Social Justice Ireland will propose an increase in social welfare and other support measures in a pre-Budget submission today.
In a meeting with Minister for Social Protection Heather Humphreys, the group will call for a €25 increase in social welfare rates and an increase in Jobseeker’s Allowance for those under 25.
It is asking the Government to prioritise vulnerable households and “not to repeat the mistakes of Budget 2023”.
Spokesperson Dr Seán Healy told Breakfast Briefing “there were a number of very obvious mistakes” in last year’s Budget.
“While we did get increases in core welfare rates and a number of other one-off payments, the result overall was that the gap between rich and poor had widened as a result of the Budget,” he said.
“The actual value of the money that poor people had was less in 2023 than it was in 2022 [because of inflation].”
Poverty line
Social Justice Ireland said there were more than 671,000 people in Ireland living below the poverty line in 2023, with 188,00 under the age of 18.
Dr Healy said the Government needs to be “serious about meeting its own poverty targets”.
“Income inadequacy cannot be addressed by one-off measures,” he said.
Social Justice Ireland are also calling for a €290.30 single-rate universal state social welfare pension and an increase in the Living Alone Allowance by €5 a week.
It also said the Government should extend the fuel allowance to those receiving the Working Family Payment.
“That would cost the Government to put €44.5 million in the Budget,” Dr Healy said. “But that would be that would be approved in the right direction.”
Child Benefit
Dr Healy also said the Budget should increase Child Benefit without creating “an unemployment trap”.
“We think a fair thing to do is increase Child Benefit by €50 a month,” he said.
“That means that when somebody takes up the job, they don't lose that payment.”
He said current rates make it difficult for parents to “to actually take up a job and get an income that would keep better off than if they were on the dole”.
