MINISTER FOR SOCIAL Protection Joan Burton has said that the idea of capping welfare payments is no longer being considered by the Government as a possible Budget measure.
There had been speculation that the coalition was considering bringing in a cap on benefits, in line with the system now in place in Britain.
Speaking to RTE News today, Minister Burton said the measure was not being considered at the moment, although admitted it had been looked at.
“Everything in every Budget is up for discussion,” the Minister said, adding that the final decision on the measures was made by the entire Cabinet.
“Even ministers who do not have big spending areas are decision makers.”
Burton said there were concerns that the measure could discriminate against larger families caring for one or more family members with a disability.
“In this particular case I would warn that people should be extremely cautious because they may get results that they never intended, and they may end up seriously discriminating against families with children or adults with a disability who are also carers.”
The Minister added that research carried out by the Department had shown that “70 per cent of people who are jobseekers get €188 a week or less” from the social welfare system. She added:
“In the research that we are continuously doing in the Department, we find that 80 per cent of people are better off by up to 50 per cent by going out to work.”
Burton was speaking from the Labour Party ‘think-in’ in Meath, where ministers, backbenchers and senators gathered for a second day ahead of the new Dáil term tomorrow.
Taoiseach Enda Kenny speaks to the media at his party ‘think in’ (Photocall Ireland)
Fine Gael also continued its parliamentary party meeting in Laois today, with Taoiseach Enda Kenny saying this morning that he wanted to deliver the Budget in “as fair a way as possible”.
Asked by reporters about the prospect of a reshuffle in the Government, Kenny said there would be none this year, and that it would most likely happen “in the back end” of the coalition’s term.
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