‘The Poor Can’t Pay’ called on the Taoiseach today (Monday 11^th January, 2009) to give an immediate assurance that there would be no more cuts in social welfare payments and no cut in the minimum wage.

The call came as the campaign coalition launched a detailed analysis titled ‘How the Poor Were Made to Pay’, which outlines how the 2010 Budget will hit people living in poverty.

The report found that the Budget, announced in December 2009, will have the greatest impact on households already at risk of or living in poverty. The cuts will be worst for children, lone parents, unemployed people, those entering the labour market for the first time and people with disabilities.

Spokesperson for ‘The Poor Can’t Pay’, Dr. Mary Murphy said: ‘€1 in every €5 that the Government cut came from the pockets of the poor. This contradicts the Government’s stated commitment to “protect the most vulnerable”.’

The report found that families living on social welfare who were living in poverty before the cut are now living in deeper poverty. Dr. Murphy said: ‘Many households will suffer multiple cuts. For those in receipt of social welfare and low paid workers, this comes on top of job losses and reduced hours. The sick and the elderly will also face new prescription charges.

‘The Government claims this was balanced out by the fall in prices but this is not true. The ESRI has confirmed that, because they buy different things, inflation has affected better off families and poorer families differently. Prices for poorer families have only fallen by 3% over the year, while those for the better off fell by 5%.’

Dr. Murphy added: ‘Families in receipt of social welfare lost the Christmas payment – a 2% cut in income. They then lost a further 4.1% in the budget, leaving them over 6% worse off than this time last year.

‘Government said it had to make difficult decisions. But the decisions now facing many of Ireland’s poorest households will be much more difficult. Many are asking “How can I feed my family tonight?”, “Do we pay the rent or heat the house?”

‘We are asking for the Taoiseach to at least give the immediate reassurance that they will not face further cuts in the 2011 budget. The poor simply cannot pay anymore.’