Wednesday, February 08, 2012

Communion spending has become too lavish, says Gilmore

The Government is cutting payments meant to assist struggling families with the cost of Communions and Confirmations because spending on such events has become too "lavish", Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore said.

The Coalition was accused of targeting vulnerable families after the Irish Examiner revealed details of the cutbacks.

Speaking in the Dáil, Sinn Féin TD Mary Lou McDonald accused Joan Burton, the social protection minister, of waging a "crusade against families on low incomes".

She called on Mr Gilmore to explain where struggling families were supposed to go for support if the payments were slashed.

Mr Gilmore defended the cuts and suggested Communion and Confirmation spending had got out of hand in some cases.

"The minister’s [Joan Burton’s] view, which I share, is that lavish expenditure has in some cases been associated with Communions and Confirmations.

"I am aware that many parishes and schools are anxious to get the costs associated with these events somewhat under control. As a result of that [Ms Burton] has decided to limit these payments to €110 in each case… I hope that will help to limit the amount of expenditure in this area."

The exceptional needs payments are designed to help struggling families meet essential, once-off expenditure that they "could not reasonably be expected to meet out of their weekly income".

About €64m in such payments was handed out last year but that is being reduced by €8.5m this year.

As part of the cuts, the payment for Communions and Confirmations is to be cut from an average of €242 to a maximum of €110.

St Vincent de Paul warned the cuts could drive struggling families into the arms of moneylenders.

Ms Burton said the reduction was being driven by a review carried out by community welfare officers and that there would be room for discretion.

"We have brought down the level of the payment to what I’m advised — and I’ve accepted — is a reasonable level for something like a Holy Communion dress of about €110. But officers still have discretion, and that’s what these special need payments are for."