The Poor Can’t Pay campaign says that €1 from every in €5 cut by the government in the budget came from those least able to afford it. The campaign called on the Taoiseach for an immediate commitment that welfare will not be cut further and minimum income protected.
The call came as the campaign coalition launched a detailed analysis titled ‘How the Poor Were Made to Pay’, which outlines how the 2010 Budget will hit people living in poverty.
The campaign has the backing of charities like Focus Ireland, Barnardos and St Vincent De Paul.
Dr Mary Murphy, NUI Maynooth, presented the results, stating that the Central Statistics Office figures show the fall in average prices was 5.7% and excluding mortgage repayments this comes to 2.2% on average.
Social welfare cuts were by 4.1% in the budget with the package of cuts in payments like rent and fuel allowances.
Losses of income for those on benefits range from those for lone parents, to blind pension and in amount, ranged from just over €8 per week to €26 for a carer of a person with a disability and unemployed son.
The report found that the Budget, announced in December 2009, would have the greatest impact on households already at risk of, or living in, poverty.
The cuts will be worst for children, lone parents, unemployed people, those entering the labour market for the first time and people with disabilities.
The report found that families living on social welfare and who were living in poverty before the cut, are now living in deeper poverty.
Dr. Murphy said, "Many households will suffer multiple cuts. For those in receipt of social welfare and low paid workers, this comes on top of job losses and reduced hours. The sick and the elderly will also face new prescription charges.”
The Society of St Vincent De Paul (SVP) suffered another blow this week as it learned that Cork County Council is thinking of changing the method of recycling used clothes.
SVP has 90 clothes recycling bins all over Cork which yield an income of around €500,000 every year.
Now the County Council may put the clothes recycling scheme out to tender and if SVP does not win the tender, it will lose the much-needed income.
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