not pretty reading suppose the headline figure will be the proposed public sector jobs cuts and a 5% reduction in social welfare benefits which is fair in my opinion as the majority of us who are working have takin 10% pay cut between increased tax/persion contributions and actual pay cuts and also the cost of living has been reduced http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0716/economy1.html 'An Bord Snip Nua' has recommended €5.3bn in potential savings, including 17,300 public service job cuts and a 5% drop in social welfare The 'Special Group on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure Programmes' was chaired by UCD economist Colm McCarthy and runs to some 80 pages with over 200 pages of appendices. AdvertisementMr McCarthy said the Government was borrowing €400m per week and paying a substantial rate of interest on those borrowings - and this could not continue. On RTÉ News At One he said the board had to look to the big items of spending, which are health, education and social welfare. In addition to 17,300 public service job cuts and the 5% reduction in social welfare payments - saving €850m a year - the report says social welfare recipients and Community Employment participants should receive only one payment. 'An Bord Snip Nua' also recommends reducing child benefit payments and simplifying them and revising and simplifying the qualification criteria for the medical card. The group says the Department of Community, Rural & Gaeltacht Affairs should be closed and its functions redistributed. It also says the need for the Department of Arts, Sports & Tourism should be critically examined and the programme expenditure of both departments should be significantly scaled back. Transfer payments and expenditure programmes across the agricultural area should be scaled back, according to the report. It recommends reducing the number of Special Needs Assistants and English Language Support Teachers and introducing charges and co-payment mechanisms for services including, school transport, medicines and home help. The report also says there should be a further reduction in allowances for TDs and Senators. It recommends reducing the number of Local Authorities from 34 to 22. OUTLINE OF PROPOSALS Social and Family Affairs - More * Cuts to all social welfare payments by 5% - €850m * Reduction and changes to child benefit - €513m * An end to receiving two welfare payments - €100m * An end to payments for Community Employment Schemes for those already on benefit - €100m * Cutting benefits for dental, optical and hearing services - €92m * Grading of jobseekers allowance by age - €70m * Cutting the Family Support Agency - €30m * Changing eligibility for Family Income Supplement - €20m * Taxing household benefits package - €11.6m Staff cuts - None Total cut €1.8bn Health and Children * Reduce the size of the Department by 10% a year over the next three years - €11m * Reduce HSE staff - €391.3m * Revise the income guidelines for the Medical Card to the basic rate of social welfare, the jobseekers allowance - €100m * Increase the threshold for the Drugs Payment Scheme from 4100 to €125 a month - €37m * Those previously receiving free prescriptions must now pay €5 for each prescription - €70m * Hold an open competition to provide services under the General Medical Services scheme - €370m * Increase Hospital Charges - €6m * Increase charges for private facilities in public hospitals by 20% - €50m * Hospitals and clinicians must provide generic medicines, off-patent drugs and value-for-money treatments - €30m * Changes to agencies and organisations in the disability and mental health area which receive State funding - €50m * Changes to the Fair Deal scheme with the individual to contribute more to nursing home care from their own residence - €50m * Means test for Homecare packages - €24m Staff cuts: 6168 Total cuts: €1.2bn Education and Science * Staff and pay cuts in primary and post primary schools - €150m * Staff cuts at third level - €140m * Cuts to number of special needs assistants and English language support teachers - €81m * Increased pupil teacher ratio at primary and post primary - €80m * Change to student support grant - €70m * Cuts to capitation grants for primary and post primary schools - €25m * Cuts to research and development - €27.5m * Cuts to grants for private schools - €25m * Merging of smaller primary schools - €25m * Cuts to school transport - €25m * Integration of senior travelling training - €25m * Cuts to third level structures - €23.7m Staff cuts 6,390 Total cut €746m Agriculture - More * Reduce expenditure on the Disadvantaged Area Compensatory Allowance Scheme by 30% - €66m * Terminate the Suckler Cow Scheme - €44m * Close REPS 4 and no rollover from REPS 2 and 3 into REPS 4 - €80m * Reduce Teagasc staff numbers, rationalise Teagasc and Dept offices - €37m Total cuts €305m Staff cuts 1,140 staff Enterprise, Trade and Employment * Merge the regional offices and shared services of Enterprise Ireland, IDA and FÃS - €87m * A single reduced funding stream for all science, technology and innovation activities across all departments - €53m * Streamline all support of Irish enterprises and marketing functions in Enterprise Ireland - €10m * Stop funding the FÃS Services to Business and Skillnets programmes - €27m * Cuts to training allowances for the unemployed - €24.5m Total cuts €237.7m Staff cuts 594 Community Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs * Cuts to Community Services Programmes - €64m * Cuts to Gaeltacht Schemes - €20.8m * Cuts to islands infrastructure - €20m Staff cuts 196 Total cut €151m Environment, Heritage and Local Government * Cuts to local government including an end to 12 county or town councils - €100m * Further efficiencies - €30m Staff cuts 30 Total cut €130m Transport * Efficiencies among CIE companies - €55m * Cuts to road maintenance - €20m * Cuts to regional air services - €15m * Axing the Rural Transport Scheme - €11m * Outsourcing of driver and vehicle testing - €10m * Cuts to the Road Saferty Authority - €4.2m * Merging the National Roads Authority and the Railway Procurement Agency - €3m * Merging the National Vehicle and Driver File into the Road Safety Authority - €2m Staff cuts 80 Total cut €127.1m Arts, Sports and Tourism * Cuts in allocation to tourism and marketing - €27m * Cut in grant to Sports Council - €17.7m * Cut allocation to Horse and Greyhound Fund - €16.4m Staff cuts 170 Total cut €104.8m Justice * Cuts to pay and allowances for justice sector staff - including gardai - €65m * Cuts to the courts service - €13.5m * Cuts in immigration staff - €10m * Transfer disability functions of department to Department of Health - €2.6m * Cuts to Youth Detention Centres - €2.5m Staff cuts 540 Total cut €136.4m Communications, Energy and Natural Resources * Cuts to energy efficiency schemes run by Sustainable Energy Ireland - €40m * Cuts to direct funding to TG4 - to be partially funded from licence fee - €10m Staff cuts 106 Total cuts €65.6m Defence - More * Measures including a reduction in Defence Forces personnel by more than 500 Total cuts €53m Staff cuts 520 Finance * Cuts to the Office of Public Works - reducing spare capacity and rental costs - €21m Staff cuts 660 Total cuts €82.8m Department of Foreign Affairs * Cuts to overseas missions - €15m * Cuts to overseas aid - €14.8m * Cuts to Support for Irish Emigrants - €1m Staff cuts 65 Total cut €41.7m Houses of the Oireachtas Commission * Changes to some operations - €6m * Cuts to Oireachtas Allowances and Benefits - €1.5m Total cuts €7.8m Staff cuts 42 National Treasury Management Agency * Reduce staff and other administrative costs - €5.3m * Changes at the State Claims Agency including payment schemes, legal fees and risk management services Total cuts €5.3m Staff cuts 40 Department of the Taoiseach * An end to the National Economic and Social Development Organisation - except for the National Economic and Social Council - €4m * Axing the Law Reform Commission - €2.8m * Cuts to the cost of Census 2011 - €2.2m Staff cuts 77 Total Cut €17.5m
Social welfare rates in this country ridiculously high Liam in fairness.No incentive to work unless you can guarantee work as a single person that earns you e500+ a week.
Guess your right Ronan only problem is the lack of jobs out there for them. But what needs to happen is for prices to be slashed everywere. There are still places out there that are charging same prices they were when there was plenty of money about.
Agree there lad. IMO what they should do with the people signing on is to get them to do at least two days a week local work i.e. painting, cutting local parks etc. That way it cuts down on the council workers and also gives them something to do.
Good! Pity they can't implement anything without strikes and protests and god knows what which will jsut lead to the need for more job losses and worsen the economy.
I'm on the dole since feb & i think it should be means tested, i'm living out of home & half my dole goes on rent while another good chunk of it pays bills,food etc. Saying that i would agree on 10% be taken off to help get the economy back together. This country has been taken for a big enough ride the last few years by lazy irish fcukers & especially foreign nationals who come here just to sign on(i don't want to start a racist issue because i know a lot of them work hard).
well thats may job gone when my contracts up next month, cut spending by 6 million for the council and IT will be hit first
And they are on alot more than the JB allowance when you include all the other social benefits like housing etc
Exactly mate, they are given free houses & prams plus a lot more, they are practically encouraged to have as many kids as they can because they know they will get sorted. Its a pity that its the hardworking men & women of this country & people who are on the dole who would give their left arm for a job are getting most affected. There, have you ever been to a community welfare officer in your local clinic, it would open your eyes.
I wonder who will back down 1st. We have a bunch of pussys in government who back down when grannies start shouting. Some of my own suggestions: 1) Tax fathers of single parents - I know stacks of people living with their "partners" who arent supposed to be while their partners receive rent allowance. 2) Cut all funding to GAA,FAI and IRFU - they are big enough to look after themselves. 3) Tax all baskets in the church. 4) get rid of artists exemptions. I will add more later.
I'm sorry but thats just utter nonsense and its a typical highly ignorant attitude when the wheels of capitalism come spinning off. People pointing the finger at myths and whispers, "if only we didn't have these people here, everything would be fine or things wouldn't be as bad" Its an absurd theory based on nothing and it does nothing but blind people from the actual problems. If you are to blame anyone why not the people who make the decisions? Why wasn't ireland investing in various industries rather than property speculation and high priced goods to fuel its economy? Why is the country heading for bankruptcy because of the handling of the "economic crisis"? or "why did we base our whole economy on a financial capitalist model that was doomed to fail"? Next you will be agreeing a decrease in minimum wage and more taxation.
very hard for anyone to prove if someone is "living" in a house. i'm living with my missus and kids for the last 12 years and i'm not supposed to be living there.it's a council house i might add,she never claimed a penny in rent allowance. i make no apologies for doing it,you do what you have to do to get by. if i was married i'd be fcukin crippled now the way things are going,i don't know how anyone does it to be honest....
Then i would be contradicting myself since i stated my support for the workers. It's not 'myths & whispers' when you witness something with your own eyes which i have.
where exactly and supporting them how? witnessing what, you see one person claiming social welfare and its their fault? You missed the point of what I was saying completely.