William Aird

To influence the social protection committees budget report. I::To call for a cost of disability payment in Budget 2027::To seek an increases in the rate of the Wage Subsidy Scheme ::To seek an increase in the income disregard for disability allowance

Increasing the capital disregard for Blind Pension so that it aligns with limits for Disability Allowance.

Encourage the committee to prioritise the eradication of poverty in the Budget through a number of macro measures

To secure support for the recommendations of the Rehab Group's submission to Department of Social Protection on the cost of disability payment::To request the Committee to invite Rehab advocates to address a future meeting of the Committee on the Cost of Disability

Securing increased resources, in particular human resources to deal with the unmet demand.::Increased awareness of the complexity of work undertaken by the organisation.

Promote the work of CIS and it's strategic plan.

To highlight the anomaly in Budget 2026 where organisations employing more than 17 workers on WSS received just 55 cent per hour increase::To request Deputies to table Parliamentary Questions and motions on the operation of WSS and the impact of the measures in Budget 2026

To inform Committee members on relevant MESL research & analysis, to contribute to their understanding to their understanding of the issue of child poverty

Pension Contributions::To propose that credited social insurance contributions for Farm Assist recipients are provided, as is done for Jobseeker's Allowance/Benefit.::Backdating Credits Pre-2007::To propose extending PRSI credit entitlements to farmers who were ineligible before…

Fair Deal Reform::To propose reducing the 5-year land/business transfer clause to 3 years to allow more farmers to benefit from the Fair Deal Scheme.::To propose that land leased under Fair Deal should be classed as “actively farmed” to meet succession criteria.::To propose…

To propose that the current rate of Class S is retained, and resist any increases until short-term benefits (illness, disability) are included in the scheme.

PRSI Inclusion for All Farmers and Spouses::To propose that all farmers and spouses/partners working on the farm, are to be included in the PRSI system to ensure entitlement to the contributory old age pension and reduce the risk of poverty in old age.::Dual Pension Calculation…

To propose that, as the Teagasc Green Cert Course is a crucial qualification for young farmers in Ireland. Approving these courses for SUSI Grants would encourage more students to pursue agricultural education.::To propose that, as per the Programme for Government, there must be…

General Employment Permits::To propose no further increases in GEP annual salary.::To propose the need for a full roll-out of a Seasonal work permit Scheme for all horticulture sectors based on the national minimum wage.::To propose that there are supports for rising employment…

To propose the introduction of an agricultural Rainy-Day Fund, which allows farmers from all sectors to put aside a small percentage of their gross receipts, whether in their co-op, specially assigned bank account or State Farm Volatility Fund.::To propose that the deferred…