Voluntary groups call for welfare increases in Budget

Increased social welfare payments and a narrowing of the gap between rich and poor were demanded by voluntary groups in pre-budget submissions yesterday.

Some 28 groups, including the Society for St Vincent de Paul, Pavee Point, the Irish National Organisation of the Unemployed, the Forum for People with Disabilities and the Conference of Religious in Ireland, had six minutes each to put their case to the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs, Mr Ahern, and senior Department officials.

The Minister "listened carefully" to everything put to him, according to a Department spokeswoman, although she added that it was unlikely all their aspirations would be achieved.

"While the budgetary package the Department received last year was £428 million - the largest ever, I should add - everything the groups were calling for today, when costed, comes to £4 billion," she said. Among the main issues brought forward at the forum were social welfare payment increases of £14 a week for the lowest payments and £10 for other payments; an increase of £20 a week for lone parents; increases of up to £44.50 for carers and increases of £17.30 for old-age pensioners to bring the weekly rate to 34 per cent of average industrial earnings.

There were calls for substantial increases in child benefits - of up to £15 a week - as well as calls that these be paid earlier than envisaged in the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness.

Disability payments should be made directly to all those in residential care, said the Forum for People with Disabilities, while other groups called for the individualisation of the social welfare system, the abolition of the concept of dependency, increased funding for family services and a refocusing of the National Anti-Poverty Strategy away from consistent poverty to relative-income poverty.

The justice spokesman for CORI, Father Sean Healy, said Ireland spent a lower percentage of GDP on social protection than any other European Union state.

The INOU called for an increase in social welfare payments of up to £14 a week. As well as seeking similar reforms as other groups, the organisation sought the introduction of a parental childcare payment to all parents and a local authority scheme to help all low-income tenants in the private-rented sector. Speaking at the opening of the forum, Mr Ahern said he was confident there would be increases in social spending in the Budget.