FAIL TO PLAN, PLAN TO FAIL

 

FAIL TO PLAN, PLAN TO FAIL

“In just twenty years from now, in 2044, there will be 757,000 more people aged 60 and older, including 252,000 more people aged 80 and older.  (Age Action Nov 2024)

Now that the dust has settled on the General Election and all the horse trading has been completed, it will be interesting to see what the Programme for Government contains in terms of addressing the needs of an ageing population.

Over the course of the election campaign, many of our members referenced the lack of discussion on policies to address the long term issues relating to this.

The Irish Fiscal Advisory Council has said in a new report that Ireland’s “rapidly” ageing population is at the forefront of the many future challenges facing the State.

Ireland currently lacks the necessary public services to adequately address its healthcare needs. The challenges associated with the construction of the Children’s Hospital, along with the ongoing difficulties in recruiting and retaining hospital staff, highlight this as a significant concern.

Added to this is Ireland’s historically relatively low levels of public investment. The impact of insufficient investment is particularly evident, in healthcare, housing, aging water infrastructure, the limited availability of a robust rural broadband network, and deficiencies in public transportation.

The ongoing issue of a secure and adequate state pension still needs to be addressed. The Roadmap for Pension Reform 2018–2023 contained a commitment to a state contributory pension payment of no less than 34% of average earnings. This was NEVER IMPLEMENTED. The then Government repeatedly indicated this benchmark as the minimum adequate payment for the state contributory pension. In the recent election campaign both Fine Gael and Fianna Fail committed to increasing the pension to €350. This should be connected to a percentage of earnings, specifically 34% or higher of the average earnings.

No other party other than the Labour Party, referenced the need for an  ageing strategy. However, Fine Gael committed to a Commissioner on Positive Ageing.

Speaking on this issue, Pat Mellon (national Coordinator ISCP )“as older people we are all too aware of the impact of lack of planning, we need to engage with the Government and actively seek policies now to address what could be a disaster for our adult children. Our members have adult children in their 30’s,40’s, & 50’s who are trying to buy a home, not  able to afford private healthcare and certainly concerned as to their ability to contribute in any meaningful way to a pension income beyond the state pension. It is this generation that will be most impacted by lack of effective planning. We need to act now”