified Child Payment will increase by €3 for children over 12 and €2 for children under 12.
Speaking yesterday, Donohoe said the fuel allowance would increase by €2 to offset any carbon tax costs.
The carbon tax was increased by €6 per tonne which will came into effect at midnight last night for petrol and diesel, while for home-heating fuels the increase will kick in from May 2020.
Home carers, however, have expressed concern that an additional €100 tax credit announced for them as part of next year’s budget will largely be offset by a rise in carbon tax.
The measure – the only additional tax rebate announced as part of next year’s budget – was welcomed by home carers and advocacy groups, but some have expressed concern that it will be undercut by other measures.
In a statement, the Irish National Organisation for the Unemployed said it was “very disappointing” that there were no increase made to jobseeker’s payments.
“The payment of the Christmas Bonus and the increase in the Fuel Allowance is welcome,” it said.
It said, however, that unemployed people must be in receipt of their social welfare payment for at least 15 months before qualifying for the Christmas bonus and the €2 per week fuel allowance.
“It should be noted that only a third of the people in receipt of a Jobseeker’s payment are eligible for these supports,” it said.
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Social welfare christmas bonus ..should be given in food vouchers or something not cash
@Mark Dawson: if you were unfortunate enough to be made redundant with young kids at Christmas you wouldn’t say that man.
@Dara O’Brien: but that is the point above. “Made redundant at Christmas” and “still redundant next Christmas” are two very different things. Only one of them gets the bonus
@Dara O’Brien: higher X amount on food vouchers and lower Y amount on an all for one voucher that can be spent at Smyths and the likes.
@milton friedman: Jesus dude, are you that mean spirited that you’d begrudge someone who lives on €200 per week an extra €200 once per year to buy a few lousy Christmas presents or have a few extra drinks?
I think the current government are a disgrace when it comes to taxation of workers (52%effective rate for all my earnings over €35k) and the terrible provision of public services
But I won’t begrudge poor people a few quid at Christmas. Yes there are some dodgers and chancers but there are also genuine cases who have kids who believe in Santa and deserve to be as happy as other kids.
If helping this happen also benefits a few chancers then so be it. But don’t let your bitterness of what others may or may not get affect your compassion dude. Lighten up
@Dara O’Brien: well I didn’t really take a position, the initial comment was advocating no cash and I was addressing your concern for young kids via his proposal.
I didn’t say my proposal should be implemented; just trying to develop ideas.
Personally, I think we should all get a Christmas bonus of €200. As a type of tax-back initiative.
I’m not attacking the less fortunate, who I could be easily become apart of, just addressing the system problems.
@Dara O’Brien: i be glad the vouchers to buy food etc but a bonus for a single man living at home is his crimbo session
@Mark Dawson: if you’re a full time carer you need cash, not food. Trying to live a normal life while disabled is not easy. You cant just buy a car, you need a specially adapted one. Clothing, shoes and whatever else you need may need to be adapted. If your charge is incontinent, your electricity bills are higher and they’re also higher coz you’re at home all day. Heating bills are higher because the person cant move so you need to make sure they’re warm. If they want any outside contact with the world you need broadband, (and voice controls for Alexa if their hands arent able), you need a tv of some sort to stimulate them and keep them from going mental. You need healthy food to keep their digestive system going and about 50 million other things that no one would ever think about.
@Mark Dawson: and you just won’t have that, Mark, no? Not on your watch
@Mark Dawson:
Food vouchers? You come across as very bitter Mark
If you’re not sick, you don’t have a disability or a direct relative that needs full time care you should be working. No excuse.
@Ted Logan: you know theres a hiring freeze till brexit right? Theres been redundancies in the banks and other multinationals as ops teams move to central Europe. I got made redundant a month ago the majority of people I met were not spongers but ops managers/IT professionals with kids or other commitments who couldn’t relocate. Getting a job is weeks and months not hours and minutes. No one gets hired on the spot no interviews for salaries of 75k+.
@Ted Logan: yep, get off that social welfare and go live, pay rent, medical expenses etc etc on your minimum wage job.
Your anger shouldnt be with unemployed peolle it should be with governments that have created a scenario where it doesng pay to work
@C’est tout!: has the government banned hiring or something? You’re talking crap!
