News
ISCP at the National Demonstration
The Irish Senior Citizens Parliament supported the National Demonstrationorganised by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions on Saturday last. ISCP people came from as near as Finglas and as far away as Donegal on a cold, snowy Saturday to show their solidarity and to make the voice of older people heard. We joined something between 50,000 and 100,000 marchers from Dublin’s Civic Offices to the GPO.
We would like to thank everybody who joined the ISCP on the demonstration. In particular our friends from Older & Bolder were prominent with their pink umbrellas.
Evie Franks made a video about the Demonstration & included short interviews with the Parliament’s CEO, Máiréad Hayes, and Paul Walsh from the Parliament’s Limerick Division about why this Demonstration was so important.
Addressing the crowd, master of ceremonies Fintan O’Toole said thatv “We are here to say that we are who we are – citizens of a proud and free Republican democracy”. Other speakers at the event included Ictu President Jack O’Connor, Ictu General Secretary David Begg, and Siobhán O’Donoghue of the Community Platform. Marie Doyle of the Retired Workers Committee spoke on behalf of pensioners. She said elderly people had made a huge contribution to the State during their working lives and were now being treated like parasites.
We resent being told that we are a burden for the State”.
Performers Christy Moore, Frances Black and Jinx Lennon also entertained the crowd with relevant and hard hitting songs while actress, Ruth McCabe read, with emotion, from the 1916 Proclamation and the 1919 Democratic Programme the seminal founding documents of the State.
Older People Should Be Helped In Tough Times
At a meeting today of the Pre- Budget Forum with the Minister for Social Protection, Eamon O Cuiv the Irish Senior Citizens Parliament stressed the importance of maintaining Older People’s purchasing power.
Mairead Hayes CEO stated that while the pension was not reduced in last year’s budget many older people have already seen their income and buying power reduced by a number of decisions made by government including the loss of the additional payment at Christmas, the loss of benefits and the introduction of charges and levies such as the carbon tax, the PSO levy and the prescription charge among others.
The Parliament today called on the Minister to maintain the pension, to increase the Living Alone Allowance and to extend it to low income civil service pensioners. The Parliament also argued that now is the time to increase the Over 80 Age Allowance by €5.
The Irish Senior Citizens Parliament highlighted the essential role played by the Fuel Allowance and urged its extension by one week this year.
Ms. Hayes continued, a previous Minister for Social Welfare, sadly no longer with us, said that,
Measures such as the Age Allowance and Living Alone Allowance together with the Fuel Allowance were introduced in tougher times to help those worse off. We would contend that this is that time and these Older People should be helped now.
Wexford Division Committee
The following are the officers and members of the Co. Wexford Division of the ISCP:
Chairperson: Sean Kinsella
Vice Chairperson: Pat Morgan
Secretary: Bridget Neville
Treasurer/PRO: Betty Breen
Committee Members:
Dwight & Claire Moore, Lillian McKenna, Bebe Kehoe Larry Doyle, Susan Malcolm, Kelly Dundavan, Rita Gerard & Mary Martin.
Is Dan O’Brien for Real?
Government will have to cut old-age pension as reported in the Irish Times today makes for a great headline
said Máiréad Hayes CEO of the Irish Senior Citizens However it should be remembered that for the majority of Older People this is their sole income. It is what keeps them alive and in some cases above the poverty line.
Mr O’Brien makes what appear to be very rational arguments on the face of it. However what he ignores is, that far from being better off, Senior Citizens have seen real cuts to their income by the withdrawal of the Additional Payment at Christmas, increased costs arising from carbon tax, loss of dental and optical benefit, the introduction of prescription charges, high fuel charges, reported reductions in transport services and planned cuts in Home Help Services to name but a few.
There was a commitment in the programme for government to a State Pension of €300 by 2012 and at the current rate of €230 we are still a long way off achieving that figure.”
Older People are sharing the burden in this economic downturn as they have done through previous downturns. There are still over 17% of Older People who are at risk of poverty and the State Pension as a percentage of average earnings is one of the lowest in the EU.