Thousands face Christmas debt crisis, warns SVP
Despite the booming economy, the number of calls to the society have quadrupled in the last three years.
The SVP received more than 3,000 calls for help in the first nine months of 2002, more than 7,000 during the same period last year and well over 12,000 during the same period this year.
SVP president Brian O'Reilly said the myth that the Celtic Tiger has brought untold wealth must be banished after the group spent €31 million last year helping people to cope.
"Last year we had to spend €600,000 per week fighting poverty and social exclusion," said Mr O'Reilly.
SVP vice-president John Monaghan said the people in low-paid jobs who called the society did not qualify for any State benefits.
"They don't qualify for the child dependent allowance, the medical card or the back to school clothing and footwear allowance. They qualify for nothing but are expected to carry the cost of increases in everything," he said.
Mr Monaghan said most of the people in low-paid jobs who called the SVP were Irish less than 10% were asylum seekers or emigrant workers.
The SVP's annual report, launched in Dublin yesterday, highlighted a number of reports produced by State agencies, the EU and UN all showing increasing levels of inequality in Ireland.
"We now have a very divided society and we need to stand back, look at the wealth we have and decide how we are going to share it out to reduce this problem," he said.
A big worry around this time of year was that people on social welfare would go to moneylenders, who charge interest rates of up to 200%.
"I know of women who will not be eating very well over the next couple of weeks so they can put money aside and women who will not be filling prescriptions so their children can get presents at Christmas," said Mr Monaghan.
People on social welfare must also be looked after, he said.
"If we are serious about getting people on social welfare back into society we need to be developing community-based childcare facilities that will enable a lot of single parents to move out of poverty and into paid employment," he said.
The SVP is also looking for an increase in the minimum social welfare rate of €20 to €154.80 a week in tomorrow's Budget.
"That won't happen, but the minimum the Government has to increase it by to meet their own targets is €15 a week," said Mr Monaghan.
There was still a long way to go if the Government wanted to increase the minimum payment to around €185 by 2007, he said.
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