TAOISEACH MICHEÁL MARTIN has said Fine Gael never raised the idea of wanting to increase payments for pensioners and working families, but not for jobseekers ahead of last year’s budget. 

Calling it a “false row”, the Taoiseach told The Journal in Japan today that “it was never put to us the last time”. 

In the run up to the budget in 2024, the then Social Protection Minister Heather Humphreys said she wanted increased payments for those on social welfare, but not for jobseekers.

At the time, she claimed robust discussions on the issue were had within government – but she said that ultimately a compromise was found and the move never came to fruition.  

However, when asked if he would agree to such demands in this year’s budget, the Taoiseach responded: 

“I thought it was a false row the last time. It was never put to us the last time, you might have read about it somewhere, but it was never put to us, in terms of substance, in terms of presentation.”

Harris ‘not convinced’ about dole increases 

Harris said this week that he is in favour of separating the dole from universal increases to social welfare payments in the upcoming budget.

“I’m not convinced that you need to see as significant a rise in the dole as you do in the pension, for example, at the time where our country is at full employment, when there is lots of supports out there for people getting into work.

“When there are other supports out there for very many people who can’t work for very many good reasons. That’s my opinion. We’ll thrash it out all that out at the time of budget,” said Harris. 

It is understood that the matter has not been raised with the Fianna Fáil side of government ahead of this year’s budget.

When asked if he agrees with Fine Gael’s viewpoint on the matter, the Taoiseach said: 

“I don’t like drawing distinctions and I’ve never been into that characterisation of people on welfare. I’ve never been into that politics.”

He added: “We’ll see what transpires.”

The Taoiseach said the government does have to make priorities in terms of how money is allocated.

“My view is that we have, over the last two years, committed to doing something significant on child poverty, to turn the dial on child poverty, and that’s where I would like to see a targeted set of measures emanating from the Department of Social Protection in relation to the child poverty question,” he said.

Martin said he is determined that the unit in the Department of An Taoiseach tasked with dealing with the issue of child poverty has impact.

Proposals will come from that unit and from the Taoiseach’s own economic advisors, in terms of how can make that a reality in the budget, said Martin. 

“And that’s an age old argument between targeting versus universal approaches. But all of the evidence suggests that on the child poverty question, if you do something significant in a targeting way, you can really have impact,” said the Taoiseach.