Media Release
10 August 2022. Barnardos children’s charity today launched its annual Pre-Budget Submission. The charity is calling on the Government to focus measures on families struggling the most as a result of cost of living rises, in order to make sure children don’t go without essentials this winter.
Budget 2023 must protect vulnerable children and families in Ireland. Targeted measures need to be introduced to reduce the likelihood of more children being pulled into deprivation including;
- Increase core social welfare payments by €20 and introduce a hardship fund, as part of additional needs payment programme, allowing families access same day payments for heat, electricity and food.
- Increase funding for family support services in order to expand availability of family support to more families across the country.
- Reduce school costs: provide all children with free schoolbooks, abolish voluntary contributions by increasing funding to schools and maintain increased back to school allowance.
- Fuel Allowance: retain recent increases to fuel allowance in the future and extended to more families, such as those on the working family payment.
Barnardos CEO Suzanne Connolly said: “The measures taken by the Government earlier this year to protect families from rapid cost of living increases will have helped many children across the country. However, they have not gone far enough to target families facing the greatest levels of disadvantage.
“It is vital that Government take the opportunity in Budget 2023 to ensure that this winter all children in Ireland, at an absolute minimum, live in homes that have sufficient food, are appropriately heated, and that families can afford the electricity they need to run their home.
“Resources must be focused on those most at risk of going without. We know that childhood lasts a lifetime – the longer a child spends living a household without essentials the greater the impact on their current and future wellbeing and development.
“There is real concern that the impact of continuing cost of living increases will worsen as the year progresses and families face increased winter heating and electricity costs. The Government must protect families in Budget 2023”.
ENDS
Barnardos Pre Budget Submission
Notes to editors:
For further information, please contact:
Barnardos Press Office: 086 0445966
Visit Barnardos Media Centre www.barnardos.ie/media
Facebook: barnardosireland
Twitter: @Barnardos_IRL
Instagram: @barnardos_irl