Organisation: Social Justice Ireland

A COMPREHENSIVE SERIES OF ARTICLES ON THIS TOPIC

<p>Of those who intend to reduce their spending, a quarter said they will have to do so to make ends meet. Picture:Leon Farrell/Photocall Ireland</p>

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Consumers fear 'worst of cost-of-living crisis to come'

The Credit Union Consumer Sentiment Index for May found 60% of Irish consumers do not believe peak price pressures have passed, while 22% are confident the worst of price inflation is over

<p>Appearing before the Oireachtas environment committee on the issue of energy poverty, representatives from charity St Vincent de Paul said many households are facing multiple energy bills they cannot clear before the next one comes through.</p>

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Households facing 'mountains' of energy bill arrears

Charity told Dáil committee without further intervention, people will be going into next winter with repayments 'still hanging over their heads'

<p>The Society of St Vincent de Paul will say: “People are forced to make strategic choices between essentials, food through the week, or energy through the week. No one should be faced with that dilemma." File photo</p>

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Government must learn energy cost 'lessons' ahead of winter, committee to hear

At today’s committee, representatives from the Society of St Vincent de Paul will say their members are currently seeing the hardship caused by ongoing high energy prices

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Increased medical card access must be matched by resources, says think tank

Energy efficiency concept and energy bill papers

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€3.7k gas bill just one of many incidents that led to 74% rise in energy customer complaints

The fight goes on: Fr Sean Healy may be retiring, but his passion is not

The Mick Clifford Podcast: Fr Sean Healy on half a century fighting for social justice

Fr Sean Healy talks to Mick about Cork, his experiences in Africa, and his half a century of working on behalf of the most marginalised in society

Fri, 10 Mar, 2023

Mick Clifford: Support for basic income not yet universal but getting there

The old way of doing things, of letting the market decide to the greatest extent, with intervention largely confined to attempting to alleviate poverty, is looking increasingly out of date

Wed, 15 Feb, 2023

Ciara Phelan: Sinn Féin quiet under pressure

The party finally faces the music at the plinth at Leinster House

Tue, 18 Oct, 2022

METROLINK; MINISTER EAMON RYAN TD; MINISTER MICHAEL MCGRATH TD

Budget to include enhanced cost-of-living package after surge in public finances

Economist Austin Hughes estimates the Government will be able to spend up to €2bn on the package

Thu, 04 Aug, 2022

Calls for increases in social welfare rates to protect low-income households

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has so far resisted calls for a mini-budget, insisting that the autumn budget will be a 'cost of living budget'

Mon, 20 Jun, 2022

Varadkar announces living wage plan to bring hourly rates up to €12.17

It is planned that the minimum wage will be abolished in 2026, which the Tánaiste said will require legislation.

Tue, 14 Jun, 2022

Woman looking at houses and flats in the window of an estate agent in London, UK

Housing crisis sees one in five people in Ireland living in poverty

Single parents are the worst affected of all households, with an increase in the poverty rate of 51% after housing payments

Mon, 30 May, 2022

Housing minister questions content of Social Justice Ireland's housing report

"The 90,000 social homes committed to under Housing For All are new build homes," wrote Darragh O'Brien.

Thu, 13 Jan, 2022

A million Irish people at risk of poverty as 'housing subsidies are not working'

Almost one fifth of the population is living below the poverty line when housing costs are factored in, according to research from Social Justice Ireland

Mon, 10 Jan, 2022

Sean Healy: Government continues to fail on poverty

With one in four children living in deprivation, we can do better

Tue, 28 Dec, 2021

Pandemic has worsened access to medical treatment

The pandemic has exacerbated existing problems in the Irish healthcare system and worsened the level of access to treatment

Mon, 06 Dec, 2021

Covid has 'inflamed' health inequalities – Social Justice Ireland

'Dramatic increase in pre-pandemic trends of rising unmet health needs among those on low incomes,' report finds

Tue, 26 Oct, 2021

Elaine Loughlin: It's sick that Ireland doesn't have illness benefit for low-paid workers

Elaine Loughlin: Without radical reform, local government will remain toothless and useless

Our strange centralised system of government is hindering progress on a range of issues from housing to climate change

Tue, 26 Oct, 2021

Budget 2022 failed to provide what was required to deliver Housing For All

The Government do not seem to grasp the true scale of the housing crisis, and Budget 2022 will do little to end it, writes Social Justice Ireland analyst Susanne Rogers.

Wed, 13 Oct, 2021

Young and low-income workers to be hit hardest if pension linked to life expectancy

Trade unions and agencies working with disadvantaged people warn the proposed change could amplify deprivation

Sat, 18 Sep, 2021

The five policies that must deliver 'housing for all'

Budget 2022 must be used to progress the Programme for Government's commitment to build more homes by providing adequate and appropriate accommodation, writes Susanne Rogers of Social Justice Ireland

Wed, 14 Jul, 2021

Prices rise for hairdressing, restaurants, alcohol and hotels

Experts warn that price rises in utilities and other essentials such as transport are putting strain on families

Fri, 11 Jun, 2021

Number of households seeking social housing up 33% since 2016

Government needs to set a target of having 20% of all housing being as social housing by 2030, says Social Justice Ireland

Mon, 10 May, 2021

More than 25% of those living in poverty in Ireland are children — report

Before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, some 630,000 people were living below the poverty line — about one-eighth of the entire country

Mon, 26 Apr, 2021

Government must grasp the nettle on housing and tackle land speculation

We must learn lessons from the crash of 2008 and develop truly affordable housing

Tue, 23 Mar, 2021

Silhouetted wind turbine at a rural windfarm.