@Ted Logan: it looks like there’s loads of jobs out there, but I’m finding it very hard to get interviews. For every 50 jobs I apply for, I’m lucky to get even one interview. And these are jobs I’m more than qualified for, with a well thought out application/cv/cover letter being sent.
I’ve been unemployed since end of may. I’ve only had 3 interviews, out of hundreds of applications. 2 rejected me, one I’m 2 weeks waiting for a background check to start. I also have my details in with 5 recruiters. I have a strong cv as well. So.. some of us have a legit excuse for not working. Can’t get a job if no one is offering interviews!
@Ted Logan: I have an honours degree and several certificates earned since. I would love to be working, I know what I want to do. Will you make it happen? I also have long term PTSD Will you get me that job I want, it’s very depressing being treated differentl so I’ll be waiting. Thanks Ted when do I start?
So if I’m 18, never worked and receiving state help to pay for a nice little apartment for myself then my Dole money is almost doubling? The mind boggles at times
@Caped Crusader: well, it’s going up €90 to €203 per week. It’s not exactly ‘Vegas baby’ money now is it?
@Dara O’Brien: what has somebody who has not contributed to the revenue and who receives up to 90% of their rent paid for by tax money done to deserve a net €4600 per year rise in their SW pay?
@Caped Crusader: you don’t think that if you’d just graduated from college and were job hunting (possibly with student loans and rent to pay) that the extra €90 per week might help you to get your CV together, buy some clothes for interview, travel to said interview and help you get a job?
@Caped Crusader: if you are 18 and never worked you are not entitled to social welfare and you are quite more likely to be homeless and begging on the street than in a nice little apartment. Do you live in a fantasy world or do you read the news at least sometimes?
@Daniela Monza: everyone is entitle to Jobseekers Allowance provided you are able to work
@Daniela Monza: Do you not get job seekers allowance rather than job seekers benefit? They are both the same!
There are people who have never worked a day in their lives that live off social welfare.
Rough sleepers usually (not always) have addiction problems which have pushed them into that situation.
@Daniela Monza: we could all ask you the same question, do you live in a fantasy world? Or do you just have a ridiculously low amount of knowledge of our welfare system?
Anyone 18 and out of school at least 3 months is entitled to social welfare, and if they need a home the council will provide them with one or at least put them up somewhere (so technically homeless but not without a bed and shelter) until a home can be found for them, so they wouldn’t exactly be the broke, rough sleepers you are making them out to be
@Caped Crusader: It states in the article 18-24 year olds have been getting 112 euro and will only now get the full rate. Landlords don’t take social welfare recipients because of the bureaucracy and the low upper limit, hence the homelessness crisis. You project financial benefits based on waiting lists of over a million people. The government provide the bureaucracy to create jobs for the boys but no services, only the vague possibility of a service. Your arguement is the kind of populist bashing of the vulnerable that leads to the cul de sac of Brexit. Brexit started with the scaremongering of foreigners invading britain to use social services when it was the conservatives cutting the funding to those services while shoveling money to the D.U.P. who were burning money in cash for ash.
@John Black: you really don’t have a clue. Do you know that the official statistics for homelessness is 10,000 men women and children. That statistic does not cover those who are couch surfing and those who are living in tourist hostels up and down the country (Yes tourist hostels have long term guests who literally have no where else to go). Estimates show that for each person that is included there are 6 that aren’t. That means there are 70,000 homeless in this country. Saying that the council give them a home is a joke. Maybe in days of yore (25-30 years ago) it was the case that a homeless person would be housed in months.those days are a distant memory, the homeless remain homeless for an average of 3-5 years. So before you judge make sure you have your facts correct
I’m glad my hard earned money is being used to help the unfortunate, it really makes a difference to their quality of life.
And for all you dole bashers, I will join your hubris when I see
unemployed people driving their Ferrari’s out of their Killiney mansions.
It would be good if they at least let us keep our tax for a week or 2.. here you contribute all year round so happy Christmas your tax free this week..
not asking for any money but simply to keep what I earned
Here come the social welfare recipient bashers!!!
@Graham Purtell: well I work and don’t get a Christmas bonus…yet I pay tax so those that don’t work get a bonus…. unbelievable.
@Graham Purtell: all of whom have, or know a direct relative or friend who have benefitted from state services at some point in their lives. Probably all had a free third level education too. And in the event of unforeseen circumstances they’d gladly accept any help from the state that thy could get. Anyone who bashes social services is just a m0ron.
