Crazy allowances or perks

Geuze · 29-10-2013 01:15PM

Total Exceptional Needs Payments = 62m in 2011

Adult clothing = 7m

Prams/buggies = 1m

and so on..............

See table C18 here:

http://www.welfare.ie/en/Pages/Annual-SWS-Statistical-Information-Report---2012.aspx

PDF here:
http://www.welfare.ie/en/downloads/Social%20Stats%20AR%202012_Section%20C.pdf

NB: I don't think all of these are "crazy".

I just want to clarify that they do exist.

Some people keep arguing that grants are not paid for "buggies/prams", etc.

They are, and the DSP publish the details. See attached.

K-9 · 29-10-2013 02:00PM

Geuze wrote: »

I just want to clarify that they do exist.

Some people keep arguing that grants are not paid for "buggies/prams", etc.

I don't think many claim that the payments don't exist, it's the myth about leaving buggies at bus stops because people can just get another one from CWO that gets challenged.

murphaph · 29-10-2013 02:04PM

Geuze wrote: »

NB: I don't think all of these are "crazy".

I just want to clarify that they do exist.

Some people keep arguing that grants are not paid for "buggies/prams", etc.

They are, and the DSP publish the details. See attached.

...and it is NOT an urban myth that many of these buggies are left at bus stops when the bus is full. If Ireland had massive oil wealth like Norway some of these payments would still be excessive, but we're p!ss poor so there's no excuse.

Is there a "taxpayers' association" in Ireland? There is in Germany. They lobby the government to reduce such spending.

Idbatterim · 29-10-2013 03:28PM

is there a list of the max they give out for a buggy, washing machine etc for example?

K-9 · 29-10-2013 03:31PM

murphaph wrote: »

...and it is NOT an urban myth that many of these buggies are left at bus stops when the bus is full. If Ireland had massive oil wealth like Norway some of these payments would still be excessive, but we're p!ss poor so there's no excuse.

Is there a "taxpayers' association" in Ireland? There is in Germany. They lobby the government to reduce such spending.

Probably more that it happened a couple of times and takes on legendary status!

It's €1 Million, that would be 5,000 cases at €200 a go, the payment also covers cots and stuff like that.

creedp · 29-10-2013 03:57PM

K-9 wrote: »

Probably more that it happened a couple of times and takes on legendary status!

It's €1 Million, that would be 5,000 cases at €200 a go, the payment also covers cots and stuff like that.

There seems to be a popular consensus that SW needs reforming but at least it seems there is nothing to see here when it comes to buggy allowance costing €1m a year.

Damien360 · 29-10-2013 11:13PM

K-9 wrote: »

I don't think many claim that the payments don't exist, it's the myth about leaving buggies at bus stops because people can just get another one from CWO that gets challenged.

Not a myth at all. Ask the lads working on the rail platforms of Newbridge and Kildare stations. It was very regular for buggys to be left as you could get another. We were buying ours at the time and I asked in the shop that was there before mothercare in Newbridge and they said the same. Often got the same people back every few weeks for another free buggy.

Idbatterim · 29-10-2013 11:17PM

Not a myth at all. Ask the lads working on the rail platforms of Newbridge and Kildare stations. It was very regular for buggys to be left as you could get another. We were buying ours at the time and I asked in the shop that was there before mothercare in Newbridge and they said the same. Often got the same people back every few weeks for another free buggy.

This is the problem when you give stuff out for free, nothing is respected... Let them get them for free from charity shops...

K-9 · 30-10-2013 12:47AM

Damien360 wrote: »

Not a myth at all. Ask the lads working on the rail platforms of Newbridge and Kildare stations. It was very regular for buggys to be left as you could get another. We were buying ours at the time and I asked in the shop that was there before mothercare in Newbridge and they said the same. Often got the same people back every few weeks for another free buggy.

What story where they giving the Welfare officer?

I'd say it happened, but it seems everybody working in Irish Rail and Dublin Bus knows somebody who did it. The story has grown a few legs in other words!

cmore123 · 30-10-2013 12:55AM

The very definition of "expenses" refers to a cost you directly incur. Thus, unvouched expense payment should never be permitted especially in the public or political service. Nor should an expense allowance be paid. If you incur expenses you should have a receipt. If you reclaim less than others it just means you didn't incur the extra in the first place.

What politicians get away with is criminal.

Yet we still vote for them..........!

srsly78 · 30-10-2013 12:59AM

Nonsense, having to hold on to every single receipt is a load of rubbish. I tried that and after one month I had filled an entire drawer with the damn things. It's much simpler in many cases to operate the Revenue approved flat-rate expenses.

But for politicians, yes definitely make them provide receipts

Idbatterim · 30-10-2013 01:42AM

give them a business credit or visa debit card, everything is to be put on that, nothing can be claimed for that isnt...

Gumbo · 30-10-2013 10:35AM

srsly78 wrote: »

Nonsense, having to hold on to every single receipt is a load of rubbish. I tried that and after one month I had filled an entire drawer with the damn things. It's much simpler in many cases to operate the Revenue approved flat-rate expenses.

But for politicians, yes definitely make them provide receipts

We claim our mileage once a month, so you could claim your expences once a month too. ie mileage and expences incurred in October are submitted on the 1st November for payment in November.

Very easy to have a dedicated lever arch folder for claims and separate it by month with those colourful dividers. especially for kepping receipts.

srsly78 · 30-10-2013 10:55AM

Milage has it's own special rules, you need to keep detailed records. For subsistence it's not worth the hassle keeping receipts for your centra roll etc, just use flat-rate. Being self-employed lets you decide which way to administer expenses, normal employees don't have a choice. Your boss probably won't let you use flat-rate because it would work out in your favour

When I do have receipts they are in electronic form and get kept in email/dropbox. No paper needed!

