The Taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, recently stated that the government’s welfare policy would focus on maintaining a “decent gap” between jobseeker support and pay, reports Breaking News.
He added that the coalition would also prioritize eliminating “traps” that discourage work and ensure that people who choose to work don’t lose out on certain benefits.
During his end-of-year media briefing, Varadkar was asked whether there would be a change in policy regarding Jobseeker’s Allowance following the €12 rise announced in the budget, considering the current high levels of employment.
“Provided the country can afford it and provided we stick with economic policies that have worked for Ireland, we will continue to increase pensions and welfare in the years to come,” Mr Varadkar responded, reports Breaking News.
“When it comes to pensions, we’ve broadly set the benchmark that the pension should be pitched at around a third, around 33 per cent or 34 per cent of median earnings. We think that’s a good benchmark. We will keep pensions at that rate. When it comes to other welfare payments, we will increase them in line with the cost of living, or a little bit better if we can afford to do so,” he added, reports Breaking News.
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