Burton says ‘core’ welfare benefits left alone
However, Joan Burton, who hosted a pre-budget forum for 31 voluntary and community organisations in Dublin yesterday, did not say what core social welfare rates would be kept.
“I can’t, unfortunately, clarify anything until I sit around a big table with the rest of my colleagues in the Cabinet and a collective agreement is taken [on] the changes in social welfare.
“But from the troika programme of 2010, I have inherited the most challenging demand for any government minister, which is to find savings of €540m. I have to find those savings.”
Ms Burton said everything across the board in her department was being reviewed on a constant basis to get value for money.
However, she insisted that at this stage no decisions had been made in relation to budget measures.
Referring to various pieces of “leaked” advice from her department, Ms Burton said at the end of the day it would be the people around the Cabinet table who made the final decision: “But let me be very clear — as minister for social protection, I’ve a budget this year of €20.5bn. That is an indication of my colleague’s support in Cabinet for social solidarity and social protection in this country.
“But, equally, from the Troika, I have inherited a requirement of finding savings. I have to do that.”
Ms Burton said the child benefit was also a matter for Cabinet. She produced child benefit figures that showed that the total payment had fallen from €21m in 2008 to €13m last year.
St Vincent de Paul’s social policy development officer, Caroline Fahey, said the services provided by the Department of Social Protection were an “absolute lifeline” for the people assisted by the charity.
“The rates and the eligibility of payments just cannot be cut any further. People just can’t take anymore,” she said.
“We are really worried about people in low paid employment. Supports for those people have to continue to be in place.”
Ms Fahey also said that whatever reforms were introduced in relation to child income support, low income families could not end up being worse off.
“Sixty percent of the people we support are families with children and we know that they can’t take any more cuts,” she said.
“Calls to our offices have increased by 80% in the last two years and we expect that will continue.”
The Irish National Organisation for the Unemployed (INOU) has also called on the Government to maintain social welfare rates and supports.
The INOU’s head of policy, Bríd O’Brien, said that Ireland had to decide what direction it was going in.
“The troika are interested in the bottom line but it is up to Ireland as to how we get there.”
However, she said she did not believe the political will existed to change its thinking.
“Our economy should be there to serve our society and develop Ireland overall, not the other way round.”
