Fine Gael are pushing back against weekly welfare hikes for jobseekers being the same as pensioners
Fine Gael will push back against welfare increases for jobseekers being the same as those for pensioners and disabled people in the next budget. The move is likely to cause tensions with coalition partner Fianna Fáil, which currently holds the social protection portfolio. Fine Gael opposes what it sees as the rewarding of people ‘who refuse to work’. Nearly 48,000 people have been on unemployment benefit for a year or longer, and the party believes they should receive lower weekly increases – to make them get up and go out to look for work. Oireachtas Social Protection Committee chairman John Paul O’Shea questioned why so many people were unemployed when businesses are struggling with staff shortages. “At a time when businesses are screaming out for workers, why are so many people out of work for months on end?” the Fine Gael TD asked. “I have called on the minister and the department to significantly ramp up their activation efforts to get this cohort into the workforce. “I also believe we need to take a fresh look at the social protection budget this year and ensure we prioritise the groups that need our support the most.” Credit to : Irish Independent