Finance - Thurles Information

Good New Year News For Persons On Social Welfare.

People on social welfare will be somewhat financially better off, following new improvements, secured as part of Budget 2023, announced today; same to take effect from Sunday January 1st 2023, onwards.

€12 increase in weekly payments – largest increase in over a decade.
Largest ever expansion of the Fuel Allowance scheme.
€40 per week increase in Working Family Payment thresholds.
€25 per week increase in earnings disregards for people with disabilities.
€20.50 increase in the monthly rate of Domiciliary Care Allowance.

The Fine Gael Minister for Social Protection, Mrs Heather Humphreys announced the following changes today.

[Among the improvements coming into effect are across-the-board increases in weekly payments which will benefit over 1.5 million people.
The changes also include the largest ever expansion of the Fuel Allowance scheme and significant improvements to the Working Family Payment.]

Among the measures coming into effect in January are:

A 12 euro increase in the maximum rate of all core weekly payments – benefitting over 1.5 million people.
Largest ever expansion of the Fuel Allowance scheme which will see an estimated 81,000 additional households qualify for the payment for the first time.
Working Family Payment thresholds to increase by €40 per week for all family sizes.
A €25 increase, from €140 to €165, in the weekly earnings disregard (that is income discounted in the means test) for recipients of the Disability Allowance and Blind Pension.
An increase of €20.50 in the monthly rate of Domiciliary Care Allowance bringing the payment to €330 per month. This increase is to support people who play a valuable role in Irish society – parents or guardians who look after a child with a severe disability.
A €2 increase in payments in respect of children of social welfare recipients, bringing the payment to €42 per week for children under 12 and €50 per week for children aged 12 and over.
Farming families – a doubling in the amount of income that can be derived from agri-environmental schemes (e.g., Glas, ACRES) and counted in assessing means for the Farm Assist scheme. As a result of this measure, €5,000 can now be disregarded.
Increase in earnings attracting the lower Employer PRSI rate. in line with increase in the national minimum wage which supports employment.

These measures are on top of the eight lump payments – already paid in October, November and December – that Minister Humphreys secured as part of Budget 2023 to assist families with the cost of living.

Electric Ireland Offers €50 Credit To Residential Electricity Customers.

With electricity prices having skyrocketed this year out of all proportion, partially due to the war in Ukraine, Electric Ireland have decided forego a fraction of their excessive profits accumulated from its residential electricity business, offering a €50 credit to their residential electricity customers.

The credit will apply to both Pay As You Go (PAYG) and Credit Meter customers with effect from tomorrow, December 20th.

The credit will be applied to PAYG accounts before December 24th, while credit meter customers will have it applied to their next bill.

The company also confirmed it will increase its hardship fund by €2 million, bringing its total to €5 million.

Electric Ireland’s executive director Mr Pat Fenlon said the company is “acutely aware of the pressures that customers face this winter”, adding the hardship fund “will help ensure the fund is accessible to those most in need of support, during the winter months”.

Meanwhile, the Commission for Regulation of Utilities has extended the moratorium on disconnections for non-payment of energy bills, with vulnerable customers unable to be disconnected between October 2022 and March 2023.

“Just Transition Plan” Confirms Significant Ireland/EU Funding For Tipperary.

Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media Catherine Martin has welcomed the European Commission’s adoption of Ireland’s Territorial “Just Transition Plan” .

The adoption of the “Just Transition Plan” confirms significant Ireland/EU funding to support the Midlands region, as Ireland moves away from fossil fuels. The tourism element of the “Just Transition Plan” includes allocations of €38 million under Regenerative Tourism business supports and €30 million for a Tourism Trails Network.

Eight midland counties are expected to benefit from the allocation.

The eight counties expected to receive funding include Co. Tipperary, Co. Laois, Co. Westmeath, Co. Offaly, Co. Longford, Co. Roscommon, Co. Galway and Co. Kildare; all targeted areas that were previously heavily dependent on peat production.

