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Eoin Hayes TD 🌍

@eoinhayestd.bsky.social
247 followers 484 following 291 posts

“That nice fella in the Social Democrats” Teachta Dála for Dublin Bay South. Passionate about housing, infra, economy, & political reform. He/Him. b. 346 ppm

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Eoin Hayes TD 🌍 @eoinhayestd.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
For Tom, like so many others on Disability Allowance, the difference is stark - he’d be getting €2,610 more this year under our alternative budget.
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Eoin Hayes TD 🌍 @eoinhayestd.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Here’s another case study looking at the impacts of the budget announced by the government this week. This time we’re looking at how someone reliant on the Disability Allowance might be impacted, and how the government measures stack up against the Social Democrats’ alternative budget proposals.
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Eoin Hayes TD 🌍 @eoinhayestd.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
As you can see - pensioners would be much better off under a Social Democrats government. In Eileen’s case, to the tune of €990! This budget has not delivered for pensioners.
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Eoin Hayes TD 🌍 @eoinhayestd.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
I’ve been going through the government’s budget package and looking at how people are likely to actually fare financially in the coming year. Here’s one example which shows how the Social Democrats alternative budget stacks up against what the government delivered yesterday.
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Reposted by Eoin Hayes TD 🌍
Social Democrats @social-democrats.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Budget 2027 has failed to deliver for some of our most vulnerable citizens. They include pensioners, children living in poverty, disabled people and family carers. Instead of receiving meaningful supports, they are expected to make do with crumbs from the Govt's table. @eoinhayestd.bsky.social
socialdemocrats.ie
Vulnerable groups forced to make do with crumbs from the Government’s table - Social Democrats
Budget 2027 has utterly failed to deliver for some of our most vulnerable citizens, including pensioners, children living in poverty, disabled people and family carers, according to Social Democrats s...
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Reposted by Eoin Hayes TD 🌍
Gary Gannon TD @garygannontd.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Not one penny of funding for the Dublin City Taskforce in Government’s Budget 2027.
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Eoin Hayes TD 🌍 @eoinhayestd.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Disabled people’s organisations called for a 55 euro per week cost of disability payment (nearly €3,000 per year). The government instead delivered less than a tenner (€500) after 20 years of talking about it.
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Eoin Hayes TD 🌍 @eoinhayestd.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Changing the carers means test threshold by 150euro is effectively keeping it the same, in real terms. Zero delivery on a key programme for government commitment to abolish it altogether.
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Eoin Hayes TD 🌍 @eoinhayestd.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Government is increasing child poverty initiatives (WFP, Child Support Payment) by less than half the increase it gave last year (136M vs ~330M), also, as families are at greater risk of poverty in the cost of living crisis…
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Eoin Hayes TD 🌍 @eoinhayestd.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
This budget has announced no plans to extend the fuel allowance (so it’s going back to 28 weeks) but has increased the rate by 5 euro. (28 weeks x 5euro increase = 140 euro). Talk about leaving the vulnerable out in the cold.
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Eoin Hayes TD 🌍 @eoinhayestd.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
To explain, in April the government extended fuel allowance by 4 weeks and restored it to 32 weeks at a rate of 38 euro per week, worth about 152 euro more per person. By contrast…
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Eoin Hayes TD 🌍 @eoinhayestd.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
So it turns out, in the middle of an energy crisis, the government is planning on spending less on fuel allowance this winter than it did last winter…
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Eoin Hayes TD 🌍 @eoinhayestd.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Ahead of tomorrow’s budget, I’ve taken some time to write about this issue and what indexation of the Social Protection system might look like. Have a read here: eoinhayes.ie/2026/10/05/t...
eoinhayes.ie
The Trouble With Tax Cuts: How to Reduce Costs and Support the Most Vulnerable - Eoin Hayes TD
For Fine Gael, and too many in the public conversation, every core societal problem can simply be solved with a tax cut. Can’t get a childcare place? Tax cut.
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Eoin Hayes TD 🌍 @eoinhayestd.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Social Protection payments, as well as the income disregard levels which form part of the means test, have had their purchasing power gradually eroded since the austerity era. This includes payment schemes designed to support our most vulnerable and disadvantaged members of society.
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Eoin Hayes TD 🌍 @eoinhayestd.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
The government has been clear about prioritising tax cuts in tomorrow's budget. While changes to our tax system might be warranted, the conversation about indexation and inflation always leaves out a crucial part of our budget: the Social Protection System.
