Pensioners are discouraged from renting out rooms to college students as they worry they are going to lose their medical card, a Tremendous Gael Senator has warned.
enator Maria Byrne introduced that she is working with the Minister for Additional and Larger Training Simon Harris to look at the potential for together with a provision beneath the rent-a-room scheme for pensioners who want to retain their medical card.
At the moment, the weekly gross medical card earnings threshold is €550 per week for a single individual and €1,050 for a pair.
“The anecdotal proof I’m receiving from pensioners is that some who want to hire a room are discouraged from doing so attributable to probably going above the medical card earnings threshold,” Senator Byrne stated.
“College students and pensioners would collectively profit from an earnings disregard whereby a certain quantity of earnings from a specific supply, the hire a room scheme on this case, isn’t thought-about. In the end, this is able to keep away from interference with the medical card earnings threshold.
“The weekly gross medical card earnings threshold was elevated in 2020 for these aged 70 and whereas this was a constructive improvement in relation to healthcare for the aged, we don’t need a state of affairs the place pensioners really feel impeded from renting out a room throughout the present scholar housing disaster.”
Senator Byrne stated a “versatile strategy” to scholar housing is required.
“We should be certain that pensioners keen to hire a room should not met with obstacles,” she added.
“It’s crucial that we resolve this concern as quickly as doable and take away what may probably be an impediment to growing lodging for college students.”
This comes as scholar union’s throughout the nation are interesting for owners to hire out rooms for college students, as lodging is tough to return by.
College Faculty Dublin (UCD) Scholar Union stated the dearth of accessible lodging for college students has created a “increased schooling disaster”.
It stated on account of the “failure of successive Governments” to handle this concern, the on-campus expertise of a rising variety of third-level college students are “in danger”.
