Calls for financial help have more than doubled

ST VINCENT de PAUL: THE NUMBER of calls to the Society of St Vincent de Paul in Dublin from people in financial difficulty more than doubled in the first four months of this year.

Speaking at a meeting of the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Social Affairs yesterday, Prof John Monaghan, the charity's national vice-president, said it estimates it will spend more than €1 million each week this year to support people in severe financial need.

The calls received by the charity across the country were mainly from families with children, with most asking for food and help paying energy bills.

"About one- third of all calls are from people contacting the St Vincent de Paul for the first time," Prof Monaghan said.

In the Dublin region, the number of calls received between January and April increased by more than 100 per cent, compared to the same period in 2008.

Describing the impact of the last budget, Prof Monaghan said that although welfare rates were not cut, those in receipt of social welfare would be worse off due to the elimination of the Christmas bonus, which would cause severe hardship. "The only people who are happy now are the money-lenders," he said.

In response to suggestions that welfare rates could be frozen or cut because of the decline in the consumer price index, Prof Monaghan argued that the cost of basic necessities such as food, energy, transport, education and health were still "very high".

On child support, the charity welcomed the budget's free Early Childhood and Education Scheme for pre-school children, but was concerned about the effect of the removal of the early childcare supplement on low-income working families.

Jim Walsh, team leader of the Combat Poverty Agency, argued that there was no social or economic basis for cutting welfare rates in the 2010 budget. He said the priority next year should be to widen the tax base.