Carol Nolan: Condemns Pension Shortfall for 65-Year-Olds
Carol Nolan criticised the financial impact of pension rules on 65-year-olds who are receiving the jobseekers social welfare rate instead of the state pension, calling the situation shameful. She highlighted a weekly gap and an annual loss for affected pensioners and accused the government of failing to protect older workers.
Pension shortfall for 65-year-olds
The motion notes there are now thousands of 65-year-old people on the jobseekers social welfare rate of €203 per week rather than the state pension. Nolan detailed the difference of €45.30 per week, which amounts to an annual loss of €2,355.60 for pensioners.
Critique of government financial decisions
Nolan criticised government decisions that, she said, have created unsustainable and record levels of public debt. She pointed to the National Children's Hospital overrun of €1 billion and cited the Climate Change Bill's annual cost of around €20 billion as confirmed by the IMF as examples of costly projects affecting public finances.
Impact on ordinary workers and pensioners
She asked why ordinary workers and pensioners who served the country should bear the brunt of these financial choices. Nolan called the government's stance shameful, said it presides over chaos, and argued the government is not dealing fairly with workers or pensioners.
Demand for fairness and reflection
Nolan urged the government to reflect on the consequences of its financial decisions and to be fair to pensioners and older workers who are suffering significant income losses under current rules.
We publish thousands of recordings to make Irish politics transparent and resistant to manipulation. Spotted an error? Report it — together we are building a reliable archive of Irish politics.
The motion states here that there are now thousands of 65-year-old people who are on the jobseekers social welfare rate of €203 per week instead of the state pension rate. There is a difference of €45.30 between the jobseekers payment and the state pension, leading to an annual loss of €2,355.60 for pensioners. The urgency around the pension age issue, as provided by government, is that there is a massive financial cost coming down the tracks for increasing numbers of older people in the state. However, this is a shameful position to adopt, and we must see this in context. For example, why should pensioners and ordinary workers in this country bear the brunt of this, when the government is creating unsustainable and record levels of public debt? In areas like the National Children's Hospital, and indeed in areas like the Climate Change Bill. We know that the annual cost of the Climate Change Bill is in the region of €20 billion, and that is confirmed by the IMF. We know that the Children's Hospital overrun has been €1 billion. So why should the ordinary workers, and indeed the pensioners of this country who worked hard and served this country so well, why should they bear the brunt of government's reckless decision making when it comes to the finances and how they deal with people in a fair manner? Because clearly, this government don't care about our pensioners, and they're not dealing with workers in a fair manner. What is happening here is that they're presiding over chaos and affecting the lives of too many people. They need to reflect on this, and they need to be fair to the pensioners. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you for downloading 🙏
If you publish this material on social media, we would be very grateful if you tagged VideoParliament. It helps us reach more people and keep building a transparent archive of Irish politics.