Study ranks Ireland 11th out of 15 countries for meeting sustainable development goals

Ireland was the lowest ranked country on the environmental dimension of the Index

Wed, 24 Feb, 2021

New pensions commission established by the Government

It will examine various elements of the pension, including age

Tue, 03 Nov, 2020

Carers and their families were failed spectacularly during Covid crisis

The clamour to fight for the economic wellbeing of ‘workers’ and ‘ordinary’ people is worthwhile, but it has revealed the lowliness with which the political class regard us carers

Wed, 14 Oct, 2020

Groups want €7 rise in social welfare and State pension in Budget

Minimum social welfare rates should increase by €7 in Budget 2021, according to Social Justice Ireland. The organisation will propose the rise to the Social Protection Minister at a pre-Budget forum today.

Thu, 30 Jul, 2020

Decline in workers earning under minimum wage, new figures reveal

The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today issued National Minimum Wage Estimates from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) in respect of Q4 2019, indicating a decline in employees earning less than the national minimum wage.

Wed, 29 Apr, 2020

FF/FG policy document ignores issue of poverty - Social Justice Ireland

Social Justice Ireland (SJI) says the issue of poverty has been completely ignored in the framework for a proposed government by Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil.

Fri, 17 Apr, 2020

Brian Keegan: Bigger government will come at a cost

Nature abhors a vacuum.

Mon, 09 Mar, 2020

Ireland's 'reputation as an environmental laggard is well justified'

We are failing to meet the UN’s 17 sustainable development goals.

Fri, 21 Feb, 2020

Social Justice Ireland rues ‘crazy’ lack of social housing

It is critically important for both Ireland’s economy and its people that the housing crisis is solved, according to Social Justice Ireland.

Mon, 27 Jan, 2020

Ireland should meet UN commitments on overseas aid - Social Justice Ireland

There are calls for the next Government to agree to UN commitments on overseas aid.

Wed, 22 Jan, 2020

Mick Clifford Podcast: What should this election be about?

The starting gun has sounded on the general election campaign. All parties are out of the blocks with promises and pledges but what should this election really be about?

Fri, 17 Jan, 2020

Govt's plan to reduce poverty met with mixed reactions from activists

The plan has been welcomed by St. Vincent's de Paul but head of Social Justice Ireland, Dr Seán Healy described the plan as too little too late.

Tue, 14 Jan, 2020

Michael Clifford: Age is just a number but it keeps adding up

Is the country destined to wait until the challenges of aging morph into a crisis before action is even contemplated, asks Michael Clifford

Fri, 29 Nov, 2019

Housing strategy lacks any proper foundation

Instead of the budget investing in combating the housing crisis, Government is happy to fritter away €147m a year on emergency accommodation, says Colette Bennett

Thu, 10 Oct, 2019

Workers need more support from employers when upskilling, report suggests

The report shows six in 10 employees are paying for their own courses, even though more than half of their bosses say it's an employers' responsibility.

Mon, 02 Sep, 2019

Price of inaction - Subsidising climate collapse

We are, belatedly, beginning to dip our collective toe into the hard-decisions stage of our efforts to avert climate change.

Mon, 02 Sep, 2019

No place like home: Spoken-word poet Stephen James Smith faces economic exile from his city

Dublin spoken-word poet Stephen James Smith talks to Ellie O’Byrne as he faces economic exile from his city.

Wed, 10 Jul, 2019

Rise in poverty 'inevitable' without rise in core social welfare rates, says Social Justice Ireland

Social Justice Ireland has called for social welfare rates to rise by €9 a week.

Fri, 05 Jul, 2019

'We must not repeat the mistakes of a decade ago': Government urged to protect vulnerable citizens after Brexit

"We risk repeating the mistakes of the past, with devastating consequences". That's the warning issued about Ireland's economy after Britain leaves the EU.

Wed, 26 Jun, 2019

Carbon and company tax proposed for ‘socially fair budget’

An airline ticket tax and other carbon taxes, an increased betting tax, and setting a minimum rate of corporation tax, feature among the proposals of advocacy group Social Justice Ireland in its proposals for October’s budget.

Wed, 12 Jun, 2019

Tax reliefs mean the poor subsidise the savings of the rich

It is important that tax reliefs — particularly the costliest ones — are scrutinised and that there is proper parliamentary debate to ensure they remain cost-effective and fit for purpose, writes Eamon Murphy.

Wed, 12 Jun, 2019

Evening round-up: National Broadband Plan; Record High Court payment; Royal Baby

So that’s Wednesday nearly wrapped up. Here’s some of the stories we published on irishexaminer.com today which we hope will help you make sense of it all this evening.

Wed, 08 May, 2019

The people we elect to Europe should have these five key policy asks in mind

Next week, Social Justice Ireland and Trócaire will co-host a hustings event ahead of the European Elections on May 24th. Dr. Seán Healy, Director, Social Justice Ireland, sets out the five key policy asks in that joint policy platform.

Wed, 08 May, 2019

CSO: More than 137,000 earn the minimum wage

There were 24,500 people earning less than the minimum wage at the end of last year, according to the Central Statistics Office.

Fri, 26 Apr, 2019

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