Budget 2013

cee_jay

The following link shows all the changes to Social Welfare schemes as a result of Budget 2013:
http://www.welfare.ie/EN/Topics/Budget/Bud13/Pages/Bud13Index.aspx

cee_jay

Budget factsheet showing main changes and rates of payment:
http://www.welfare.ie/EN/Topics/Budget/Bud13/Documents/budfact13.pdf

Moonbeam

They dropped child benefit for a 3rd child to the normal rate?
What are the other parts of the household benefit package?

petersburg2002

Moonbeam wrote: »

They dropped child benefit for a 3rd child to the normal rate?
What are the other parts of the household benefit package?

Free TV licence

mattymatmat

Just wondering if anyone knows if it's true dat if ur on btea in January 2013 it is going to be reduced to whatever job seekers allowance u receive during d summer if this true im down 440 per month, im screwed

aN.Droid

mattymatmat wrote: »

Just wondering if anyone knows if it's true dat if ur on btea in January 2013 it is going to be reduced to whatever job seekers allowance u receive during d summer if this true im down 440 per month, im screwed

The €300 Cost of Education Allowance
payable to Back to Education Allowance
participants will be discontinued for new and
existing participants. (2013)

The weekly rate payable to Back to Education
Allowance participants will be equalised with
their previous social protection payment.
(January 2013)

A standard maximum rate of €160 per week
will apply to Back to Education Allowance
participants who were previously in receipt of
an age-related reduced rate Jobseeker’s
payment. (January 2013)

So yes, you will be reduced come the first of January. It is not a means tested allowance though so I would assume you will get whatever your age categories maximum is.

18 - 19 €100
20 - 21 €100
22 - 24 €144
25 and over€188

mattymatmat

Limericks wrote: »

So yes, you will be reduced come the first of January. It is not a means tested allowance though so I would assume you will get whatever your age categories maximum is.

18 - 19 €100
20 - 21 €100
22 - 24 €144
25 and over€188

I was getting 76 per week during d summer because of my wifes income, im 28 yrs old so if it goes back to what I was previously on it will drop from 188 PS3 to 76 le if it goes on age it will drop from 188 to 160?

aN.Droid

mattymatmat wrote: »

I was getting 76 per week during d summer because of my wifes income, im 28 yrs old so if it goes back to what I was previously on it will drop from 188 PS3 to 76 le if it goes on age it will drop from 188 to 160?

No, from what I gather you should still be on 188 per week as it is not a means tested allowance (where the summer jobseekers allowance is means tested hence your lower payment)

The 160 is a maximum for anyone who was previously on an age related claim. Since you are over 25 you should be getting 188 euro per week.

This is what I gather from it anyway.

mattymatmat

Limericks wrote: »

No, from what I gather you should still be on 188 per week as it is not a means tested allowance (where the summer jobseekers allowance is means tested hence your lower payment)

The 160 is a maximum for anyone who was previously on an age related claim. Since you are over 25 you should be getting 188 euro per week.

This is what I gather from it anyway.

Thanks for replying, I hope ur right, I'll b calling into dem in d morning just to check anyway!

chasm

I have just been watching the "expert" on TV3 answering peoples questions on how the budget affects them and i'm rather concerned about the mixed information being given on the cuts to the Electricity and Telephone elements of the Household benefits package.

This expert has stated twice to different queries that the cuts to these two elements will not affect the end user which does not seem to tally with the information given in the factsheets.

The fact sheet states that the telephone allowance is being reduced to €9.50 per month (down from €22) and the Electricity allowance will be a payment of €35 per month. No mention of the Govt negotiating with providers as is being implied by commentators on the TV.

Any more info out there on this?

lukep13

If im on Disability Allowance, i understand the rate stays the same for me 188, my partner is on BTEA 21 yrs old she gets 188 also as qualified adult on my disability claim. Will her rate stay the same?

chasm

Well it would appear that the dept are going to try to get eircom to do a "deal" again. The only problem is that those of us who are not eircom customers (although we are indirectly due to them owning the phone line) will get no benefit from it.

Q2.I am in receipt of the “Social Benefits Package” with Eircom, how will this change affect me?

