Distinguishing "between the deserving and undeserving poor" is "completely unacceptable", the Conference of Religious in Ireland has said.
In a statement issued yesterday, the CORI Justice Commission called on the Government and social partners to produce "a new national agreement and a budget that prepare the country for the 21st century".
The commission said that those who divided the poor into two categories "see the deserving poor as including the elderly and the sick, while the undeserving poor include groups like the long-term unemployed". They described this as "an unacceptable division" which "should have no place in any new agreement or in any budget".
For CORI's Justice Commission, the critical test of both the new agreement and the next Budget would be the measures designed to promote social inclusion and equality.
"While many poor people have benefited from developments of recent years, especially through employment, the fact remains that the gap between poor people and the rest of society has been widened over the past 12 years," the commission said.
It is seeking "a major social inclusion package" and initiatives on employment, urban disadvantage, rural exclusion and education and training. It has also called for action on affordable accommodation, disability, child care and healthcare. The com mission would also like to see an increase in social welfare and measures to tackle low pay.
