Welfare Cuts Threaten to Create Lost Generation of Young People

By slashing payments to under-25s who cannot find work, was the Government sending a simple message to young people: please leave the country and become a burden somewhere else?

Valerie Flynn, 11 Feb 2010

Social welfare took a hammering in December’s budget, with an overall reduction of €762 million to the state’s annual social welfare bill. But of all those affected by the cuts, unemployed people under the age of 25 will lose out most. Many young people now face a stark choice between emigration and trying to get by on a vastly reduced weekly payment.

The average cut to social welfare payments was 4.1% but young people’s dole has been cut by a much greater proportion. The jobseekers’ allowance has been slashed from €204.30 to €150 per week for new claimants aged 22 to 24, while the payment has been halved to €100 for those aged 20 and 21. Social welfare payments to the under-20s were cut to €100 back in April.

December’s cuts to social welfare passed after a heated two-day Dáil debate, with insults flying and plenty of heckling from the Opposition benches. But for all the outrage, there has been very little public indignation about social welfare cuts for the young. That’s got a lot to do with timing, according to Labour Youth chairman Rory Geraghty, who says the class of 2010 will be the first to feel the pain in large numbers.

“People will feel the cuts in May and June – if they haven’t yet, they will in a few months. It will be like the Christmas bonus – people will get angry when they realise what’s happened,” he says, referring to the government’s announcement last April that the annual double payment in December was to go by the board.

The latest live register figures show that the number of people signing on rose again in December 2009 by 3,300 to 426,700. Last month, there were 86,700 people under the age of 25 – the majority of them young men – on the live register, an increase of 35% on December 2009.

All indications are that things are going to get worse before they get better. The young people who lose their jobs or leave full-time education this year without the prospect of work will find themselves living on what can only be described as next-to-nothing.

Page 1/3     <Previous 1 2 3 Next> 

Valerie Flynn

Barring a last-minute meltdown, Fine Gael are favourites to head the next government. But can they really renegotiate the bail-out, fix the banks and tackle public sector overspend without sparking industrial strife? Front-bencher Simon Coveney tells us what we can expect from an FG-led administration.

2011-02-22

The Upstart collective’s radical ad campaign is putting the art back into the party manifesto.

2011-02-16

For the first time, Irish women can purchase emergency contraception over the counter. It’s a safe, effective and widely used form of birth control – and yet some people are kicking up a fuss.

2011-02-04

The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland is treating the public like gibbering simpletons. Or words to that effect...

2011-01-19

And it might just be fun! But you won’t have a vote if you’re not registered...

2011-01-18

College-goers marching against the reintroduction of STUDENT FEES say they aim to protect the disadvantaged. However, the evidence suggests that the end of college fees did not benefit those most in need.

2010-12-09

The British government has rubberstamped eight potential sites for a new generation of nuclear power plants, including a new reactor at Sellafield. Greenpeace says Ireland should be worried.

2010-11-23

They’re the geeks other geeks think are weird: across the country, grown men and women are pretending to be elves, overlords and space marines. But Hot Press finds the world of live action role play is actually, well… kind of fun

2010-11-09

A new book of real-life short stories will raise money for Concern’s work in post-earthquake Haiti and give readers a moving insight into the private lives of 70 Irish people

2010-11-03

New diagnoses of HIV are rising. Campaigners say HIV/AIDS needs to be put back on the public and political agenda – but is there a way to do so without stigmatising those living with the disease?

2010-11-03

Another decade, another series: Hot Press goes behind the scenes of cult TV show Reeling in the Years to find out what’s going to make the final cut in Reeling in the Noughties.

2010-11-02

Ireland’s first indigenous porn mag has hit the shelves – and despite our self-image as a liberal country, the magazine’s main model has had to endure severe criticism and sanctimonious moralising from some quarters. (Images courtesy of Blue-Ireland.com)

2010-11-01

A thought-provoking new theatre production, Trilogy, may serve to re-open the debate about feminism. Plus: Fitzgerald and Stapleton go naked...

2010-10-12

As creator of Bebo, Michael Birch surfed the social networking zeitgiest long before anyone had heard of Facebook. Much sought after as a web guru, his pronouncements on the future of music on the net are sure to have the big players sitting up and paying attention.

2010-09-01

Ireland is banjaxed but who's going to fix it? If you reckon you could do a better job of running the country than the current government, here is Hot Press' handy, seven-step guide to building your very own political party.

