Pensioner describes budget as an ‘insult’

A NORTHSIDE senior citizen has hit out at the Government’s increase of “only” €5 for pensioners in Budget 2017. 

Dick O’Leary (80), from Coolock, described the increase as an insult and said it’s not going to go very far.  Mr O’Leary criticised the fact that the increase will not come into effect until March. 

“A fiver wouldn’t get you very much,” he said. “Due to the cost of living it won’t go very far. 

“It’s a terrible insult to the people. They (the Government) have a cheek to give just that amount. A minimum of  €10 would have taken the bad look off it.”

The controversial prescription charge, which was introduced in 2010 at the height of the recession, has been a huge gripe for senior citizens who rely on medication. 

The charge has been reduced from €2.50 to €2 per item in Budget 2017. However, Mr O’Leary feels this doesn’t go far enough and continues to have a big impact on pensioners’ income. 

“I have to get seven items of medication every month from the chemist and my wife gets six, so that means €26 a month (€2 per item) is coming out of our pensions. That’s a lot when you’re trying to survive on a pension.”

Mr O’Leary said he knows pensioners in the community who are suffering and some days are    struggling to put food on the table. 

“Only for Father Peter McVerry and Brother Kevin Crowley (Capuchin Day Centre for Homeless People), Dublin would be starving,” he added.

However, Minister for Social Protection Leo Varadkar said Budget 2017 is designed to ensure that everyone benefits from the recovery and nobody is left behind.  

“The maximum rate of all weekly benefits will increase by €5 a week, to people of working age as well as retired people aged 66 or older,” said Minister Varadkar.  

“This is the first increase awarded to carers, blind people, people with disabilities, and widows under the age of 66 since their rates were cut by €16 a week by Fianna Fáil during the financial crisis, and it’s only the second increase awarded to pensioners since that time.” 

Minister Varadkar said it’s a permanent increase that will apply from March, the “earliest possible time of year at which it can be commenced”. 

“To do otherwise would have required the exclusion of certain groups, which could not be countenanced,” he added. 

Dublin Bay North TD Tommy Broughan (Ind) was also critical of Budget 2017 and said it was a missed opportunity to finally end austerity. 

Deputy Broughan welcomed the partial restoration of some payments, in particular the €5 increase for pensions and social protection payments. He also welcomed some new measures introduced that are aimed at easing the cost of living on citizens in Ireland, in particular the Single Affordable Childcare Scheme.  

However, Deputy Broughan highlighted some areas where more could have been done. He suggested that prescription charges could have been abolished entirely, that the Christmas Bonus could have been restored in full (it was increased from 75 to 85 per cent) and capital expenditure should have been significantly increased.

“Budget 2017 is a clear example of trying to keep everyone happy without sufficient investment in vital public service infrastructure,” said Deputy Broughan.   

Minister of State for Disabilities Finian McGrath welcomed the increased allocation in Budget 2017 to address a number of priorities for disability services in the Programme for Partnership Government.   

“Including the additional funding of €31 million secured earlier this year, the allocation for disability services will rise to over €1.654 billion in 2017, compared to the €1.562 billion originally allocated in the National Service Plan 2016, an increase of €92 million,” said Minister McGrath.   

“I am very pleased that I have been able to both protect significant existing resources and obtain additional funding for disability services.”

Dublin Bay North TD Sean Haughey (FF) described the €4 million allocation for Brexit contingency plans in Budget 2017 as “shameful”. 

“Brexit is set to be one of the biggest political and economic challenges facing Ireland in decades, and unfortunately this Government is not displaying the necessary leadership to guarantee that the impact on Ireland is contained,” he said.

Meanwhile, Dublin Fingal TD Alan Farrell (FG) believes Budget 2017 will help hard pressed working families. 

“Fine Gael is using Budget 2017 to protect the progress we have made and build a strong economy,” he said. 

“The gains we have made as a country are hard won and fragile, especially in the context of Brexit, but we are in a position to use some of the resources from our growing economy to help hard pressed working families in Dublin Fingal.”