Mattie McGrath criticises exclusion of pensioners from COVID payment
Mattie McGrath criticised the exclusion of older citizens from the COVID payment, arguing pensioners were denied support and severely affected by lockdown. He said older people were "badly let down" and urged the government to recognise their contribution with targeted payments rather than pious platitudes in the programme for government.
Exclusion from COVID payment
McGrath highlighted that many older people were not eligible for the COVID payment and in some cases missed the small difference between their pension and the 305 euro payment. He called this exclusion a shame and said pensioners deserve specific financial recognition.
Impact of lockdown on older people
He stressed older citizens had suffered greatly during lockdown, being isolated from family and loved ones, and in some cases being sick without access to support payments. McGrath argued they were punished by the restrictions and needed more than rhetorical sympathy.
Criticism of previous government response
McGrath said older people had been "badly let down by all the previous government" and urged the current authorities to rectify that neglect. He rejected what he called pious platitudes in the programme for government as insufficient to meet older people's needs.
Officials' response and recovery focus
In reply during the debate, a speaker acknowledged the pandemic unemployment payment was an extraordinary intervention and noted limits to what the state can expand. The respondent said the next phase must target resources to get people back to work, create employment opportunities for those laid off, and ensure borrowing enhances the productive capacity of the economy.
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I'm Roger Goethe, Count Coelho, Teachta, the problem of government, especially mentions older people and you have an immense effort for older people. I know that you have an examination on the rise of the pension age. Our older citizens have made this country what it is and they have been severely punished with the lockdown and worse than that they have been excluded from any source of payment. They weren't looking for much. All they looked for many times was maybe a difference between their pension and the 305 euro payment. So they've been badly let down by all the the previous government and I hope that you will rectify it because those people, as I said, suffered as much if not more than most people during the lockdown, being locked away from people, from their families, their loved ones, some of them sick even. So they need to be specifically supported and pious patitudes in the programme for government just won't do it for them. They need to be recognised for the party played in our country. The parties still play, reigning and supporting their families and their grandchildren and the communities. So they need to be supported and it's a shame that the COVID payment is isn't being paid to them or even a portion of it. Thank you Deputy. I think to be fair all round the pandemic unemployment payment was at the time and all party leaders were engaged in consultations with the then government in relation to it was an extraordinary intervention in terms of supporting people's livelihoods and incomes. I know that and there are limits to what the state can do in terms of expanding that payment or indeed wider supports and I think the next phase will involve a targeting of resources to make sure we can get people back to work and create alternative employment opportunities for people who've been laid off. And I think that will be the next phase in terms of trying to obviously we'll be borrowing for quite some time but there is an obligation on us all to make sure that what we borrow enhances the productive capacity of the economy in the medium to longer term and that will mean targeting the funding to areas that we can create employment and create opportunities for people who are currently unemployed. Thank you. Thank you. You
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