Budget leaves old people behind: Deputy Ryan
Budget leaves old people behind
Sinn Féin TD for Kildare South, Patricia Ryan, has slammed this week’s budget as a budget that has left older people and rural Ireland behind.
Patricia said:
“It’s like they forgot that old people existed after they told them to hide away because of the pandemic. They have put developers, vulture funds, landlords and big business before our older people, our carers, the working poor and people on the Pandemic Unemployment Payment. I received a message from a constituent yesterday which read: “This must have been the most honest budget ever, at least they had the decency to wear masks while they were robbing us!”
“As the Sinn Féin spokesperson for older people I am looking at this budget from their point of view. Don’t take my word for it that this budget is a bad one. You only have to look at the reaction of the impartial groups advocating for our older people.”
Seán Moynihan, CEO of ALONE, has expressed “his concern that older people were not mentioned enough in this budget and the measures did not adequately reflect the challenges faced by older people in today’s world. He was also disheartened to see that the Government has failed to set the State Pension at the average weekly wage agreed in the government’s own Roadmap for Pensions Reform.”
Deputy Ryan slams latest Budget for leaving older people behind
Maureen Kavanagh, CEO of Active Retirement Ireland said: “Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and the Green Party committed in their Programme for Government to build a society that properly values older people – a society where older people can live full and active lives in their communities.” However, in her opinion, Budget 2021 falls short on delivering that society.
Age Action Ireland says that “Budget 2021 did not offer the majority of older people the support they need to meet the rising cost of living that is anticipated by the impacts of the carbon tax, COVID-19 and Brexit and it did not contain adequate measures to support them.”
“The majority people of Kildare and Laois don’t have the luxury of buses passing the door regularly and natural gas piped into their homes. This budget is bad for rural Ireland, the carbon tax increases are a blunt instrument. We need a just transition. This budget has nothing for renters, nothing for childcare and failed to reverse the PUP cuts. Sinn Féin’s 15th alternative budget, published last Friday, would have meant a fairer approach. I will continue to stand up for rural Ireland and for our Older people,” she concluded.