A. The Department will enter into immediate negotiation with Eircom to try to secure the most advantageous deal possible for our customers.


Household benefits changes FAQ
http://www.welfare.ie/EN/Schemes/HouseholdBenefits/Pages/hhbchangesfaq.aspx

yellowlabrador

One solution to the smaller telephone allowance i to collect the money at the post office and go pay as you go with a mobile. I do this and the advantage is that you don't pay for line rental.
there was talk last week that eircom was going to change their pricing policy and charge an exorbitant amount for rural lines and a free line to city dwellers, so maybe thew gov't was being preemptive and is hoping that people give up their landline.

petersburg2002

chasm wrote: »

I have just been watching the "expert" on TV3 answering peoples questions on how the budget affects them and i'm rather concerned about the mixed information being given on the cuts to the Electricity and Telephone elements of the Household benefits package.

This expert has stated twice to different queries that the cuts to these two elements will not affect the end user which does not seem to tally with the information given in the factsheets.

The fact sheet states that the telephone allowance is being reduced to €9.50 per month (down from €22) and the Electricity allowance will be a payment of €35 per month. No mention of the Govt negotiating with providers as is being implied by commentators on the TV.

Any more info out there on this?

My dad was getting both. His payment was €62 a month. That will now drop to €44.50 from January. Had to break the bad news to him.

Balagan

mattymatmat wrote: »

I was getting 76 per week during d summer because of my wifes income, im 28 yrs old so if it goes back to what I was previously on it will drop from 188 PS3 to 76 le if it goes on age it will drop from 188 to 160?

Seems the change to giving BTEA payments equal to what students were on prior to starting BTEA and not topped up applies from January to new applicants only.


The €300 Back to Education Allowance will be discontinued for new and existing participants
New participants ]on the Back to Education Allowance who had been in receipt of a reduced rate of a qualifying payment because of means, will not have their Back to Education Allowance up-rated
New participants on the Back to Education Allowance who had been in receipt of a reduced aged related rate of Jobseeker's Allowance of €100 or €144 per week will receive €160 per week on their Back to Education Allowance per week. Previously, this had been €188 per week.
http://www.welfare.ie/EN/Press/PressReleases/2012/Pages/pa051212.aspx

metaxaaa

What about travel expences ? Did they cut that???then you on vtos?

mathepac

Thanks chasm you are correct - my major bad.

chasm

In this article Joan Burton, when discussing the cuts to the electricity allowance "that because of EU competition rules, she was prohibited from negotiating discounts from utility companies." How is it that they cannot negotiate with utility companies but they can negotiate with Eircom over the phone package?
http://www.rte.ie/news/2012/1205/burton-defends-allowance-cuts-in-budget.html

mathepac, they didn't cut the units to 150 per bill.

mathepac

chasm wrote: »

... mathepac, they didn't cut the units to 150 per bill.

What did they do so under the Household Benefits Package Heading apart from reduce the phone allowance to €9.50?

Read it all, now clear. Thanks again.

chasm

mathepac wrote: »

What did they do so under the Household Benefits Package Heading apart from reduce the phone allowance to €9.50?

They changed the electricity allowance from being unit based to a cash credit. The credit is €35 per month. It doesnt quite cover the full 300 units/pso levy/standing charge though

http://www.welfare.ie/EN/Schemes/HouseholdBenefits/Pages/hhbchangesfaq.aspx

(Think i may have replied to your post on another forum about this I'm not stalking you i promise )

mathepac

Got it as well. The friendly stalker - cool!

chasm

yellowlabrador wrote: »

One solution to the smaller telephone allowance i to collect the money at the post office and go pay as you go with a mobile. I do this and the advantage is that you don't pay for line rental.
there was talk last week that eircom was going to change their pricing policy and charge an exorbitant amount for rural lines and a free line to city dwellers, so maybe thew gov't was being preemptive and is hoping that people give up their landline.

I had considered using the allowance for my mobile but tbh i would be lost without my landline/broadband package. Have you any links about eircom considering charging more for rural customers.
Eircom have some nerve if they are considering doing that, my parents live in the countryside and their phoneline isnt broadband capable, yet they have to pay the same amount of line rental as a town dweller with a broadband capable line!