Sir, – Sarah Burns reported that 6,500 people have been in receipt of jobseeker’s allowance for a decade or more, at a cost of about €800 million, according to figures from the Department of Social Protection (“Some 6,500 on jobseeker’s allowance for decade or more at cost of €800m,” November 9th).
Minister for Finance Simon Harris said at the Fine Gael ardfheis that “it is simply not acceptable for any person to remain on the Live Register year after year after year”. He has a point.
However, of more concern is that as of 2021 the State’s liability for public service defined benefit pensions was calculated at €175.7 billion. This must be funded by taxpayers’ contributions to the exchequer.
Given that we are living longer, it seems that defined benefit pensions will become increasingly unsustainable for the workforce to support. This high cost of supporting State pensions is a contributory factor driving the protest movement in France among younger people.
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I suggest that rather than highlighting the unacceptability of long-term unemployment, Simon Harris and his Government should focus on developing reforms to mitigate the growing cost of supporting defined benefit pensions. – Yours, etc,
Mark Fox,
Dublin 18.
