Seán Fleming (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The Deputy is quite right; much has changed since those reports were produced. The principal change was the introduction of and increase to the minimum wage from €8.65 to €10.50. We would all like if this rate was higher, but that is a significant increase in the context that we had no provision for a minimum wage in legislation when that work was commissioned.

Social Justice Ireland said that the changes in the last two budgets would benefit a one-income married couple by as much as 39 cent a week. That is simply incorrect; it is just not true. The changes alone announced in the budget will benefit a one-income married couple with no children, who earn €20,000 per annum, by €445 per annum or €8.76 per week. In addition to the majority, one-income married earners receive a minimum of €165 per annum or €3.17 per week. This monetary gain will be even greater for married one-earner couples with children. Various changes were announced as part of the overall budget package, which the remark by Social Justice Ireland did not take into consideration, such as the increases in core social-welfare payments, the living alone allowance, the working family payment, the back to school allowance and many other payments.

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