The Government was today accused of systematically dismantling public watchdogs after the Ombudsman claimed health chiefs refused to co-operate with an investigation.

Senator David Norris writes serious revision is required in the Seanad, otherwise it would be better to shut up shop

SHUTTING down the Combat Poverty Agency (CPA) did not lead to any significant cost savings, the opposition claimed last night after it emerged the Government is still paying €400,000 in rent for empty offices after the agency moved out.

Social Affairs Minister Mary Hanafin today refused to ease senior citizens’ fears over a possible cut to the old age pension in the December budget.

LICENSED moneylenders charging exploitative rates of interest and preying on vulnerable people are not properly regulated by the State, it has been claimed.

OVER the last while we’ve all been enthralled and horrified as our great national soap opera unfolds, each episode more spectacular than the last.

I AGREE with all of the points made by Hugh Frazer in his excellent article on the closure of the Combat Poverty Agency (‘Silencing dissent’, July 7).

ANGRY TDs yesterday expressed concern over the abolition of the Combat Poverty Agency (CPA) and its merger within a government department as it was revealed that 40% of the agency’s staff have been lost.

OIREACHTAS members will today quiz the head of a new department unit set up to replace the Combat Poverty Agency (CPA) about its priorities, amid concern over the “silencing” of the outgoing agency’s role.

THE body representing more than 100 civil society groups who act on behalf of the marginalised in society has warned that dissenting voices are being silenced amid fears any criticism of the Government will see a cut in their funding.

The abolition of the Combat Poverty Agency (CPA) at the beginning of this month was clearly not because it had succeeded in eliminating poverty.

BRIAN Cowen turned in a very good impression of Inspector Clueless yesterday, revealing to the Dáil the guilty party responsible for our dire financial woes.

I WISH to congratulate you on your excellent editorial (‘Poverty far from being history’, June 19)).

Controversy continues to rage over the Government’s budgetary cuts. “Fairness must be the cornerstone of all our efforts to achieve economic renewal,” Minister for Finance Brian Lenihan declared on introducing the emergency budget in April. “Those who have most must give most.”

THE Combat Poverty Agency (CPA) has unveiled its final annual report before it is subsumed into a government department, with its chairman admitting there was “uncertainty” over the move.

The Combat Poverty Agency has expressed its opposition to any cut in social welfare rates, saying it would only create new problems further down the road.

OUR changed economy makes it inevitable that some people find themselves struggling with debts.

The Combat Poverty Agency is calling for a national strategy to deal with the increasing number of people who are unable to deal with their debts.

PHOTOGRAPHIC identification will be required of the growing number of people collecting the dole and other social welfare payments after it emerged the state is losing millions through fraudulent claims.

ONE in every five people are in such a personal economic crisis that they cannot meet their own debt repayment responsibilities, meaning they are at risk of falling prey to loan sharks due to their perilous financial position.

COMMUNITIES should play a greater role in designing and delivering healthcare services, the Combat Poverty Agency said yesterday.

THE former head of the Equality Authority who resigned in protest at cuts in the organisation’s budget has said the country is in an “equality crisis“.

THE 43% cut in the budget of the Equality Authority and the subsequent resignation of its chief executive, Niall Crowley, are a cause of great concern to all of us who believe that equality is one of the necessary means of guarding freedom and democracy in a republic.

THE resignation of Niall Crowley as chief executive of the Equality Authority is a significant setback in the fight for equality and social inclusion in this country.

IRISH children face a bright future, but many will remain stuck in a grinding cycle of poverty unless the right political choices are made, a study has revealed.

DEBT advice and poverty assistance services are reporting surges in the number of people with financial difficulties seeking help.

DESPITE the Government’s climbdown on two measures, the budget remains one for the rich while it hammers the poor.

The struggles faced by poor people throughout the world were remembered today at a poignant memorial in the shadow of Dublin’s financial district.

THE slashing of 41 State agencies will be a “first installment” in a long term plan of reducing so-called quangos, Finance Minister Brian Lenihan said last night.

Threshold, the national housing organisation, has criticised the levy of €200 that will be imposed on non-principal private residences, announced in today’s Budget, saying that the levy will be paid by tenants.

Subsuming the Combat Poverty Agency into a Government department would destroy the watchdog’s independence and ability to carry out vital work, it was warned today.

GOVERNMENT TDs have called on the Minister for Social Affairs to abandon a proposal to scrap the Combat Poverty Agency as a cost-cutting measure.

COMMUNITY Action Network (CAN) regrets there was no opportunity within the recent review of the Combat Poverty Agency for stakeholders to put on record the importance of the role it plays in tackling poverty in Ireland.

The Combat Poverty Agency is calling for the establishment of special "no-frills" bank accounts to help address "financial exclusion" among low-income groups.

TWENTY-SEVEN voluntary and community groups have rallied to the defence of the Combat Poverty Agency which is waiting to hear its fate after a ministerial review recommended it be scrapped as a cost-cutting measure.

THE Government is using the economic crisis to “settle scores” by looking to shut down State agencies that have criticised it in the past, Labour leader Eamon Gilmore has claimed.

Agencies working to help people affected by poverty could be hit by Government cutbacks, according to a social housing group.

COMPELLING evidence that the lives of thousands of Irish people have been blighted by poverty-related illness, is contained in a cross-border study.

Thousands of Irish people are dying early deaths every year because of their economic circumstances, according to a study by the Institute of Public Health and the Combat Poverty Agency.

IN ANY downturn, the weakest, those with the smallest, most easily silenced voice, are always the most vulnerable.

High-earners should be taxed more to allow for a hike in welfare payments for low-income families, it was claimed today.

The Combat Poverty Agency is calling for measures to ensure vulnerable groups are not put at greater risk of poverty during the current economic downturn.

REBATES for landlords who make their rented properties more energy efficient are suggested by a state advisory body as a use for revenue generated by the controversial carbon tax.

IN Gilbert and Sullivan’s Mikado, the Emperor of Japan managed to produce the most streamlined government in the world.