Budget 2022 at a glance: How today’s measures affect you

Budget 2022 has been revealed with hikes in fuel, cigarettes and more. But this was accompanied with good news for those on social welfare and some parents.

Unveiling the Budget earlier today, Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe said: “The resilience of the Irish people and our economic supports during the pandemic are the ingredients in the recovery.

“This recovery must deliver more homes, help with the cost of living and action on climate change. We know this and it is why we have made some of the decisions in this Budget.”

Here is a broad brekadown of the measures contained in Budget 2022.

Carbon taxes and cigarette hikes

• The government will be increasing excise duties on a packet of cigarettes by 50c
• The carbon tax will be increased by another €7.50 this year to €41 per tonne. It will go up by the same amount in every budget until the year 2029 – A 60-litre tank of diesel will increase by €1.48 from midnight and a similar tank of petrol by €1.28

Social Welfare

• National Childcare Scheme universal subsidy extended to all children aged up to 15
• €5 increase in weekly social welfare payments
• €5 increase in weekly payments for pensioners
• Living Alone Allowance to be increased by €3
• Fuel Allowance increased by €5
• Parent’s Benefit increased by 2 weeks to 7 weeks from July 2022
• introduction of a Youth Travel Card for those aged 19-23

• 11,820 new social homes will be delivered through build, acquisition and leasing programmes. 9,000 of these will be new build homes
• €18 million for the delivery of Traveller accommodation
• 11,000 grants to adapt the homes of older people and people with a disability
• 14,800 new households to have their housing needs met under the Housing Assistance Payment and Rental Accommodation Scheme, in addition to supporting almost 82,000 existing tenancies under these schemes

Health

• free GP care for children aged 6 and 7
• threshold for the Drug Payment Scheme lowered to €100
• €250 million to tackle hospital waiting lists
• free contraception for women aged 17-25
• €30 million to allow patients greater access to high-tech drugs
• expanding dental access to medical card patients

Education and training

• 1,165 additional SNA’s, bringing the total number of SNA’s to almost 19,200
• an additional 350 teachers to reduce school staffing schedules by 1 point for all primary schools
• 7,600 places in Further Education and Training courses in key skills areas of the economy
• 980 additional special education teachers working in special classes, special schools and mainstream settings to support children with special educational needs
• off-the-job training places for 7,000 craft apprentices impacted by COVID-19
• a €200 increase in the maintenance grant payment in the Student Support Scheme
• recruitment of up to 800 new trainee Gardaí and 400 Garda staff