@SFNutters: Don’t you just hate poor people
@SFNutters: anyone who can’t see beyond their own set of limited circumstances or experience is also a m0ron
@SFNutters: Unemployed here – I’d love to be getting the Christmas bonus. It’d mean I’d actually be able to afford to buy some food. Right now, once rent/bills are paid from what I’m getting, I’m lucky to have €10 left over each week. With a €200 Christmas bonus, I’d be able to add €10 to that each week for 20 weeks – that would be some serious luxury. Right now, I’ve to decide if I want to spend money on showergel (about 60c in lidl), or a loaf of bread. Basically.. do I want to stay clean, or do I want to eat for a couple of days? What I’ll probably end up doing, tbh, is buying the shower gel, and instead of the bread, get a packet of rich tea biscuits (28c) and stretch them over then next 2-3 days by combining them with my visits to Penny Dinners. What I don’t spend each week, is going into a jar, so I can afford to buy a birthday present for my godson in November (€25), a present for him for christmas (€25), and presents for my parents (€200 minimum). Spending less than €200 on my parents for Christmas will be seen as stingy and mean, even though I literally can’t afford it.. so I’ve to scrape every cent between now and then, and try and only spend €2-3 on myself per week.
I was working for the past 8 years, btw. It got to the point where I had to choose between quitting my job, or killing myself, because things were so bad. Considering how I’ve ended up… killing myself would have probably been the better choice.
@Mirabelle Stonegate: Don’t bother explaining anything to that clown he’s on here daily bashing the poor and anyone else who is anti “Leo the Great” and the lads.
Mention Sinn Fein and watch him go, great crack.
@SFNutters: your in my prayers… Will u ever get over it…..
Nothing for the PAYE worker. Trade unions are very quiet. As per usual.
What gets my llama is that people who earn over the threshold for susi have to pay for their kids to go to college, have their kids work all hours god sends to be able to afford accommodation and food. Yet if they chose to do nothing they would be given more money by the state.
3k in fees is a lot when you dont have it. 8k accommodation if you can’t get the limited cheaper student accommodation. It’s finically crippling for both parents and students.
These students will be paying it back in tax in the long run. People long term on the dole never pay it back…
Been a carer for my mother who has MS for for close to 14 years now..my days caring can stretch from 12 -16 hours 7 days a week ..the government has said if i chose to find more work to help me financially i can now work 18 hours instead of 15….thanks government …
I work and get no bonus at Christmas, I don’t mind that and I don’t begrudge anyone in receipt of social welfare. I just wish they would give more perks to the workforce such as health benefits and tax breaks.
@Johnny Keane: Bankers are still getting large, generous bonuses. I don’t understand how this is. People used to have Christmas bonuses before the recession, it was normal, and I think companies are taking the opportunity to be stingy and not give something back to their staff.
I note that a team of job seekers were hard at work last night stealing rail signalling cable. Maybe they will be able to relax a bit more with their increased state pocket money.
Meanwhile, whilst most pensioners get sfa, back at the ranch,the public service staffs, TDs & retired honchos get pay & pension restoration.
No Brexit austerity in Dail Eireann.
@William Kelly: You seem like a person who is happy in himself.
As a pensioner I call on all other pensioners, unemployed and vulnerable people in our society to give no votes, preference or other to F.F. F.G. or Independent Alliance in the next election! The message out if this budget:
If you are low /minimum waged/social welfare/disabled/old aged then you will face effective cuts to your supports because nothing has been provided to match the increase in inflation due in 2020. This means you will pay more out of your existing supports/income and gain nothing in return.
If you are wealthy then you get to keep your shares tax free/get more state support if you own properties for rent under HAP/have hotels/b&b/so called emergency accommodation and if you are big business then great. You won’t be touched at all. In fact we will give you millions more.
@Bernard Kavanagh: as a (contributary) pensioner I say we have it bloody good here, try being a pensioner in almost any other country. Here you can sit on your arse from the age of 18 and still get a no questions asked pension of €237 weekly, not to mention cheap rent, free travel, tv, phone, medical card, fuel allowance and probably other stuff I dont know about . I even consider the contributory pension of €248 a week is pretty generous, given how little most people actually contributed during a working life compared to what they will be drawing down. As a grey voter myself, I congratulate the minister for not caving in to grey vote, it is about is pampered section of society was overlooked in favour of the deserving working poor.
