Budget win for pensioners as Heather Humphreys seeks €15 a week pension increase, while pushing back on Jobseeker’s rise

€15 a week is a bit over 5%. I think the last few years were €12 a week. Not huge amounts of money individually but greater than inflation especially when a high percentage of people on a pension won’t be paying rent or mortgage. Is it justified by any evidence and more importantly can we afford it?

Are we not heading head first into a pension crisis? I’m 25 years away from a state pension but expect it to look very different when I get there.

Without getting too into what the solution should we not at least be slowing the increase?

I fear we will end up there and we will be discussing why the pension crisis can’t be fixed over night.

I fear Mary Lou is wrong and the demographics may not look after themselves.

It’s just buying votes right and no one will call it out right?

One for everyone in the audience. Meanwhile Dublin , Cork and Galway transport is envy of the third world, infrequent but shiny mercedes buses stuck in traffic

I believe sums of 20,000,000 are required to bring up to EU low tier rating, think of Bulgaria, rather than the increments spent on holidays, shiny metal or lashed against the wall from the pub.

The golden goose will be well cooked if we don't get our house in order.

It’s great to see an increase in the pension whilst Jobseekers doesn’t keep pace. This is a country with full employment where after a month of unemployment people should be forced to wear orange overalls and do public service like scraping up chewing gum and dog excrement.

That would put manners on the freeloaders and the professional losers.

All kite flying exercises.
We have to wait until budget day to find out the real figures.
Till then we will be getting a lot of bull dished up!