News
Low Hanging Fruit
The Irish Senior Citizens Parliament is angered and saddened by the areas of cuts which have been announced by the HSE today. These will affect people and their families who are striving to remain at home and cope with age related frailties and disabilities.
Where do these cuts leave the promises to allow people to remain at home in their own home and communities? There is an old saying about a Straw breaking the camels back and this may just be THE Straw for many families who are managing to cope with caring in the home.
We are calling for a detailed breakdown from the HSE of how this will work and we are asking the Minister for Health James Reilly to come out and tell us if this plan has been agreed by him and to state clearly how to quote
the impact of these reductions will be minimised by achieving greater efficiency in the packages currently provided.
The ISCP is calling on the HSE, Minister for Health, James Reilly T.D. and Ministers Shortall and Lynch to reach further up the tree and tackle some of the “RIPE FRUIT “nearer the top.
These cuts must be reversed
ENDS
For further information contact
Mairead Hayes
Chief Executive Officer
Tel: (01) 8561243
Invitation To Join Us At EU House
IRISH SENIOR CITIZENS PARLIAMENT INVITE YOU TO JOIN US ON FRIDAY 11TH MAY 2012 AT 12.30 PM
Please support this support EUROPEAN YEAR 2012 Event
Europe Day 2012 Invitation
European Movement Ireland are delighted to invite you to an event marking Europe Day 2012
Venue: European Commission Representation, EU House,18 Dawson Street,Dublin2
Date Friday, 11 May 2012 at 12.30pm
Noelle O’Connell, Executive Director of EM Ireland will chair a discussion marking Europe Day 2012 and the European Year of Intergenerational Solidarity and Active Aging.
Presentations on the day from CEO of the Irish Senior Citizens Parliament, Máiréad Hayes;
PRO of the European Youth ParliamentIreland, Adrian Clarke,
Margaret Fitzpatrick from Age Action Ireland will provide diverse insights and intergenerational perspectives on life in the European Union.
All are very welcome to attend this free event. We look forward to seeing you there.
Please RSVP to confirm your attendance at this Europe Week event:
T: +353 1 662 5815 E: events@europeanmovement.ie
Enough Is Enough
The Irish Senior Citizens Parliament views with alarm the reports that there are plans in train to make further cuts to the living standards of Older People.
Older people have seen serious reductions in the value of the spending power of their pensions. Daily they are being confronted by increases, reduced services and additional charges. Serious cuts in household benefits and the removal of the additional payment at Christmas are biting deeply.
With the sweep of a pen the Minister for Social Protection has determined that those about to go on pension effective September 2012 will see cuts to their payments ranging from €18.80-29.80 with follow on reductions in payments for dependents. There was no warning for these people and no opportunity to continue to work for most of them.
Callers tell us that in their view what is happening to pensioners or those about to become pensioners is in stark contrast to what they see as the manner in which those who recklessly endangered the State were and continue to be dealt with.
For further information please contact 01 8561243
What did we learn? Are we wiser ?
Revenue meeting with ISCP 9th January
Representative of the Irish Senior Citizens Parliament met with two officials from the Revenue Commissioners today at 9.15am. There was a full and frank exchange regarding the crass way in which Revenue had handled this whole matter.
Revenue did not provide us with the level of detail we had hoped to receive in relation to their surety that the people who received letters owed money. Indeed we urge that they must be more forthcoming at the meeting of the Oireachtas Committee on Finance, Public Expenditure and Reform on 11th January. It is the right of every older person and their families to be proactively be told what the situation is.
Many of the case studies which have been advised of were raised with Revenue. There was an acceptance that in a large number of cases there will be no monies due, and where some monies are due the amounts are very small and that the abolition of the bin charges exemptions is a factor. Indeed there has been an admissions that people who are “Exempt” got letters .
In relation to people who were bereaved in 2011 we were told that a letter was sent to anyone who received a payment in 2011 even if that payment had ceased in 2011 and a bereavement grant had been paid. We feel this display a lack of sensitivity.
We got clarification that of the 562,000 persons in receipt of Department of Social Protection payments in the specified categories, letters were only sent to those who are liable to pay tax under the PAYE system Form 12.
There are some 100,000 persons in receipt of DSP payments who fall into the category of self assessment and who complete Form 11.
Following the meeting with Revenue a report was given to our National Executive who met today to consider the matter. It was agreed that we will continue to monitor and await the outcome of the Oireachtas Committee meeting scheduled for tomorrow Wednesday 11th January 2012.
Mairead Hayes