Michael McGrath (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

If it were the case that we only provided €12 a week increase in the core weekly rates and did nothing else, then the Deputy’s conclusion would be a fair one. However, of course, that is not the case. The increase in the core weekly social welfare rates is being supplemented by an extensive range of once-off payments that will start to flow within the next short number of weeks. People look at this in the round. They want to know what benefits they are getting from the budget, how much cash they will receive in the coming weeks and what they will get next year. When the Deputy looks at this in the round, on balance, it is a very fair package. It is fiscally sustainable, and we have to have an eye on. It is one thing to use excess corporate tax receipts to make once-off payments but it is a different thing altogether to use excess corporate tax receipts to sign up to permanent expenditure commitments that recur year in, year out. That is a different thing. However, we will review this as the year goes on next year, depending on the prevailing economic circumstance.

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