Renewed calls for rise in social welfare payments

By Alex Redmond

“A common sense approach to getting everybody above the poverty line.” Those were the words of Cork Penny Dinners Volunteer Co-Ordinator Catriona Twomey, when speaking with the Cork Independent, on what the Government must do to address poverty and income inequality in Budget 2024.

“Nobody should be forgotten in this budget. Let them do the budget with a bit of compassion,” she added. “It has to be about everyone who is struggling.”

She said that at Penny Dinners, they see Cork families across all income brackets struggling. She said the budget should not simply have a universal approach to aid a problem but resources must be allocated to systematically “root them out”.

“We all have wounds, don’t plaster them over,” she added.

Social Justice Ireland has called for an increase in social welfare payments. The independent policy analysis group recommends evidence-based policy changes to the Government. Given the current rates of inflation and cost of living, their priority is to lobby the Government to introduce measures in Budget 2025 that would raise social welfare payments, aid those living below the poverty line and close income gaps.

The recommended measures are a €25 increase in weekly social welfare payments. This would be intended to lessen the impact of inflation of lower income households.

The intention is to bring social welfare payments to 27.5% of the average weekly income in Ireland, a benchmark they wish to keep in future budgets, to maintain the purchasing power of social welfare.

They have also recommended measures to aid the elderly.

This includes a €5 increase in the Living Alone Allowance and a €25 increase in payments to state contributory and non-contributory pensions.

A €50 increase to the children’s allowance has been recommended, as well as funding for parental leave and two week paternity leave.

Other measures suggested by the body include an extension of the fuel allowance, a bereavement grant of €850, a cost of disability allowance of €20 and an increase of the Carers Support Grant to €2,000.

These measures would cost €2.66 billion, just under third of the current annual budget.

In response to these recommendations and the call to raise child benefit, Catriona Twomey said: “I completely agree, we must prioritize everyone who’s vulnerable, that includes middle income households and households who work multiple jobs.”

Paul Sheehan of the Cork Simon Community said Social Justice Ireland “make a really good case”.

“Half a million people are below the poverty line” in Ireland, he added. “We see it every day.”

He emphasised the need to keep children out of poverty. The proposed €50 increase in Child Benefit Allowance is a “good start”.

He made the point that poverty is “traumatizing” for young people and families cannot sustain themselves on the current social welfare payments.