People will not ‘feel they have got a lot of joy’ from Budget, says pensioner

The Government has “tried to be fair to most groups”, pensioner Mary Ena Pyle, said, but she does not think people will “feel they have got a lot of joy”.

The 10 euro weekly increase in social protection payments, which will benefit pensioners, is lower than last year’s 12 euro increase.

Ms Pyle, 82, said “people are inclined to expect what they got last year, and people will see that as a lessening rather than an increase”.

She said the benefit of the increase in her pension is likely to be offset by the rising cost of living.

“That’s what people look at – what’s in my pocket?”

Having worked for Failte Ireland for more than 30 years, the reduction in VAT for hospitality businesses and hairdressers was one measure in the Budget which caught her eye.

She welcomed the reduction in VAT for hairdressers, saying it would help people who “get a cut and set a few times a year, like at Christmas”, adding “little things like that can make a difference”.

Alone, the charity for older people, published a pre-budget submission which called for an increase in the state pension by a minimum of 22 euro a week, and said 45.6% of older people living alone would have been at risk of poverty last year without cost-of-living support.

Ms Pyle has volunteered with Alone for five years and said: “It’s very small, and very sad what people tell you they can’t afford, like an ice lolly, for a lot of people small things are a luxury.”

She said many people she meets have come to rely on that one-off support, have expected similar measures this year, and have “built it into their budgets”.

The Dublin grandmother has a focus on the next generation and said she is “definitely in favour of pension auto-enrolment”.

Public Expenditure Minister Jack Chambers described the measure in his speech as “one of the most significant reforms in our history”.

Ms Pyle said she has “tried and tried” to speak to her grandchildren about the importance of pensions and said “listen to any young person and you’d think highway robbers are coming to them”.