Pre-Budget spot: St Vincent de Paul

St Vincent de Paul make over 300,000 visits every year to people in need. They spent over €31m in 2003 fighting poverty. Calls for assistance to their national office are up by 300 per cent. The St Vincent de Paul are calling on the Government to share Ireland's economic success more equally by using the 2005 budget as the opportunity to break the cycle of disadvantage across the population, including older people and children.

"We urge Government to make the brave and just choices to prioritise spending on improving key services – and so break the cycle of disadvantage now" Professor Monaghan said. "The money is there, the need is there – if not now, when?"

The St Vincent de Paul are calling on the Government to assist people on low incomes by:

•Increase adult social welfare rates by €17 per week in adult social welfare rates to €165.80;

•Develop a second child income payment for all low-income households with children, ensure it is adequate to tackle child poverty and structured to remove poverty traps;

•Increase non-contributory and contributory pensions by €16;

•Increase child benefit;

•Reinstate child benefit payments for all children of asylum seekers;

•Increase and standardise child dependent allowance to €30 per week;

•Increase fuel allowances for people on low income;

•Remove all minimum wage earners out of tax net and ensure they stay out;

Provide a half day of early childhood care and education, five days a week for all children in the year before they go to school – starting with disadvantaged children

•Provide free school books for pupils in families on social welfare and up to FIS income eligibility levels.

In order to respond to the housing crisis they are calling on the Government to build or acquire 10,000-12,000 social housing units per year to 2012 as a mix of local authority and voluntary/co-operative housing. Delivering on the Government's own commitment to provide 200,000 full medical cards above 2001 levels is essential assistance for people living in poverty. The St Vincent de Paul view the "doctor only" medical card as an inadequate response to the health needs of low income households, while an adequately funded primary care service will enhance everyone's quality of life.

Sara Burke

? More: www.svp.ie