Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Minister’s commitment on the record of the House to provide that additional analysis. That is very useful, indeed. It is not abstract, either. It is an important analysis to have.

I draw the Minister’s attention to the minimum essential standard of living, MESL, post-budget analysis from the Vincentian Partnership. It essentially concur with some of the conclusions arrived at by the ESRI and makes the point that, in reality, a €12 a week increase to social welfare rates will not sufficiently insulate those who are in lower deciles in terms of income from the worst vicissitudes of the cost-of-living crisis given that inflation will be at about 7% next year. It makes some other points as well on the real value of core rates and some of the secondary supports that are provided for this year that are not provided for next year.

The reality is that we will be back here next spring discussing the need for additional once-off measures. Given the analysis of the likes of the ESRI and the Vincentian Partnership, we know that €12 a week increase to the core social welfare rates is not adequate. We should have gone for something more like €20 to insulate people as best we could.

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