Sleepy · 30-10-2013 12:20PM

Interesting figures in that for funerals

Funeral
Funeral Expenses 5,116 4,836 -5.5%
Burial Expenses 370 332

What are the other costs aside from that of burial?

An I missing something or is the figure for Funeral Expenses that's 13/14 times the cost of the burial being paid to the church, the local florist, the local publican etc.? I've no issue with an exceptional needs payment being granted to cover the cost of burying the dead but taxpayers money being given in "donations" to religious institutions, spent on extravagant stonework / flowers or covering the bar-tab after the service isn't exactly acceptable even if it is probably very unpopular to point it out.

Maybe I'm being thick and missing something very obvious here as I've never arranged a funeral but the figures just seem odd to me.

srsly78 · 30-10-2013 12:35PM

Booze and sangwiches in pub afterwards.

skydish79 · 30-10-2013 12:58PM

Benefit in Kind - abused

K-9 · 31-10-2013 02:06AM

Sleepy wrote: »

Interesting figures in that for funerals

What are the other costs aside from that of burial?

An I missing something or is the figure for Funeral Expenses that's 13/14 times the cost of the burial being paid to the church, the local florist, the local publican etc.? I've no issue with an exceptional needs payment being granted to cover the cost of burying the dead but taxpayers money being given in "donations" to religious institutions, spent on extravagant stonework / flowers or covering the bar-tab after the service isn't exactly acceptable even if it is probably very unpopular to point it out.

Maybe I'm being thick and missing something very obvious here as I've never arranged a funeral but the figures just seem odd to me.

The average cost of a funeral in Donegal is €3/4,000, that would be coffin, plot, grave diggers, wooden cross, undertaker costs, stuff like that.

I don't think you'll have much luck burying somebody without an undertaker and coffin, so funeral expenses looks like the usual cost of burying somebody. I don't know what burial costs are in addition to funeral expenses.

Cookie_Monster · 31-10-2013 02:16AM

30 mins paid drinking time every friday with free beer, chips & dips and sometimes cocktails

Riskymove · 31-10-2013 11:40AM

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

30 mins paid drinking time every friday with free beer, chips & dips and sometimes cocktails

no..no...this is about "crazy" perks

chopper6 · 31-10-2013 04:26PM

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

30 mins paid drinking time every friday with free beer, chips & dips and sometimes cocktails

Who gets this then?

srsly78 · 31-10-2013 04:44PM

People that work for profitable companies with (really) generous bosses.

chopper6 · 31-10-2013 04:51PM

srsly78 wrote: »

People that work for profitable companies with (really) generous bosses.

Nothing wrong with boosting staff morale...the PS dept i work for literally cancelled the xmas party(for which we'd hafta pay anyway).

Michael D Not Higgins · 31-10-2013 05:41PM

chopper6 wrote: »

Nothing wrong with boosting staff morale...the PS dept i work for literally cancelled the xmas party(for which we'd hafta pay anyway).

If you have to pay anyway, organise your own party. That's what we had to do where I used to work.

rumour · 31-10-2013 08:38PM

draiochtanois wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

This to me is the craziest of all perks for a country that has to tax excessively and borrow excessively to exist, direct from the CSO

2012 Q4
Average Public Sector Weekly Wage €921.99
Average Private Sector Weekly Wage €623.43

Add to that;
Public Sector Pensions are not accounted for in weekly wage.
Private Sector must pay for a pension out of weekly wage.

These two issues are the craziest perks ever developed by the Irish Public Sector based on not much more that something like "because I'm worth it"
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Icepick · 31-10-2013 10:17PM

€188 paid to long-term unemployed
Should be €100 and only if you are making effort to retrain or find a job.

Cookie_Monster · 31-10-2013 10:20PM

chopper6 wrote: »

Who gets this then?

me

granted it is private company but just putting it out there for comparison since it seems to be only PS again in the thread.

Sheldons Brain · 31-10-2013 10:42PM

2012 Q4
Average Public Sector Weekly Wage €921.99
Average Private Sector Weekly Wage €623.43

Out of date data.

Add to that;

Public Sector Pensions are not accounted for in weekly wage.

Oh right, what about pension contributions and the pension levy?

rumour · 31-10-2013 10:53PM

If that is a retort its pretty lame.

The average public sector wage is 1.5 times the wage of the average private sector person. When these are on a par maybe we could consider it not a perk.

The pension levy goes no where near what needs to be done to fund the entitlements the public sector have promised themselves in the future.

You say they are out of date, what are the up to date figures, how much have they changed in the last 3 quarters?

bar32 · 31-10-2013 11:11PM

Just for the record. Payslip of a primary teacher. 4 years teaching.
Gross annual pay 36,738

Gross fortnightly pay: 1413
Net fortnightly pay: 1009

Statutory Deductions per fortnight:
Tax :133
Employers PRSI : 57
1.5% SP. & CH - Pen : 22
USC : 73
Pension Related Deduction: 74
Pension - Grouped: 38

Non - Statutory Deductions per fortnight:
INTO Union : 14

I've heard this often before but just want to see if it's true, does someone in Private Sector on roughly 37000 take home much more net pay per week? Net pay of this particular teacher is 505 a week. What would a private sector person's gross salary have to be to earn 500 net per week?

Crazy allowances or perks

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