The Welfare System

PRAF

I see that the Conservative Party in the UK are making some significant changes to their welfare system:

• Benefits capped to a max of £26k per year (apparently some households were claiming of £100k per year)
• Bringing in a Universal Credit which consolidates 6 benefits and tax credits into one simple payment
• Reforming disability benefits
• Increased labour activation measures
• Requiring long term claimants to work for their benefits

Meanwhile back in Ireland, we are getting castigated time and again by the Troika for failing to make significant reforms of this area.

IMO the vast, vast majority of claimants are 100% valid. However, I also think that there are some welfare traps out there where people are actually better off not working. As long as it's done in a humane manner, I would like to see some of the same changes that are happening in the UK brought over here.

My question is whether others feel that the system needs reform?

Brussels Sprout

Sure but it's not going to happen while the Labour Party are in government. Perhaps at the beginning of the next government as long as SF aren't in power either.

Karl Stein

Pity we couldn't be as focussed when dealing with the massive welfare programs we're paying to unsecured bond-holders, failed banks, failed property speculators, failed politicians, and failed civil servants.

Harry Angstrom

During the boom, the unemployment rate was about 4%, which was pretty much classed as full employment. This was despite the fact that social welfare rates were higher than they are now. It only suits the likes of Joan Burton to suggest that people won't take up employment because welfare payments are too high. It was amazing the amount of mothers she met who asked her to do something about reducing welfare because their sons wouldn't get out of bed and look for work because their welfare payments were too high :rolleyes:

The biggest welfare recipients are the corrupt and incompetent politicians who destroyed this country and are now in receipt of €100k+ pensions. If we're going to start reform, let's start with them.

bigroad

There is one simple question i would like to ask.How can we have people that never worked in this country,claiming social welfare and driving 20grand vans,jeeps,cars.If they can afford to live like that then they dont need the social welfare.Its easy to look back at their history and i bet they got their fist cheque in and around 18 years old.
Then we have the poor hard working man or woman that goes looking for their dole after being let go and all the questions come at them as if their up to no good.Its time this fraud was stopped.

Jumboman

One word "Jobs".

PRAF

Brussels Sprout wrote: »

Sure but it's not going to happen while the Labour Party are in government. Perhaps at the beginning of the next government as long as SF aren't in power either.

I know left leaning parties cannot be seen to be hard on welfare claimants, however, I do find it difficult to see how either party could disagree with a reasonable cap on welfare benefits.

PRAF

Jumboman wrote: »

One word "Jobs".

Yes, jobs will help, of course they will. However, that doesn't really reform anything. It just hides the problem until the next crisis. There is no reason why we can't have both jobs and reform. We live in hope!

Annasopra

bigroad wrote: »

There is one simple question i would like to ask.How can we have people that never worked in this country,claiming social welfare and driving 20grand vans,jeeps,cars.

Ask it - I'm sure you will find out that that the vast vast majority don't

Cookie_Monster

mango salsa wrote: »

Ask it - I'm sure you will find out that that the vast vast majority don't

The vast mojority aren't on the dole or countless other benefits. The vast majority are out working. The vast majority are not nor ever have been the problem. It's the 20% subset of any measurement that generally the problem, still needs to be sorted out.

Annasopra

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

The vast mojority aren't on the dole or countless other benefits. The vast majority are out working. The vast majority are not nor ever have been the problem. It's the 20% subset of any measurement that generally the problem, still needs to be sorted out.

20% of people on the dole are driving 20k cars?

Kristopherus

mango salsa wrote: »

20% of people on the dole are driving 20k cars?

Well there's well over 20% of the traveller community driving around in vehicles worth well over 20k.

Cookie_Monster

mango salsa wrote: »

20% of people on the dole are driving 20k cars?

Yes, I meant that completely literally. :rolleyes:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareto_principle

PRAF

There really does need to be a concerted effort to reduce fraud in our welfare system. That's a given. However, do we also need reform of the system itself. There are lots of cases out there where people would love to get off welfare but it just doesn't make financial sense for them to do so. In those cases, I blame the system rather than the individual and that is why we need reform.