Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)

What is the Minister at regarding rent supplement? The budget provided for very meagre increases in social welfare, approximately 3%. For most people, apart from pensioners, that amounted to €6.50 per week. For people on rent supplement there is a clawback of an additional €5 per week, which means people on welfare in private rented accommodation on rent supplement get a net €1.50 per week from this budget. How can the Minister justify that? In real terms it represents a cut in the income of many welfare recipients. How does she expect those people to survive when already low levels of welfare payments will be cut in real terms in the coming year? How can those people survive?

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