Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 13 October 2022
77. Deputy Neasa Hourigan asked the Minister for Social Protection her response to the Commission on Taxation and Welfare's recommendation that working-age payments should be reformed to move towards an income-related working-age assistance payment available to all households; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50609/22]
View answerThe Report of the Commission on Taxation and Welfare, which was published last month, is a significant body of work which put forward 116 recommendations. One of these is that working-age payments should be reformed to move towards a working age assistance payment available to all households. It further states that such a payment should be designed so as to avoid subsidising a low-paid economy.
The Government Strategy, Pathways to Work 2021-2025 includes a commitment to “Prepare a paper on options to modify the longer term jobseeker assistance payment by utilising the Revenue real time earnings data to adjust payment levels in line with a person’s weekly earnings, to guarantee a basic income floor and ensure that in all cases a person’s income increases when they work.” It includes a further commitment to “Ensure that the particular circumstances of lone parents are considered in the assessment of a Working Age Payment/Basic Income Guarantee”.
Work in relation to these commitments is currently underway in my Department.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