CEO of Fáilte Ireland Mr Paul Kelly said: “This investment reinforces the value of tourism to the economic well-being and development of a destination. I want to pay tribute to the team at Fáilte Ireland for their tireless work over a number of months on developing our successful submission to the EU. The allocation to Fáilte Ireland is recognition of our expertise as the National Tourism Development Authority to deliver projects of scale that will create jobs, empower businesses and build stronger communities leaving a lasting legacy of transformative change that will enhance the appeal of the Midlands as a tourist destination for generations to come. It is an unprecedented investment in tourism, and one that is going to have a tangible economic impact in the towns and communities of Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands and Ireland’s Ancient East
Fáilte Ireland is looking forward to working collaboratively with local tourism businesses and communities, the East and Midlands Regional Assembly (EMRA), Bord na Mona, Local Authorities, and our strategic partners including Waterways Ireland, National Parks and Wildlife Service and Coillte, to deliver this transformational project of scale.”

This EU “Just Transition Fund” in Ireland has 3 priority areas for investment:

Generating employment through diversification of the local economy.
Restoration of degraded peatlands and regeneration of industrial heritage assets.
Smart and sustainable mobility.

€832,000 Announced For 42 Youth Diversion Projects (YDPs) Nationwide.

Minister of State James Browne TD announces €832,000 in once off in funding for 42 Youth Diversion Projects (YDPs) nationwide

Just under €832,000 in once-off funding being allocated to 42 Youth Diversion Projects throughout the State
Funding will go towards assisting with renovations to premises, transport and IT equipment to enhance the activities and services they offer to the young people they work with.
This follows on the advertisement of a Call for Expressions of interest from community-based organisations in relation to the establishment of 4 new projects in 2023, which issued on 30 November and an increase of €6.7m in the annual budget for youth justice services and projects in 2022. An additional €2.5m will be made available in 2023.

Amongst the YDP’s to benefit in Tipperary are:-

YDP	Provider	Amount
Clonmel & Carrick-on-Suir YDPs	Waterford & South Tipperary Youth Service	1,677.00
Roscrea	North Tipperary Development Company	1,900.00

Minister of State with responsibility for Youth Justice, Mr James Browne, is delighted to announce some €832,000 in once off in funding for 42 Youth Diversion Projects (YDPs) nationwide.

YDPs engage with young people through a range of supports, including education, training and employment support, social enterprise initiatives, as well as personal development and supports such as mentoring, and personal development activities.

Welcoming the announcement, Minister Browne said: “I have seen first-hand the positive impact these projects have on both the young people who they welcome through their doors and the wider communities in which they are based.
This once-off funding is being made available from overall savings in the Justice Vote. I am delighted we are able to put this funding to good use in supporting YDPs with much-needed premises renovations and repairs, with IT equipment and with new and replacement transport vehicles. This money will be of direct benefit to the young people the project work with in ensuring greater access to training and education facilities and activities that promote pro-social behaviour.”

This announcement follows on from the publication of the Youth Justice Strategy 2021-2027 last year, which provides a developmental framework to address key ongoing challenges, as well as new and emerging issues, in the youth justice area. A major change contained in this Strategy is a new and expanded mandate for the YDPs across the State.

Additional funding of €6.7 million was allocated to youth justice services in Budget 2022, which sees a substantial increase from €18 million to €24 million on the previous year’s budget. A further additional €2.5m will be available in 2023.

Minister Heather Humphreys said: “I am delighted that we have been able to allocate these extra resources to the Youth Diversion Projects. This funding will provide practical improvements to the premises projects work from, and the services and activities they are able to provide for the young people they work with.
I admire the fantastic work of everybody involved in the projects – Youth Justice Workers, JLOs and local Garda management – that I have been privileged to see at first hand”.

The Funds Administration Unit in the Department of Justice will now contact each YDP that has been approved for a grant, to ensure early payment as per the agreed allocations.

€10 Million Fund To Assist With Energy Poverty.

A €10 million fund to help struggling families and individuals on pay-as-you-go energy tariffs, is to be signed off by Government, as part of a new energy poverty action plan.

The Minister for the Environment Eamon Ryan will seek Cabinet approval for this new action plan, which will include the establishment of a financial support fund.

The money will provide further safeguard for people at risk of energy debt, including, but not exclusively, pay-as-you-go and electricity customers.

However, for those of you who received your electricity bills this morning, expecting to get a promised €200 discount; these customers received only a government electricity discount of €183.49, with €16.51 having been already siphoned off, to be returned back to government coffers in the form of VAT, deducted at the rate of 9%.

Meanwhile, it would be interesting to know the costs associated with over 60 public lamp standards remaining lit, 24 hours each day, since last April, here in Thurles, also being funded by the silent, accepting tax payer.