One-off payments failed to tackle poverty — what will work is to index social welfare rates to average wages

Benchmarking social welfare rates to average earnings would help to mitigate the impact of rising costs, give long-term certainty to households on fixed incomes, and prevent widening income inequality

Recent figures from the Commission for Regulation of Utilities show despite more than €2bn spent by Government in universal credits on energy bills, arrears levels and amounts owed continue to increase.

With less than three weeks to go to Budget Day, it is welcome to hear Government is committed to ensuring there are targeted measures in place to support vulnerable households with the impact of ongoing price increases, particularly in essentials such as food, housing and energy.

One of the challenges facing Government and the minister for social protection is how to deal with the sustained social and economic impact of rising costs on low-income households, which has been exacerbated by a policy of one-off measures targeted at these households and universal payments spread too thinly.