Active Retirement Ireland’s pre-budget submissions outlining our proposals for increased provision and support for older people in Budget 2024 have been provided to the Department of Social Protection, the Department of Health and members of the Dáil.
Pre-Budget 2024 Submission: Department of Social Protection
Objective: To ensure older people in Ireland are adequately supported to enable them to age well and live with dignity, security, independence and respect.
Summary of proposals:
- Benchmark the contributory State Pension at 34% of average weekly earnings as committed to by government in the Roadmap for Pensions Reform 2018-2023.
- Increase the weekly State Pension by a minimum of €20 per week in Q4 2023 and commit to incremental increases in Q1, Q2, and Q3 of 2024 to bring the State Pension to 34% of average weekly earnings by October 2025.
- Depoliticise the State Pension by ‘triple locking’ payment rates to guarantee future pension adequacy in line with inflation and wage growth.
- Increase the Living Alone Allowance from €22 to €25 per week.
- Maintain the current rate of €33 per week for the Fuel Allowance.
- Reintroduce the 32-week payment period for the Fuel Allowance to provide further relief to older people servicing excessive winter fuel bill balances carried over into warmer months.
- Review the Telephone Support Allowance to transform it to the Digital Connection Allowance to support older people to participate in online activities such as telemedicine, banking and digital communications.
- In transforming the Telephone Support Allowance to the Digital Connection Allowance, increase the allowance by €2.50 per week (to €5 per week) to offer meaningful contribution to the cost of communications and/or a home alert system and the cost of broadband, recognising the increased cost of these over the years since the allowance was instituted.
- Increase the monthly Household Benefit Package allowance towards gas/electricity by €5 per month (to €40 per month) to reflect the recent increases in utilities.
- Maintain the Free Travel Scheme and the Christmas bonus.
- Institute and implement a comprehensive, whole-of-government positive ageing framework in Ireland that looks beyond the care and medical needs of older people to protect all aspects of ageing and allow older people to ensure people in Ireland are empowered and supported to age well.
- Establish an independent Commissioner for Ageing and Older People in Ireland, similar to that which is in place in Northern Ireland and Wales, to ensure the rights and interests of older people are considered and promoted at all levels.
Pre-Budget 2024 Submission: Department of Health
Objective: To achieve health equity for older people in Ireland by ensuring adequate supports are in place for all older people to be able to prioritise their health and wellbeing — not only those with means — to live with dignity, independence and highest quality of life after retirement.
Summary of proposals:
- Increase the income threshold for over-70s to be eligible for the medical card and base the entitlement on net income, not gross, or alternatively for over 70s base the eligibility on medical need.
- Make the application for medical cards more user-friendly and less restrictive.
- Remove the discretionary powers of GPs to refuse an application by patients for medical card GP services on the basis of their holding a medical card.
- Remove ambiguity and discretionary charging by legislating against charging medical card holders fees for blood tests and diagnostic screening carried out at GP practices.
- Remove the cost of all blood tests and diagnostic screening carried out at GP practices for patients with GP visit cards.
- Abolish any charges associated with prescription items for medical card holders.
- Remove the upper age-limit on access to free government breast, bowel and cervical screening schemes.
- Implement a statutory home care system addressing all aspects of home care as part of a comprehensive, long-term strategy for older people needing care and who want to stay in their homes until end of life, as so many do.
- Develop and put into action a whole of government strategy to ageing that allows all older to age with dignity, respect and independence for as long as possible.
- Establish an independent Commissioner for Ageing and Older People in Ireland, similar to that which is in place in Northern Ireland and Wales, to ensure the rights and interests of older people are considered and promoted at all levels.
- Take ageism and the harm caused by ageist beliefs, attitudes and actions seriously and implement a well-resourced, meaningful programme of action to counteract it.
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