Social Welfare There is "wriggle room" for some row back on the 16 social welfare cuts announced in last month's Book of Estimates, the Minister for Social and Family Affairs, Ms Coughlan, said yesterday.
Speaking at a press briefing on her Department's €630 million Budget package, Ms Coughlan revealed she had not yet signed off on a number of the cuts.
Those not yet signed off on are cuts in rent supplement, diet supplement, crèche supplement, and the Money Advice and Budgetary supplement, she indicated.
The Minister has been strongly criticised following the announcement of cuts in 16 welfare areas aimed at saving her Department €55.8 million, and in particular for the cut in rent supplement.
According to the planned change applicants would have to first rent private accommodation from their own resources for six months before being eligible for rent supplement.
Ms Coughlan said she had not signed off on the cuts because she had undertaken to "listen to the members of the House, my Parliamentary Party, to what was being put forward by a number of organisations".
She said she would take all these into consideration "on the basis of ensuring flexibilities within the scheme to deal with particular situations."
She would be signing off on them however "by the end of the year" and intended achieving the savings as set out in the Estimates whatever changes were made.
The main focus of the social welfare Budget package yesterday was a €10 per week increase in social welfare payments. This brings the Carer's Allowance for those under 66 years to €139.60 and those 66 and over to €157.80.
The One Parent Family Allowance rises to €134.80 and the Old Age Pension for those age 66 and over but under 80 to €154. Those aged over 80 will receive €160.40.
This basic increase was only "the minimum increase" the Government could get away with, care groups said last night
Age Action Ireland said the minimum increase could not be described as an attack on poverty or as a meaningful effort to promote social inclusion.
The National Women's Council of Ireland described it as "measly", saying it betrayed women.
The Minister rejected criticism of the low increase in Child Benefit of €6 per month for the first and second children and €8 per month for the third and subsequent children, to €131.60 and €165.30 respectively.
These increases are well below the €12 to €15 per month sought be various groups and leave the Government well behind its own target of increasing this payment by €24 over this and next year's Budget.
The Government-appointed Combat Poverty Agency described the increase as "disappointing". It had sought an increase of €12 per child per month. Anti-poverty groups had also called for increases in the Child Dependent Allowance, which is paid to the 325,000 poorest children in the State.
Ms Coughlan said the increases "were quite substantial" and that Child Benefit was costing over €1 billion per year to her Department.The increases in the Family Income Supplement threshold of €28 per week was broadly welcomed. This will benefit every family on (FIS).
The new rates will come into effect next month and customers who receive their payments by electronic transfer will get their first pay day in January.
Those who get them on book payments will receive their increase in February, backdated to January. Child Benefit increases come into effect in April.
