Other states put Ireland to shame

The claim that Ireland is one of the richest countries in the world must sit very uncomfortably with the bald fact that Ireland is spending the very least on social protection among the EU’s old 15 members.

This country is barely ahead of some of the newer and poorer EU states on what is spent on things like old-age and widows pensions, child benefit and maternity leave, sickness and disability allowances.

Even though the new states were not included in the latest statistics from Eurostat as they relate to 2002, the Government should be embarrassed by comparisons even today.

Despite having one of the highest gross domestic product (GDP) figures in Europe, this country spent a niggardly 16% on those essential sectors in comparison to 27.7% on average throughout the EU, including the newcomers.

Countries such as Estonia and Latvia managed to spend 14.3% looking after some of society’s most vulnerable people, practically on a percentage par with Ireland.

The Government spends just half of what Sweden, which has one of the most competitive economies in Europe, does, thus proving that if the political will and sincerity exists, it can be done.

Sweden has the highest spend at 32.5%, followed by France and Germany at 30.5%, all of which shows Ireland as a virtual social spending Scrooge.

It is a pathetic performance by a government in which Fianna Fáil is the majority partner and which trumpeted CORI Justice Commission spokesman Fr Sean Healy as their key speaker at their party’s think-tank in Inchydoney last year.

On that occasion, the highly respected and outspoken defender of the poor outlined a shopping list of demands for improvements in social welfare, housing and community schemes.

He would likely have been disappointed with the gap between what he was looking for and what was given in that year’s Budget, even though there was some movement in the social welfare area.

It is generally perceived that Fianna Fáil’s ostensible espousal of social spending, such as it is, was sparked by their dismal performance in the local and European elections of last year.

Despite Finance Minister Brian Cowen’s declaration that the Government is not in “cutback country”, insofar as December’s Budget is concerned, many have experienced cutbacks in many areas, and health is just one to mention.

The Government may well insist that Ireland increased its spending on social protection measures between 1998 and 2002, the year of Eurostat’s survey, and it would be quite correct.

But that increase came onto a lower spend at the time, just 14.7%, which was just fractionally higher then to what the poorer countries now spend.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern’s government is hardly a model as to the division of available resources.