CORI Justice (Conference of Religious of Ireland) said the number of working households struggling financially has risen.

Fr Sean Healy, CORI director, said: "CORI Justice notes that Government has said it is committed to protecting the most vulnerable in these difficult times.

"If it is to do this credibly, then CORI Justice urges Government to take initiatives to tackle the working poor issue, the rising level of unemployment and issues such as food poverty that were not addressed in Budget 2009."

CORI pointed out that about a third of all households, 31.3%, at risk of poverty are headed by a person with a job, up slightly on the 29.5% figure for 2006.

The group said that more than half of all those at risk of poverty, 55.9%, live in households headed by people outside the workforce, including those who are elderly, ill, in a caring role or have a serious disability.

Fr Healy also called on the Government to make additional resources available to support households at risk of poverty by boosting welfare and to continue benchmarking the lowest social welfare rates at 30% of gross average earnings.

It demanded improved social services, including education, health, childcare, housing and transport.

"Likewise it is critically important that activation programmes for people who are unemployed or at risk of becoming unemployed be supported adequately," Fr Healy said.

"It is important to ensure activation programmes for people with disabilities, for children and others should also be supported adequately."

Fr Healy and fellow CORI director Sr Brigid Reynolds appeared before the Oireachtas Family and Social Affairs Committee yesterday to outline how the less-well off are being hit by the downturn.