Stuart Cullen

Merry Christmas from ██████████████ and First Lady Melania Trump 🇺🇸

Hey David, there’s still time to delete this you know. During the Covid pandemic you introduced the €325 PUP because it’s what was deemed the minimum needed to live on. Then the ‘Artist Basic Income’ also €325. 3 years of inflation later and carers, people with disabilities and pensioners still fall well below that €325 a week. You increase the income disregard but not abolish it, but also don’t increase the hours carers are allowed work. To qualify as a carer you must be providing at least 35 hours of care a week, so why is work then limited to 18.5 hours? The best social welfare is one where those who *can* work are supported in doing so, and those who *cant* should still be able to live without fearing putting the heating on, or being able to feed themselves, or ending up homeless due to yet another lot of failed government policies. Carers save the state billions, never get an actual day off, work for far below minimum wage, and have their limited pay docked if their partner works. Many carers do this for €0, but they shouldn’t have to. So anyway, no, €10 is a slap in the face.