John Halligan: Increase welfare rate and minimum wage

Junior jobs minister John Halligan has said the rate of social welfare should be increased and the minimum wage should be raised to €11.50 an hour.

He says it is “outrageous” that some young people on the dole get €100 a week. In some cases, those out of work have been “tormented” to get a job, he claimed.

In an interview with the Irish Examiner, Mr Halligan also suggested a debate on whether Ireland should leave the EU may be needed once Britain exits the union.

Those out of work or on low wages deserved to be paid more, suggested the Independent Alliance TD.

“I’ve always believed that we need to come away from the minimum wage to a living wage,” he said.

Mr Halligan believes all workers should get a ‘living wage’ of €11.50 an hour, a rate much higher than the current minimum wage of €9.25. Some employers here, such as Ikea, currently pay a living wage.

He also says those out of work, particularly young welfare claimants, deserve the equivalent of the living wage, due to rising costs for food, energy and rent.

“The vast majority of people want to work,” he said. “We’re giving people €100 a week. That’s outrageous. I think it should be for every individual that is unemployed or every individual that works, at the very least they should have a living wage.

“Sometimes we think, ‘ah sure people can get by on €300 a week, people on welfare, jaysus that is handy money’. Go into the houses — I have. Ask them to put down on the table what they spend, there’s nobody saying ‘I’ll buy you a bottle of gin at the end of the week or we’ll go for a meal at the local restaurant’. Everything is eaten up with bills, rent, mortgage, television, gas, electricity. It is just not sufficient.”