Rose Conway-Walsh criticises housing charges and auto-enrolment plan
Rose Conway-Walsh criticised recent social protection measures and the planned auto-enrolment pension scheme, arguing payments fall short and the cost of disability is not addressed. She warned that housing rules and council charges are effectively negating small increases and that the auto-enrolment model will burden low and middle income workers and employers.
Payments and disability costs
Rose Conway-Walsh welcomed some payments but said they fall very short, particularly because they do not address the cost of disability. She highlighted a disconnect between social protection and housing administration that undermines the value of those payments for many constituents.
Housing charges and waiting lists
She described cases in Mayo where council letters increased tenants' contributions, so small social protection increases are partly reclaimed by councils. She said unchanged eligibility thresholds have removed people from housing waiting lists after marginal income rises, and argued this undermines efforts to reduce child poverty.
Auto-enrolment criticisms and timing
Conway-Walsh said she supports the principle of auto-enrolment but called this the wrong scheme at the wrong time, echoing concerns raised by colleagues. She said automatic deductions will add to the financial pressures already faced by ordinary workers, who received minimal relief in last month's budget.
Impact on employers and jobs
She warned the scheme will also hit employers, including small businesses, charities and community organisations, noting many with state-funded staff will not receive extra funding to cover employer contributions. Conway-Walsh predicted the outcome will be wage cuts, reduced hours and possible job losses as organisations try to meet the new costs.
Departmental alignment and political critique
Throughout the speech she urged alignment between social protection and housing policies to prevent measures that appear to give and take back from beneficiaries. She framed the measures as out of touch with the scale of financial pressures on low and middle income families and criticised existing pension access rules set by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.
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Minister, I want to point out something to you here, and while I welcome the payments that have been made, they fall very short, and particularly around the cost of disability or the lack of addressing the cost of disability in this. I want to point out the disconnect between your own department in social protection and housing, because you will know that many of our constituents in Mayo have in the last number of weeks got letters, housing tenants have got letters to say that their contribution to Mayo County Council, and indeed to other councils, as the case may be, has been increased in line with whatever increases they've got. I think that is totally wrong. So if you're saying, you know, well, you're getting 10 euro here, Mayo County Council are saying, well, we want 16% of that 10 euro to go back to us. So I think it's disingenuous. And I think it just points out how this government can, in one sense, be perceived to give something into somebody's pocket and at the same time take it out. And that is something that needs to be addressed. Also, Minister, also in relation to housing, in some cases where this has driven up, where they've got even small amounts as well, where the thresholds haven't moved, the eligibility thresholds haven't moved. So people on the back of very small increases have been knocked off the housing waiting list. And that is totally wrong. And that completely dismisses the idea that government in some way are trying to address child poverty or take more people out of poverty, because there is nothing more impoverishing than saying to somebody, you're not entitled to a home or you cannot have a home. And it's something I really want you to address in terms of the alignment of social protection and of housing. Now, on auto enrolment, we support, obviously, this principle of auto enrolment, but we have always said we want the right auto enrolment scheme at the right time. And this is the wrong scheme, as was pointed out by Louise O'Reilly, and it is the wrong time. I do believe that the government is out of touch in this with the scale of the financial pressures facing low and middle income families. Ordinary workers received next to nothing in last month's budget. And now, instead of some relief, this bill adds to yet another burden, automatic deductions from already stretched pay packets. These are the people who have never worked so hard and never struggled so much. These same workers have been forced to stay in work longer, because Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael say that they cannot access their pensions until the age of 66. But let's be clear, it's not just about workers. It will also hit employers, including small businesses, charities and community organisations. Many of them, particularly those whose staff are funded by state contracts, have been told that they will not receive any additional funding to cover the employer contribution. And this is wholly unacceptable. Instead, what we will see are wage cuts, reduced hours and even job losses to cover the cost of this scheme. This is the very opposite to what we should be doing to strengthen employment. I told you, Michael. I was nearly there. I was nearly there. Nearly. Nearly. Nearly made it. So, everything. In that time, we had to be starting to get older people than wanting to secure it and that they are half an inchantu拍 universal license Yes it is. How does itèce that can create a particular divorce or crime in robe where it isn't known to Nuys? We must have finished thatyear. They will be in alternative education, doingmers, doing waivers and dis幸是 what we want because of what they wanted to do to do for years. It will not be Roma, but we must estimate Health Nothing for us all the measures. The education andhte22 is not контрang numbers as some bonuses. It will always mean that our comp중 of this problem.
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