Social Welfare Rates
Dail Éireann — 2026-02-26
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Louise O'Reilly (SF), Dublin Fingal West

The purpose of jobseeker's payments and other social welfare benefits should be to help people to get back on their feet and back into the labour market. However, having subminimum reduced rates for younger people cuts them off and leaves them further adrift. The two-tier element is not a good thing. I appreciate that the full rates are available for those participating in training and employment opportunities but the Minister needs to take a long, hard look at the reasons for non-participation. Very often, it is not from an unwillingness, as he acknowledged. Young people do not want to be disconnected from the labour market. What is happening is that they find themselves cut off because of a lack of transport and, as a consequence of the low rates, because they cannot get themselves out of where they are. I am very conscious that there is a poverty trap for younger people. It is not good to have a two-tier system with different rates. I come from the perspective of believing our young people want to be in work and to be productive. They just sometimes need a hand to get there.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-02-26/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:42+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-02-26