@Joan Murray: Have you considered that Ireland is one of the most expensive countries in the world. https://www-irishmirror-ie.cdn.ampproject.org/v/s/www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/ireland-now-most-expensive-eu-17261217.amp?amp_js_v=a2&_gsa=1&usqp=mq331AQCKAE%3D#aoh=15707061317468&referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com&_tf=From%20%251%24s&share=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.irishmirror.ie%2Fnews%2Firish-news%2Fireland-now-most-expensive-eu-17261217
So the the incentive is to stay out of work for 15 months to get your Christmas bonus!
God damn social welfare recipients, living the high life with their 200 a week….
@Thomas Maher: I don’t think anyone begrudge them €200, its everything that goes with that. Housing assistance, medical/GP cards, Xmas bonus etc. I have a well paying job, my partners is a Public Servant yet we would be lucky to have €200 a week left over between us after paying rent, paying childcare, saving for our mortgage, GP visits and Health insurance. It feels like the more you contribute to the taxman the less you get while the less you contribute the more you get.
@Caped Crusader: ah, but you are saving for a mortgage which, along with being a personal choice, also means that you will be a home owner in the future, owing an appreciating asset and having security of tenure. All of which a social welfare recipient will never have.
Also, you will have the chance to change career or get promotions and salary increases with a private pension in retirement. Again, social welfare recipients will never have this.
If the dole was so rosy, you’d both be on it, personally I’d get annoyed over the taxation and lack of services here but I’d not blame the social welfare recipients. Given our current level of unemployment, the expected levels of disability, genuine cases etc there are not enough recipients to be causing any major impact on the country.
@Caped Crusader: and id almost guarantee you vote either fg or ff, someone much more intelligent than myself once said, the definition of stupidity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results, leave socisl welfare recipients alone and direct your ire at government
@Thomas Maher: where do you get 200 a week from. Free medical card free school / college fees. Rent is easily another 200 a week and that’s assuming they on their owe.
@Thomas Maher: but who else is there to vote for in their situation? If you go to the next party to the right wing it’s a big jump, they are extremely right wing and often bigoted but if you vote for the next to the left wing they will increase taxes and social welfare which is what the person is taking issue with.
I’m not saying they’re right or wrong but given their stance on social welfare and tax I can see exactly why they wouldn’t vote for anyone else
@Thomas Maher: that was Albert einstein’s quote on insanity not stupidity.
@Seaniecp: a bit insane to mix them up
@John Black: its not for me to tell you who to vote for
@Dara O’Brien: Finally, someone talking sense
@Caped Crusader: you could just as well have decided to have no kids, live somewhere cheaper and not save for a mortgage. I think you’d find you’d have far more than €200 left over to do whatever you want with.
@Caped Crusader: I get the €200 a week dole. From that, I’m paying full rent (refused housing assistance), and all my other bills. I’m also trying to save to spend a minimum of €200 between my parents for christmas (if I don’t, I’ll be classed as ungrateful, mean, and tight-fisted). This means I usually have about €2-3 to spend on myself per week. I can’t afford to go to the GP, or afford the anti depressants I should be on. I don’t qualify for a medical or GP card either, according to who I dealt with in the welfare office. So.. I really don’t understand all this idea that people on welfare have it easy. I’ve heard of others getting this fuel allowance? when I asked about it, I was told that, because I use electricity for heating, I’m not eligible for that either. I also won’t be getting the bonus.
I’ve sent out hundreds of CVs since being unemployed, starting in June. I’ve had 3 interviews. All jobs I was fully capable and qualified for, and had all the required experience etc. Rejected for all 3 (well, definitely for 2. Figuring I’ve been rejected for the 3rd, as I was told over a week ago they would be in contact to get details for a background check, but haven’t yet come back to me to get that information.. so, I’m guessing they’ve changed their mind).
@Mirabelle Stonegate: First, ignore the nasty comments about people who need welfare assistance,it’s just spin and spite which is their problem!They have no comprehension or compassion for those needing welfare.
