Figures released by the St Vincent de Paul (SVP) yesterday indicated that the number of calls for help it received in the Dublin head office increased by 127 per cent over the past three months.
Saying it was "appalled" at the prospect of a further 5,000 social employment jobs being cut by Government, the SVP said the number of calls for help received in the Dublin office between January and June this year more than doubled, from 1,695 in 2002 to 3,762 in 2003 - up 115 per cent on the same period last year.
"May, June and July were particularly bad months, rising by 159 per cent, 212 per cent and 145 per cent, respectively," said Mr John Monaghan, SVP's vice-president, social policy. "And the latest quarterly trend shows the pressure still growing with 2,412 calls for help - up 127 per cent compared with a year ago," he added.
"The society has been warning for some time that people struggling on inadequate social welfare benefits and pensions, as well as those in low-paid jobs and the more exposed sectors of the self-employed, were particularly vulnerable to any economic downturn," Mr Monaghan said.
"Unfortunately, the Government has chosen to spend the lowest proportion of GDP in the EU on national social protection, 14.7 per cent as opposed to an EU average of 27.5 per cent, while also having the lowest tax regime in Europe," he continued.
"With continuing high inflation, the rapid growth in indirect taxation which hits those on fixed State benefits and low pay hardest - as well as growing unemployment - the consequences of those policy decisions are seen daily in the society's 'Calls for Help' statistics.
"We're appalled to see that the Government is actually thinking of cutting another 5,000 jobs from the social employment programmes.
"This will have a huge impact on the employees directly concerned, for whom these schemes provide vital training and experience and which give them a measure of respect and dignity," he said.
