THE National Women's Council expressed disappointment at the Budget, which it said treated women as though they were "virtually invisible".
Its chairwoman, Ms Noreen Byrne, said there was "very little evidence that the word woman arose when this Budget was being put together". She said the social welfare increase seemed to give women a value half that of men. Claimants, who were mainly men, were getting a £3 increase while adult dependants, who were mainly women, were getting £1.50.
"No effort has been made to move towards individual payments and the continuing use of the live register as the entry qualification for schemes enabling people to gain skills or return to the workforce, directly discriminates against women."
She was "astonished" to find no allocation to implement the National Women's Health Plan, which the Government is to publish shortly. She was disappointed progress on child benefit was "slowing down".
"A 25p per week increase for the first two children can hardly be termed a generous share, of the profits of the Celtic Tiger.
Ms Byrne said the increase in the maternity allowance and its extension to women who were self employed was valuable.
She said the increases in the carers allowances, the tapering, provisions on earnings of the "dependent spouse" and the change in how Family Income Supplement is calculated, were welcome but overdue.