Social ills ‘still needto be tackled’

THE organisation representing religious leaders welcomed the Estimates, but said the Government would have to allocate sufficient resources in next month’s Budget to tackle serioussocial problems.

Fr Seán Healy, director of the Conference of Religious of Ireland (CORI) justice commission, said the Estimates had contained many welcome initiatives, such as increased funding for social housing, primary healthcare and overseas development aid.

“However, much remains to be done and it is clear there are sufficient resources available for allocation in next month’s Budget to address the social problems that persist despite more than a decade of economic prosperity,” he said.

“Next month’s Budget should take a number of initiatives aimed at making Ireland a fairer society, where every person has the resources required to live life with dignity,” he said.

CORI, which represents more than 135 religious congregations, is calling on the Government to:

*Increase the lowest social welfare rates by €20 a week for single people.

*Tackle the ‘working poor’ issue.

*Increase the allocation for social provision generally.

*Develop a fairer tax system.

*Tackle the child poverty and childcare issues by introducing a refundable tax credit payable for children irrespective of the employment status of their parents.

CORI also believes the Government should provide an extra €200 million over the three years to fund services by community and voluntary organisations.