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Eoin Hayes TD 🌍 @eoinhayestd.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
I’m continuing to push for the Minister to expand take-up of the Working Family Payment so that families get the support they are entitled to.
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Eoin Hayes TD 🌍 @eoinhayestd.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
The Department of Social Protection is well able to work with other agencies to identify who is or isn’t in receipt of certain payments. They used that power to work with revenue and cause deep distress to carers earlier this year by issuing confusing information about their tax liabilities.
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Eoin Hayes TD 🌍 @eoinhayestd.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
That so many of these families are not getting the support they’re entitled to is deeply concerning.
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Eoin Hayes TD 🌍 @eoinhayestd.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
It’s estimated that almost 50% of families eligible for the Working Family Payment are not availing of it. This is one of the most important targeted payments in Social Protection, for people who are already working and still falling short of what they need to get by.
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Eoin Hayes TD 🌍 @eoinhayestd.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
It’s fine to talk about whether or not income tax indexation is the right thing to do, but let's also talk about social protection and building a system that protects us all.
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Eoin Hayes TD 🌍 @eoinhayestd.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
The income disregard for many of these payments is also lagging way behind inflation, which can have really drastic effects on people’s incomes, particularly those of low-income workers who have seen a rising minimum wage push them out of eligibility for supports which they should be entitled to.
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Eoin Hayes TD 🌍 @eoinhayestd.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
The purchasing power of Jobseekers, the State Pension, Disability Allowance, Carers Allowance, and most other Social Protection schemes, are all way below what they were prior to the austerity era, having nowhere near kept up with inflation.
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Eoin Hayes TD 🌍 @eoinhayestd.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
There’s a lot of talk of indexing the income tax bands in the budget next week. But what never gets talked about is the indexation of social welfare payments and protecting the incomes of the most vulnerable people in our society. 👇
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Eoin Hayes TD 🌍 @eoinhayestd.bsky.social · 29/09/2026
Last time it was this high was the Global Financial Crisis…
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Eoin Hayes TD 🌍 @eoinhayestd.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Assaults on the Gardaí must be condemned in the strongest possible terms, and I’m shocked and appalled this happened in my constituency. My thoughts are with the injured Garda. I wish her a speedy recovery and hope the perpetrator is brought to swift justice.
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Eoin Hayes TD 🌍 @eoinhayestd.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
The Bill passed second stage yesterday so I’m continuing to engage on this issue and look forward to further scrutinising it at committee stage with my colleagues on the Social Protection committee in the coming weeks.
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Eoin Hayes TD 🌍 @eoinhayestd.bsky.social · 23/09/2026
It’s important that the privacy and data governance concerns around the Public Sevices card are taken seriously as the bill which makes changes to how the card can be used is making its way through the Oireachtas.
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Eoin Hayes TD 🌍 @eoinhayestd.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
We cannot let Ireland’s economy become dominated by hosting transactions and online activity - which is captured elsewhere economically - at the expense of productive parts of the economy which employ our people.
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Eoin Hayes TD 🌍 @eoinhayestd.bsky.social · 18/09/2026
The explosion in the number of data centres and the amount of our energy share they are taking not only impedes our climate goals, and screws ordinary people who pay higher electricity rates, but the so-called economic benefits are masking what is actually a huge economic risk.
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Eoin Hayes TD 🌍 @eoinhayestd.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
I would love to see Community Welfare Officers play an enhanced role in a more integrated and transparent system of social protection which ensures everyone gets the support they need.
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Eoin Hayes TD 🌍 @eoinhayestd.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
And when trying to identify what additional help people may need, it can be particularly hard to also integrate whatever engagements they may be having with charities and non-state bodies into the overall picture.
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Eoin Hayes TD 🌍 @eoinhayestd.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
There is a a lot of room for improvement when it comes to the coordination between various state bodies, particularly those who operate or interact with the Social Protection system. This can be difficult given the dispersed nature of supports which many of our most vulnerable populations rely on.
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Eoin Hayes TD 🌍 @eoinhayestd.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
As Trump visits Ireland this weekend, I’ve taken some time today to reflect on that day and where it’s left us. You can take a read here:   eoinhayes.ie/2026/09/11/r...
eoinhayes.ie
Remembering September 11th, 25 Years On - Eoin Hayes TD
It was Mrs. Engels 8th grade English class, and it started like any other morning. The school was built in the 60s: red brick on the outside, a speckled blue
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Eoin Hayes TD 🌍 @eoinhayestd.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
The initial unity and heroism of emergency workers soon gave way to a politics of division and warmongering.  The American political system has never really recovered. And beyond the USA, throughout the world, we’re still living with the consequences - geopolitically, politically, and culturally.
