We need to cut social welfare

[peader odonnell]

nothing much ever changes ,cut welfare ,take from those most in need ,leave the speculators alone as usual

[cyberianpan]

More proof that there is fat in the Welfare system:

RTE A Government crackdown on social welfare fraud saved the State €476m last year, which is up €29m on the previous year.
Figures show that more than 560,000 claims were reviewed in 2008.

Now I rarely see prosecutions for welfare fraud - and it's obvious that there is massive fraud. The above review of 560,000 claims must have been very costly. That's only €850 recovered per investigation (and we could imagine that each might take days of effort).

If people are found to be fraudulently claiming they should be put into a labour camp, even if they just made clothes and that it got the State way less revenue than the minimum wage from say Marks & Spencers or Primark (e.g. 50 hours a week at €2.50 an hour profit being €125 a week) - it would still be fair & worthwhile.

cYp

[cyberianpan]

The Irish Times is reporting a large increase in joblessness and this is going to cost a lot

IT [SIZE=3]Jobless now exceed 300,000 as Superquinn latest to cut staff[/SIZE]

THE NUMBER of unemployed now exceeds 300,000 and hundreds of millions of euro in extra funding will be needed to pay the rising cost of unemployment benefit, Minister for Social and Family Affairs Mary Hanafin has revealed.

Ms Hanafin told The Irish Times she anticipated that [COLOR=Red]at least €400 million extra[/COLOR] would be needed to meet the rising cost of unemployment benefit. This would bring[COLOR=Red] total spending on social welfare to more than €20 billion[/COLOR]

As noted at the start of this thread our spending on social welfare had increased 154% over the previous 8 boom years with our "jobseeker benefits" 160% higher than the UK and children's allowance 60% higher.

This needs to be cut - else it'll have to be Health or carer's allowance or something worse.

cYp

[kerrynorth]

I suspect we will see the Early Childcare Payment get the chop in the €2billion cutbacks tomorrow. According to what I have been reading the government have been looking at all new payments introduced over the last 5 years with a view to chopping and the Early Childcare Payment is circa €400million in one go - a prime candidate.

[macdarawhitfield]

I suspect we will see the Early Childcare Payment get the chop in the €2billion cutbacks tomorrow. According to what I have been reading the government have been looking at all new payments introduced over the last 5 years with a view to chopping and the Early Childcare Payment is circa €400million in one go - a prime candidate.

Why not just scrap the lot,old age pensions too.Finish the job the Brits couldn't- only FF can do this as they are the patriotic party.If Labour and the Blueshirts tried this people might take it amiss.

[Kazza]

I suspect we will see the Early Childcare Payment get the chop in the €2billion cutbacks tomorrow. According to what I have been reading the government have been looking at all new payments introduced over the last 5 years with a view to chopping and the Early Childcare Payment is circa €400million in one go - a prime candidate.

If they do, it'll make the medical card fiasco look like a blip. Sure didn't trying to put Vat on childrens shoes bring down a government. Means testing would be a viable option, or perhaps making it taxable, but scrapping it would be political suicide.

[Andrew49]

It's an old standby to stigmatise the unemployed, and those receiving welfare payments from the State. Fianna Fail and Fine Gael will have little trouble in recruiting acolytes to pour odium on those THEY regard as contemptible, despicable, or repugnant if some of the responses here are anything to go by.

What next I wonder ? Taxes based on how small a woman's foot is? Commando diets devised by computers for the unemployed ?

Catalpa implies that the unemployed are able to live it up in Egypt on their welfare payments !! Obviously he has never holidayed in Ireland as it has passed him by that Ireland is one of the most expensive places to take a holiday.

In 2007 we holidayed in Tramore - renting two mobile homes for one week - the total cost for this was €1600. In 2008 we rented a villa [5-bedroom] in Orlando for two weeks and the cost [including Aer Lingus flights] was €1800 - go figure that Catalpa!

It seems to me that the guy holidaying in Egypt is being careful with his money!

Or maybe Catalpa is irritated that an unemployed person is taking a holiday!

[Swingingdoor]

Why give anyone the dole in the first place?
They should all work for their huge weekly dole payments.
Employers would have plenty of jobs if everyone worked for €190 a week.
Never mind that shops charge what they want for essentials. Sure after all we have to make sure these business men and their families can retire to their big homes and have their foreign holidays every year. Who’d look after the banks if these business men weren’t depositing their wads of money in them?
It’s a known fact that those drawing the dole don’t even vote. So why should the Government even consider giving them money for nothing each week.
Yeah, screw the spongers.

What’s happening here in Ireland at the moment is that the business sector, propped up by their cohorts the money grabbing politicians, want everything and want to bleed dry those who are on the margins. Ask your local decision maker whether he or she could survive on €190 per week?

[Halo]

I suspect we will see the Early Childcare Payment get the chop in the €2billion cutbacks tomorrow. According to what I have been reading the government have been looking at all new payments introduced over the last 5 years with a view to chopping and the Early Childcare Payment is circa €400million in one go - a prime candidate.

So big cuts in social welfare, and just the odd trim in public sector wages..

I cant wait till the people get to the streets.

[cyberianpan]

So big cuts in social welfare, and just the odd trim in public sector wages..

I cant wait till the people get to the streets.

Big cuts needed everywhere- else the people will be out on the streets & living in cardboard boxes

McWilliams is right - a systemic devaluation would be waaaay nicer ... having to push through hundreds of cuts is very difficult

Irish Times
WELFARE BENEFITS for carers, lone parents and children are among the areas likely to be the focus of a group established by the Government to identify spending cuts across the public sector, Minister for Social Affairs Mary Hanafin has said.

The group – dubbed An Bord Snip Nua – has asked the Department of Social and Family Affairs for detailed information on welfare schemes which have expanded significantly over the past five years.

cYp