Reaction to Budget 2010 is mixed as far as Older People are concerned

said Máiréad Hayes CEO of the Irish Senior Citizens Parliament today following the announcement of the Budget.

While the State Pension has not been touched per se, we must remember that Older People’s income has already been reduced by 2% by the withdrawal of the additional payment at Christmas

continued Ms Hayes.

In addition we note that the new carbon tax will impact on vulnerable pensioners especially those 10% of Older People who are already living in fuel poverty. It is older people living alone, on low incomes, in older housing stock – which tends to be poorly insulated – that are currently struggling to heat their homes. It is these people that must be protected.

Other Budget items impacting on Older People include the new 50c prescription charge. 96% of older people living alone are at risk of poverty, according to the CSO SILC (Survey on Income and Living Conditions) published two weeks ago. A previous Minister for Social Welfare indicated that the living alone allowance could be increased in the bad times – at times when the pension itself could not be increased, but this has not happened.

Taking the various cuts as a whole, Older People will see a fall in their income of approximately €600 per year, or 5% for someone relying on their state pension.

Older people do not live in a vacuum and are well aware of the financial realities – however the various cuts remind us that this is a long way from the promises in the current social partnership agreement ‘Towards 2016’.

concluded Ms Hayes.

AS GHAEILGE

Cáinfhaisnéis 2010 & Seanóirí

Is fáilte meascaithe atá tuillte ag an gCáinfhaisnéis seo, ‘fhad ‘is a mbaineann sé le sean daoine na hÉireann

arsa Máiréad Hayes príomhoifigeach feidhmiúcháin Parlaimint Shaoránaigh Sinsearacha na hÉireann inniu i ndiaidh na cáinfhaisnéise.

Cé nár chuireadh isteach ar an phinsean stáit, caithfimid a thógáil san áireamh gur gearradh 2% ó ioncam lucht an phinsin níos luaithe i mbliana nuair a cuireadh deireadh le ‘bónas na Nollag’

a dúirt Ms Hayes.

Dar leis an The European Pensions Barometer Report tá an dara pinsean is measa san Aontas Eorpach anseo in Éirinn – céim amaháin os chomhair an Ríocht Aontaithe.

Chomh maith le sin, is fiú a luadh go gcuirfidh an cáin charbóin nua isteach ar pinsinéirí leochaileach – ach go háirithe an 10% d’ár seanóirí atá ina gcónaí le bochtanas breosala cheanna. Is iad sean daoine ina gcónaí leo féin, ar ioncam íseal, i sean-tithe – nach bhfuil inslithe i gceart – atá faoi bhrú le teas a choinneáil ina dtithe. Caithfear na daoine seo a chosaint.

I measc rudaí eile sa cháinfhaisnéis seo a chuirfidh isteach ar sean-daoine tá an táille nua 50c ar oideas agus an ísliú sa Liúntas do Chúramóirí. Tá bliain eile imithe gan pingin breise sa Liúntas maireachtála aonair – níl ardú ar bith sa liúntas seo ó 1996. Tá 96% de sean-daoine a chónaíonn leo féin i mbaol bochtanais de réir an SILC (Survey on Income and Living Conditions) foilsithe coicís ó shin ag an Príomh Oifig Staidrimh.

Ag tógáil na giorruithe éagsúla le chéile beidh titim €600 nó mar sin sa bhliain ar seanóirí na hÉireann. Sin 5% dóibh siúd a bhraitheann ar an Pinsean Stáit amháin.

Feicimid nár déanadh aon rud don pas saorthaistil nó don pacáiste sochair teaghlaigh. Bíonn tiochar díreach ag na scéimeanna seo ar na daoine is boichte agus is leochailí in Éirinn. B’fhéidir go bhfuil ceacht foghlaimithe ó ollfeachtas na bliana seo caite

chríochnaigh Ms Hayes.