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Eoin Hayes TD 🌍 @eoinhayestd.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
I was a kid living in America on September 11th 2001, and remember the day vividly. In shock, we watched the events unfold on television in our 8th grade classroom. I didn’t fully understand it at the time, but the world changed that day.
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Eoin Hayes TD 🌍 @eoinhayestd.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
This can only be achieved by a collaborative effort which champions the voices of disabled people and looks to integrate their lived experience into the scheme’s design.
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Eoin Hayes TD 🌍 @eoinhayestd.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
It is vital however that such a payment involves disabled people and their representative organisations centrally in the design process, so that the new permanent payment is fit for purpose and achieves its objectives.
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Eoin Hayes TD 🌍 @eoinhayestd.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
Part of that means introducing a new, permanent Cost of Disability payment which acknowledges the significant extra costs living with a disability often incurs.
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Eoin Hayes TD 🌍 @eoinhayestd.bsky.social · 10/09/2026
As we approach the Budget, I am continuing to call on the government to put in place the supports disabled people have been campaigning for over many years, and particularly to make up the cuts they made to disabled people’s incomes in last year’s budget.
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Eoin Hayes TD 🌍 @eoinhayestd.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
vital that the scheme is well-funded and that the government listens to both disabled people and their employers to ensure that the Wage Subsidy Scheme achieves the inclusivity and access for which it is designed.
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Eoin Hayes TD 🌍 @eoinhayestd.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
It’s a hugely important support for businesses which can increase the number of disabled people who can access work, not only allowing them to contribute to the economy but to become more independent and fully included members of our society. It’s
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Eoin Hayes TD 🌍 @eoinhayestd.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
The restructuring of the Wage Subsidy Scheme last year has caused issues for some employers, and the new bands effectively penalise rather than reward organisations who employ higher numbers of people with disabilities.
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Eoin Hayes TD 🌍 @eoinhayestd.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
As I say in the blog, these are real risks to the sustainability of our current economic model requiring a more substantive and urgent response than our political system seems willing to give at the moment. Have a read here: eoinhayes.ie/2026/09/01/t...
eoinhayes.ie
The Four Horsemen of the Irish Economic Apocolypse - Part Two - Eoin Hayes TD
Having looked at the threats of multinational layoffs and global trade disruption last week, it's time to look at the other two major threats I see facing the
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Eoin Hayes TD 🌍 @eoinhayestd.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
In my blog last week, I introduced the idea of four major threats to the Irish economy, and looked at the risks posed by multinational layoffs and global trade disruption. This week, I’m looking at the other two horsemen; inflation & stagnation, and a choked indigenous sector. 👇
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Eoin Hayes TD 🌍 @eoinhayestd.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
For our economy, it's crucial that we create a generation of scientists, engineers and mathematicians to drive us into a sustainable future. And for our democracy, broad scientific literacy is key to having a well-informed and autonomous society that is empowered to determine its own path.
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Eoin Hayes TD 🌍 @eoinhayestd.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Investment in the sciences is crucial, not just for our economy, but for our ecology, and for our planet. Scientific and technological solutions will be key in how we address and manage the climate crisis and protect our environment.
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Eoin Hayes TD 🌍 @eoinhayestd.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
I’ve posted the first part of this to my blog, which you can read here: eoinhayes.ie/2026/08/27/t...
eoinhayes.ie
The Four Horsemen of the Irish Economic Apocolypse - Eoin Hayes TD
During the general election campaign in 2024, I knocked on a door at the edge of my constituency in Terenure. The man who answered was, like too many people
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Eoin Hayes TD 🌍 @eoinhayestd.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
And unfortunately, layoffs are not the only things which threaten the sustainability of our economic model. I wrote about what I see as a deeply concerning set of threats which are converging on the Irish economy; the Four Horsemen of the Irish economic apocalypse.
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Eoin Hayes TD 🌍 @eoinhayestd.bsky.social · 27/08/2026
Two weeks ago, the Irish Times published a piece of mine talking about layoffs in the multinational tech-sector. As I said in that piece, the layoffs this year have been deeply worrying, not only for those affected, but because they also signify major risks at play in the Irish economic model. 👇
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Eoin Hayes TD 🌍 @eoinhayestd.bsky.social · 26/08/2026
Moving to a more comprehensive system of public services will not only better serve carers and those they care for, but can actually bring down costs for the state by integrating different service provisions.
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