by Alan Jacques
CITY North councillor Maurice Quinlivan has called on the Government to scrap water charges in order to give hard-pressed families a real Christmas bonus.
This week the Department of Social Protection began paying out the partial restored Christmas bonus for the first time in five years to long-term welfare claimants including jobseekers, pensioners, carers, lone parents and those with a disability.
This year the bonus amounts to 25 per cent of a claimant’s usual payment with those in receipt of the full Jobseekers Benefit receiving just €47.
However, Sinn Fein councillor Maurice Quinlivan insists that a real Christmas bonus for would have been the scrapping of water charges.
“While I welcome the partial restoration of the Christmas bonus for pensioners, and those on long term welfare, this money really is a drop in the ocean when compared to the barrage of cuts, levies and charges that have been raining down on people for the last 6 years,” said Cllr Quinlivan.
He pointed out that come the new year people will face bills for the household charge as well as water bills that amount to multiples of this small payment. He also claimed that pensioners are particularly struggling, given the subsidies which were cut in last year’s budget.
“If the government were serious about easing the burden, they would recognise the folly of their water tax proposals and scrap them without further ado. They’re going to have to scrap them at some point in the next 12 months — far better to do it now and lift everybody’ spirits as we head into the Christmas season,” he concluded.
