Moves to increase the living alone allowance and introduce a Christmas bonus payment are proof older people have not been forgotten in Budget 2015, Clare TD Michael McNamara has asserted.
“The slow but steady pick-up in the economy has allowed us to give something back in the recent Budget. We have been able to offer some relief to our older people in particular, who built this country and sacrificed so much in recent years,” he said in reaction to comments on the issues by Minister Brenda Howlin.
“I’m glad to see the introduction of a 25% Christmas bonus, which pensioners here in Clare will receive this Christmas.
“People around the country are at last beginning to feel some benefit from the recovery, and we want older people to be fully part of that recovery. Labour has always been deeply committed to supporting pensioners and older citizens, and the package of measures we have announced in this Budget show we have acted on this commitment.”
A native of Ennis, Colin McGann has been editor of The Clare Champion since August 2020. Former editor of The Clare People, he is a journalism and communications graduate of Dublin Institute of Technology.