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Public Inquiry
Interested in maladministration. Estd. 2005

offsite link RTEs Sarah McInerney ? Fianna Fail?supporter? Anthony

offsite link Joe Duffy is dishonest and untrustworthy Anthony

offsite link Robert Watt complaint: Time for decision by SIPO Anthony

offsite link RTE in breach of its own editorial principles Anthony

offsite link Waiting for SIPO Anthony

Public Inquiry >>

Lockdown Skeptics

The Daily Sceptic

offsite link Italy to Ban Burka Thu Oct 09, 2025 17:00 | Will Jones
Italy is to ban the burka as part of new legislation against "Islamic separatism" that includes strengthening penalties for forced marriages and stricter financial regulation of Muslim organisations.
The post Italy to Ban Burka appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link The Great Reverse Ferret is Underway Thu Oct 09, 2025 15:05 | Joanna Gray
It's the season for the reverse ferret, the narrative whiplash ? call it what you will, but everyone seems to be at it, says Joanna Gray. As the recantations roll in, how do we avoid making the same mistakes again?
The post The Great Reverse Ferret is Underway appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Children to Be Able to Choose Their Own ?Gender? at Any Age Under New EU Rules Thu Oct 09, 2025 13:18 | Will Jones
Children will be able to choose their own?'gender'?at any age under new EU rules set to be imposed across the continent with penalties for countries that refuse to comply.
The post Children to Be Able to Choose Their Own ‘Gender’ at Any Age Under New EU Rules appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Gaza Ceasefire Will Begin Tonight, Israel Announces Thu Oct 09, 2025 11:13 | Will Jones
A ceasefire in Gaza will come into effect this evening ahead of the release of the remaining hostages after the first?stage of a peace agreement was signed by Israel and Hamas this morning.
The post Gaza Ceasefire Will Begin Tonight, Israel Announces appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Are Advertisers Finally Realising They Need to Stop Over-Representing Black People? Thu Oct 09, 2025 09:00 | Lee Taylor
Black people make up 4% of the UK but appear in over half of adverts, according to a new Channel 4 report. Is the industry finally realising that such fake over-representation is off-putting, asks Lee Taylor.
The post Are Advertisers Finally Realising They Need to Stop Over-Representing Black People? appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

Lockdown Skeptics >>

Voltaire Network
Voltaire, international edition

offsite link Will intergovernmental institutions withstand the end of the "American Empire"?,... Sat Apr 05, 2025 07:15 | en

offsite link Voltaire, International Newsletter N?127 Sat Apr 05, 2025 06:38 | en

offsite link Disintegration of Western democracy begins in France Sat Apr 05, 2025 06:00 | en

offsite link Voltaire, International Newsletter N?126 Fri Mar 28, 2025 11:39 | en

offsite link The International Conference on Combating Anti-Semitism by Amichai Chikli and Na... Fri Mar 28, 2025 11:31 | en

Voltaire Network >>

Rent Allowance-More Stealth Cuts?

category national | public consultation / irish social forum | other press author Sunday September 20, 2009 11:08author by Greg T - None (Independent left) Report this post to the editors

Highlighting recent changes to the rent supplement scheme as well as other disturbing developments.

As if June's cut wasn't enough, ( see: http://www.indymedia.ie/article/94053 ) waiting period of up to several months for rent allowance assessment to be completed are going to result from recent changes to the rent supplement scheme . This development may make things next to impossible for any newly unemployed without significant savings, in the meantime more and more people are undoubtedly going to become homeless.
http://www.corkindependent.com/local-news/local-news/co...nces/
(It's nice to see a Labour TD taking action on this issue). As if that isn't worrying enough, just been told by someone I know (coincidentally also in County Cork), that new Rent Allowance claims are not being processed at all in her area. This person was basically informed (informally) that her claim was a waste of time and that due to staff shortages new applications will not get seen to. Sounds suspiciously like yet another stealth on the sly cut. Meanwhile the NAMA plans to bailout the rich continue, gombeen politics as usual. If anyone else knows similar stories they need to be highlighted immediately. Affected people need to kick up a fuss or they will be (conveniently) forgotten.

Related Link: http://www.corkindependent.com/local-news/local-news/concern-about-rent-allowances/
author by shoegirlpublication date Mon Sep 21, 2009 17:35author address author phone Report this post to the editors

Isn't the whole point of rent allowance so that people in EXISTING rented accomodation are subsidised, not so that people who are currently receiving a social welfare payment can choose to change their existing accomodation at a whim?

That said, the changes are harsh on anybody who otherwise would be facing the scenario of having no roof under their head - for example if their landlord is selling up or if the family home is no longer a safe place for them.

Forcing low income households into the market sector should never have been a solution in the first place - accomodation should have been made available via social housing, not via giving guaranteed profits to market landlords at obscene overpriced rates and pushing up demand artificially for private rented property through engineering artificial shortages in social housing through non-provision. (But then spending billions on private sector rents instead? Doesn't even make financial sense if you take into account that the cost of housing rent subsidised households over the last 10 years has probably already far exceeded the cost of actually providing them with permanent council or housing association homes?)

The current policy of locking in this form of "non-provision" by long term leasing from private landlords is doing nothing more than subsidizing the worst kind of profiteering landlords.

 
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