RISING COSTS of fuel and food will continue to condemn families to poverty this year and the St Vincent de Paul Society has claimed the Government's 2008 social welfare spend will compound the problem.
The organisation acknowledged that while many people did receive more money in their weekly allowances following last year's budget, it said the overall collective increase in Government social welfare allocations in 2008 was lower than the increase included in the 2007 budget and previous years.
The St Vincent de Paul Society (V de P) last year spent more than €43 million helping people who were financially marginalised and socially excluded, including €3.5 million for heating and electricity bills and €4.8 million on providing the likes of food vouchers.
It said that 2008 heralded a major challenge for its clients because of the economic downturn and price inflation.
V de P said that in the past 12 months, the prices of basic foodstuffs in Ireland had soared. Bread was 23 per cent more expensive, the cost of milk was approximately 30 per cent higher and eggs, butter and biscuits were also significantly dearer.
"Food price increases hit the lower paid and those dependent on social welfare hardest as they have to spend a higher proportion of their income on the basics," V de P national vice-president Prof John Monaghan said.
Prof Monaghan addressed the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social and Family Affairs yesterday, saying the V de P was fully aware of the prevailing economic climate but said that since last year, the circumstances for persons and families dependent on social welfare or in low paid jobs had deteriorated sharply.
A spokeswoman for the Department of Social and Family Affairs said last night there had been "no cutbacks" in social welfare schemes and services in 2008.
"Total social welfare spending in 2008 is projected to be €17 billion or an increase of €1.5 billion (almost 10 per cent) over 2007." She added that "tackling poverty and social exclusion remain key priorities for the Government".
Prof Monaghan said: "It is not acceptable for the poor to be asked to 'wait' yet again now that the economy is slowing.
"The recent EU Europa Database 2008 Consumer Price research shows Ireland second only to Denmark for price increases since 2006. Our 9,500 volunteers make more than 300,000 visits to people every year, so we see the pressures people are under in today's Ireland."
V de P has also criticised the "generally very poor quality" of private rented accommodation and pointed out that carbon tax measures would hurt the poor most because this sector of society would not be able to afford environmentally friendly fuels.
The V de P also noted increasing social isolation of individuals and families both in rural and urban settings.