Low pay the real driver of dependency - We’re too reliant on social welfare

It is always difficult to discuss a society’s safety net — its social welfare system — without provoking an unintended reaction. In the midst of a scandalous, ideology-driven housing crisis that has forced families to seek sanctuary in Garda stations, it may be even more difficult than usual. Despite that, the Department of Finance analysis suggesting that we are, compared to peer countries, “overly dependent” on social welfare payments cannot be ignored.

There are always some, a minority thankfully, who resent every cent spent on social protection. That is not a common view and our social solidarity is expressed in the fact that almost one-in-two people receive some form of social welfare payment. It is reassuring that social supports run so deeply but that level of dependency raises a simple question: Why, in an ever more prosperous society close to full employment, is this level of support needed?