Poor deal for asylum seekers

The Social Welfare payment provided to asylum seekers in Ireland has not increased in the last eight years. It is the only social welfare payment never to have increased. Asylum seekers receive accommodation and food and a weekly allowance of €19.10 for adults and €9.60 per child. Asylum seekers are not allowed to work so they have no way of boosting this weekly income. The Irish Refugee Council is calling for the payment to increase to €60 per week for adults and €35 per week for children in this year's Budget. The Council is also calling on the government to ‘reinstate the child benefit as a universal payment, paid to every child living in Ireland'.