Poverty groups say 'not enough'

Concern over poor: Groups working against poverty welcomed welfare increases announced yesterday, but said not enough had been done to address the needs of children living in hardship.

The Combat Poverty Agency said welfare increases of €17 a week would significantly increase the income of adults on benefit.

While acknowledging the new childcare supplement would provide an increase of about €19 a week for children under six, the group expressed concern that child-dependent allowances - targeted at the poorest children in the State - remained frozen.

The group, however, welcomed an increase in the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowances, as well as more money for the school meals initiative in deprived areas.

Barnardos said these increases were not enough to make a substantial impact on child poverty and pointed out that more investment in health and education services was crucial. The Society of St Vincent de Paul said welfare increases for adults were welcome, but expressed disappointment at the absence of targeted payments for poor families. The single parent family groups One Family and One Parent Exchange Network (Open) expressed similar concerns.

On pensions, Age Action Ireland welcomed yesterday's increases but said they were well below European averages.

"We're also pleased that older people on non-contributory pensions will be able to work and earn up to €100 a week without penalty, a long-required provision," said Age Action's Paul Murray.

Increases in allowances for carers were given a lukewarm welcome by the Carers' Association, which claimed that changes would only allow approximately 500 more full-time carers to receive the allowance.

"This still leaves 26,000 from Ireland's 50,000 full-time family carers who will not qualify and who have received no consideration in this year's Budget," said Enda Egan of the Carers' Association.