Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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In their report on piloting Universal Basic Income, the Low Pay Commission noted that “the recommendations and guidelines in this report regarding how UBI might be piloted in Ireland should not be seen as an implicit endorsement of the concept of a UBI by the Low Pay Commission. The Low Pay Commission was not asked to evaluate the concept of a UBI. Nor was it asked to evaluate whether or not UBI should be piloted”.

Further, the Commission noted that if it had been invited to evaluate whether or not UBI should be piloted, there is not a consensus (within the Commission) for it to recommend that a pilot should be run within the lifetime of the Government.

The Low Pay Commission recommended that a microsimulation study on Universal Basic Income should be performed in addition to any piloting of such a scheme.

The Commission on Taxation and Welfare recently reported that “The Commission does not support the development of a Universal Basic Income in Ireland” and that “Further, it is noted that resourcing such a pilot project may detract from the State’s ability to fund means-tested welfare schemes, or other targeted measures to address poverty.”

Given the implementation of the Basic Income for the Arts scheme and the views of the Commission on Taxation and Welfare on the development of Universal Basic Income in Ireland, there are no plans to introduce or further trial Universal Basic Income, or to perform a microsimulation study on Universal Basic Income at this time.