Budget 2025: Heather Humphreys doubles down on call for different pension and jobseeker increases
Speaking on RTÉ's The Week in Politics, Green Party Junior Minister Malcolm Noonan said he did not believe his party could support the suggestion.
Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys has doubled down on her proposals that pensioners and the long-term unemployed should not receive the same budget boost.
The suggestion is creating rows within the coalition, with both Fianna Fáil and the Green Party pushing back on the idea of not increasing unemployment benefits.
Ms Humphreys has been saying for several months that she does not believe that there should be a big boost in the level of Jobseekers Allowance and Benefit for those who are long-term unemployed.
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She argued that Ireland is currently at full employment and that pay-related social benefits, which will link a person’s welfare rate to their previous earnings for a period of time, will also be introduced this year.
The Irish Mirror understands that Ms Humphreys is seeking a €12 or €15 increase in the weekly State pension.
It is understood that she does not want Jobseekers' allowances to increase by the same amount.
Speaking on RTÉ Raido’s This Week, Ms Humphreys doubled down on this position, despite disagreement in the coalition.
She said that she does “expect that there will be an increase in the social welfare rates” but she believed it is “important we support our older people”.
“They've worked hard all their lives and they have contributed to our economy and contributed hugely to it,” she said.
“I really do not want to see any old person afraid to turn on the heat. For that reason, I'm going to look, obviously, at some targeted measures, whether it's the Fuel Allowance or the Living Alone Allowance.
“This is one of the issues that we still have to make a decision on. The point I made is very simple.
“We have carers in the country that work 24/7. There are people with severe disabilities who genuinely cannot work. Then there are old age pensioners who have already worked hard all their lives.
“My point on Jobseekers is we're at full employment. There are businesses crying out for staff.
“With the limited resources available to me, my priority is to support our carers, our pensioners and people with disabilities.
“There's a range of supports available to help people who are long-term unemployed [get] back to work.
“The pot is limited for me and I have to prioritise the groups with the greatest needs.
“If everyone gets the same, then there is less for other measures. At a time of full employment when people are looking for workers, no matter what sector you're talking to, why would you give the same payment to the long term unemployed?”
Speaking on RTÉ’s The Week in Politics, Green Party Junior Minister Malcolm Noonan hit back at not increasing Jobseekers’ benefits, saying some people are “long-term unemployed for a myriad of reasons”.
“If we’re serious about tackling child poverty, I think it’s critically important that we ensure that there’s a balance and an evenness there,” he said.
“That there’s investment in low-income families and investment in impoverished communities across the country.
“I don’t think it is something we [The Green Party] would support.”
In response, Ms Humphreys stated that “we all have our views on how best to spend the money that’s available to us”.
She added that it will be “sorted on budget day”.
Sources told the Irish Mirror that Ms Humphreys is willing to negotiate on the levels of support for both pensioners and jobseekers and would “live with a smaller” increase for jobseekers rather than no increase at all.
One source pointed out that Sinn Féin had included similar proposals in its alternative budget earlier this week.
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