If you are just getting €200 a week,you should qualify for GP card as the weekly limit is €304 a week (I know you were told the opposite but if you can go to a Citizen’s Information Centre and they will give you any information you need re GP card, Exceptional Needs Payment,etc)
You could ask them about a once off Exceptional needs payment towards GP visit and any meds you need (tell them you feel very depressed)plus maybe paying ?ESB bill,?rent.While you might’nt qualify for HAP,try applying for Rent Supplement.
Try Vincent De Paul as well.You need a break ,a breather from excess stress.
You’re young@32yrs with a good work record so that’s positive.Whatever happens,don’t give up,you deserve all the best in life&you’ll get there so accept any help that’s there in the meantime & I sincerely wish you all the best in the future!
@Nuala Mc Namara: She qualifies for a full medical card. Allowable expenses like rent will bring her below the threshold.
@Bryan Yelahw: Read her comments!
@Caped Crusader: To be fair, a medical card isn’t worth anything to a healthy person looking for a full-time paying job. It isn’t a sort of perk I wish all Irish taxpayers had more benefits as well, but I can’t begrudge people who paid full taxes for years, and are entitled to a bit of help. If, only if, they might need to see a doctor to keep in good health and stay employable, yes they can use a medical card. But as any student can tell you, it isn’t any sort of bonus to be sick and skint.
@Caped Crusader: Move on batman.
I’ve read these comments with immense interest, I’m a law graduate with an honours degree, I speak fluent French, I’ve worked all over the world with some of the top 10 global companies, I desperately want to raise my children in my home country, Ireland, but can’t get a job, I mean nothing, I send 100′s of CVs, nobody ever replies, I get agencies telling me I don’t have “Irish” experience, yes, you read it right, Irish experience?
So what’s Irish experience? I’ve worked and lived in USA, China, Australia, Saudi Arabia, Japan, UK, France Kazakhstan…i could go on but I think you get the point… I’m desperate to get employment, I spend hours traveling to interviews in Dublin all for nothing as I’m either not believed or doubted, despite nobody ever checking or confirming recommendation letters.
On top of that, there are no houses, to rent or buy, banks won’t lend, houses to rent are almost impossible, unless you fit the criteria for an imaginary perfect tenant, social welfare doesn’t make people wealthy, it’s an existence, for all these people that so high up on their judgements, try this ; limit your weekly life to €200, pay your bills, feed your kids, pay your rent, medical costs, now imagine, your job is gone, no perks, no highlife, now look around you, and realize this is someone you know or love is living like this…
@Charles McCarthy: I’m only 32, something that isn’t noted in my CV. The only indication I’m not a college student is that I’ve about 12 years worth of jobs (a couple of college jobs, and 2 full-time jobs which were held for 8 of those years). My CV shows that I’m intelligent, and have good IT skills (noted under hobbies is the fact that I enjoy gaming and computers, to the point of building my own as a challenge, which was highly successful – in 4 years, the only upgrade required was a new hard drive, for space reasons, more than anything. And it still starts up just as fast now, as when it was first built – at most, a 1-2 second slowdown).
@Mirabelle Stonegate: Ah, but you are female. That’s a major strike against you. Employers assume you have a husband to support you and men need jobs ahead of employing a mere woman who will only spend the money on clothes and makeup
@Jane Alford: They’re probably also assuming that I’ll be taking off ASAP in order to spawn.. I once had a business owner tell me (not during an interview, sadly) that they would never hire me at my age, because they KNOW I will be leaving within a few months to go on maternity. When I pointed out that I’ve no intention of having kids ever, they straight up said that there was no way in a million years that could ever be true, and that at my age, I didn’t deserve a job because if I had one, I’d only go on maternity first chance I got. (again, sadly this wasn’t in an interview – if it was, I’d be taking them for all they had, for the blatant discrimination).
Ironically, I’m childfree by choice, asexual, and have to be dragged kicking and screaming to buy clothes/make-up.
@Mirabelle Stonegate: Yes, had that, then when you hit 55, you will be pretty much unemploable, then @60 forcibly retired…
Poor people are terrible we should round all of them up and smash them into a paste and then set the paste on fire.I work very hard in a pointless job and have no joy or happiness in my life.I like to spend my spare time bitterly complaining in comment sections about things I can do nothing about.I just wish I had someone who loved me.
@Desperadow: somebody loves you somewhere… ☺️
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