A Fianna Fáil TD is calling for the Government to introduce a €100 voucher for all over-65s who have received the Covid-19 vaccine.
Christopher O’Sullivan, the TD for Cork South West, said a voucher scheme was “the least we should be doing” to support older people who had made “huge sacrifices during this pandemic”.
His plan would see vaccinated pensioners spending the funds on hotel accommodation and “eat in” food and drink for when society opens back up.
He said: “Many [over-65s] would have had the pre-pandemic habit of heading to their local hotel with family members for Sunday lunch. The fear is that this habit may not continue. This encourages old traditions to start up again.
“Many over-65s have received no supports from the State during the pandemic. Pensioners are unable to avail of the PUP [pandemic unemployment payment]. A voucher scheme like this is the least we should be doing. I will also be calling for an increase and continuation of existing supports for the sector.”
Mr O’Sullivan added: “The hospitality sector is understandably frustrated with the current restrictions. March is usually the start of the season and business owners are having to cope with their premises being empty for the second year in a row. An initiative could help kick start the sector.”
Figures from the Central Statistics Office show households with older household members are wealthier than younger households.
The median net wealth of households where the reference person is 65 or older is €256,000 but where the reference person is younger than 35, this falls to €14,600.
