Oct 17, 2013:

Active Retirement Ireland Statement On Budget 2014

Budget 2014 targets the young, the old and the sick and takes no account of the current circumstances of any of these already-marginalised groups.  Active Retirement Ireland is deeply unhappy with the abolition of the telephone allowance, the increase of €1 in the prescription charge, the lowering of the income threshold for medical cards for the over-seventies, the withdrawal of the bereavement grant and other measures taken in the Budget that affect not only older people, but also our young people, pregnant mothers, family carers, people with long-term illnesses and parents.

In 2008, the then-Government published a budget that had devastating consequences for older people.  At that point, we took to the streets to ask for the reversal of the decision to remove the medical cards from those over seventy.  In 2008 we were one group, affected by one decision.  The choice was clear and we protested with one voice.

In 2013, the situation is less obvious.  Older people have been hit with four or five savage cuts, depending on circumstances.  As well as our own lives, the lives of our sons and daughters and our grandchildren have been affected by a swathe of unjust and shameful cuts.  We are many groups, with many issues, but we all want one common goal: equality.

Active Retirement Ireland encourages every member of every local group to contact their TDs and let them know how unequal this Budget has been for older people and for other marginalised groups.  Your National Executive and staff team will be working at national level to ensure that Ministers Noonan, Howlin and Burton are fully aware of the devastating effects this Budget will have on older people and their families.

We will be in contact with the Government before the Finance Bill is brought to the floor of the Dáil to campaign for a reversal of these savage cuts, as will our colleagues in other ageing organisations and organisations that represent the young, the sick and all the other cohorts affected.

We cannot allow ourselves to react without thinking carefully about what our key issues are.  If you would like to have your say to us on what our next steps should be, please call us on 01-8733836 or email us on info@activeirl.ie

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