2010-08-19

A bizarre new law places huge obstacles in front of Irish architects who have qualified in the UK and who wish to practice in Ireland – even though non-Irish citizens face nothing like the same level of difficulty.

2010-07-29

We have always been told that history unfolds in slow, inevitable cycles. But, as the recent Bloody Sunday inquiry demonstrates, sometimes a single event can change the world utterly.

2010-07-06

Valerie Flynn talks to Irish members of the Palestinian aid convoy about the events of May 30, and hears some disturbing stories about Israel’s use of force

2010-06-28

For the past 100 years or so, Cloughjordan has been the epitome of a south midlands backwater. But now Ireland’s first self-declared ‘eco village’ is pointing the way for urban living in the country – and its population is booming

2010-06-14

Sickened by the Church's cover-up of sexual predators, a growing number of lapsed Catholics are breaking ties with Rome completely. Now, an internet campaign is making it easier for people to let the church know exactly what they think of its criminal behaviour.

2010-05-12

John Fitzgerald, the son of former Taoiseach Garret and husband of former Labour minister Eithne Fitzgerald, keeps his own political cards close to his chest. But that doesn’t mean he hasn’t a few things to say about Anglo-Irish Bank, the Catholic Church and the so-called experts who allowed the Irish economy to drive itself into a brick wall – and yes, he includes himself in that last category.

2010-05-04

The new civil partnership laws will see gay and lesbian relationships finally recognized by law. But why is the new legislation silent on the subject of gay adoption?

2010-04-27

The downturn has hurt everyone. But it’s Ireland’s younger generation that is truly bearing the brunt of the wastefulness of the Celtic Tiger years. For many the future boils down to a choice between emigrating or working a ‘shitty’ job, no matter how well qualified they may be. We asked 3rd year students of Visual Communications in Athlone Institute of Technology to reflect in images on what the future holds. Valerie Flynn also spoke to a number of recent graduates.

2010-03-31

With a slew of Oscar nominations to its credit, the Irish animation industry is on the crest of a wave. But leading voices in the sector say success has come despite, rather than with the help of, the national broadcaster, RTÉ

2010-03-04

Anti abortion groups are masquerading as crisis pregnancy agencies in order to promote their agenda through the manipulation of women, according to a new report by Human Rights Watch.

2010-02-16

Although no official announcement has been made yet, mental health services are about to receive another major cutback. Hot Press spoke to one patient about how he will be affected by radical changes to the ‘psychiatric scheme’ being planned by the HSE.

2009-12-09

Three ferry trips in 24 hours. Bostonian electro-rocker it-boys Passion Pit are learning the rude realities of life on the road.

2009-11-27

2009-11-24

To some it is the great white hope in the battle against illegal file-sharing, and the idea that music on the internet comes for free. But to others, it is another nail in the coffin for artists who earn a paltry sum for the streaming of their music.

2009-11-17

Enda Kenny created headlines with his vow to close the second house of the Oireachtas. But what is the Seanad for? And is it worth lavishing ¤30 million on each year?

2009-11-11

hotpress.com

• News
• Music
• Features
• Politics
• Movies
• Comedy
• Lifestyle & Sex
• Audio & Video
• Photo Galleries
• What's On
• Shop
• Competitions
• Hot Press Covers Collection
• Messageboard
• Industry Listings
• Archive
• Caught In The Net
• Buy Hot Press Back Issues
• Activate Hot Press Gift/Hot Box

Blogs on hotpress.com

• Anne Sexton: Sexed Up
• Gabby Sanderson: I'm With The Band
• Peter Murphy: Blog Of Revelations
• Roe McDermott: Screen Lover
• Rob Smith: Footbal El Mundo
• Drink Aware Festival News

Additional Sites on hotpress.com

• The Music Show
• The Jagermeister Freezer Sessions
• Hot Press Books
• Hot Press Rock Photo
• The Philip Lynott Exhibition
• Jamie Lawson: 'The Last Time'

Join Us

Contact Us

Hot Press,
13 Trinity Street,
Dublin 2.
Rep. Of Ireland
Tel: +353 (1) 241 1500

Email:info@hotpress.ie

Click here for more contact information.

Hot Press always welcomes feed back so if you've got something to tell us click here.

Advertise With Us

For more detail on how to advertise with Hot Press click here or call us on +353 (1) 241 1540