Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 19 October 2022

Committee on Budgetary Oversight

Post-budget 2023 Examination: Discussion

Photo of Neasa HouriganNeasa Hourigan (Dublin Central, Green Party)
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If Members wish to ask a second round of questions then please indicate while I ask my own questions.

I completely agree with Social Justice Ireland. All of the witnesses have raised issues around the nature of one-off payments for some groups versus permanent changes for other cohorts. I also agree with the call for an increase of €8. An issue exists within this prism whereby the financial climate is incredibly volatile, some of the money that we are using to finance current payments comes from a volatile source in the form of corporation tax, and we must also roll into our considerations the idea of not adding to inflation. It is in that context, and as somebody who supports the position of Social Justice Ireland, how can we mediate that? What is the right level of one-off versus permanent? Finally, I agree with the idea that we should be indexing welfare payments.