Budget

Was it fair to cut welfare rates in Budget 2011?  Did the increases in social welfare rates in the mid-2000s justify a reduction in rates in Budget 2011?  The Minister for Finance and the Government claimed the answer to both of these questions was yes. We disagree and suggest the evidence does not support the Government's claims.

• Read more about Income Changes – a 25-year Assessment: Welfare rates should NOT have been reduced

Budget 2011 is unjust, unfair and unacceptable. The choices made will rob the poor to protect people and institutions who caused many of Ireland’s problems through their reckless gambling with banks. It will seriously damage Ireland’s economy, social services and infrastructure.

Poor people will be the big losers as a result of the decisions made by Government in this Budget. The working poor, low income families with children and people on social welfare will see their poverty deepen or will be pushed into poverty.

The organisations include Social Justice Ireland, Community and Voluntary Pillar of Social Partnership, the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, IBEC, the Environmental Pillar of Social Partnership, the Carers' Association, Disbility Federation of Ireland, National Women's Council of Ireland, the Irish National Organisation  of the Unemployed, Sinn Fein, the Construction Industry Federation, the Irish Taxation Institute, ISME, TASC, the Alzheimer's Association of Ireland, Focus Ireland, Pavee Poin

Budget 2011 should eliminate tax breaks that mostly benefit the better off, should ensure the corporate sector makes a contribution towards rectifying Ireland’s current crisis, should take action to reduce the live-register by 100,000 in 2011, should tackle the working poor problem and increase social welfare rates for Ireland’s most vulnerable people.

Social Justice Ireland has issued the following statement on the Government’s approach to the forthcoming Budget and the period to 2014.

1. The Government’s current approach to Budget 2011 will seriously damage sick, poor and vulnerable people. While Government has stated it will support these groups, its refusal to ‘put everything up on the table’ for consideration means that Ireland’s weakest groups will take the major part of the ‘hit’ for the reckless actions of greedy bankers, incompetent regulators and an inept government.

• Read more about Government's approach to Budget will damage the sick, the poor and the vulnerable- Budget 2011

More than €15bn has already been taken out by Government before the latest adjustments begin for Budget 2011

Government has failed to protect the vulnerable according to the 17 organisations in the Community and Voluntary Pillar of social partnership. In its five-point integrated recovery strategy which forms part of its submission for Budget 2011 (launched September 7, 2010) the Pillar argues that this failure must and can be reversed in Budget 2011. The key elements in the Pillar's strategy involve: