Fine Gael has described as "shameful" the Government’s handling of the Irish economy over the course of the last four budgets.
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Speaking at the launch of Fine Gael’s pre-budget submission on social welfare, Mr Brian Hayes TD, Fine Gael spokesperson on social and community affairs, said the Government must not cut social welfare payments and must distribute financial resources more equitably.
"Ireland is a wealthy country with one of the worst records on poverty in the European Union. Despite the astonishing economic success of recent years, this Government has succeeded in widening the gap between Ireland’s rich and poor," Mr Hayes said.
"Four budgets later, Minister Charlie McCreevy and his colleagues can justifiably boast about delivering one half of all additional resources to the richest 30 per cent in our country. It is a shameful record".
Fine Gael called on the Government to increase social welfare payments from between £9 and £11, which would see pensions from increase £106 to £116, widows pension to £100 and unemployment assistance and unemployment benefit to £94.
It also wants it introduce measures that would see the lowest rate of social welfare worth at least 27 per cent of gross average industrial earnings by 2007.
Other demands include:
- Improvement of child benefit payments and allow parents to receive child benefit on a weekly or fortnightly basis.
- Introduction of a new infancy payment of £300 per annum and payable on the registration of a birth of a child.
- Dramatically improve school clothing and foot allowance.
- Introduce a new school means scheme for deprived communities.
- Improve the range of travel options available for the elderly under the free schemes.
- Extend the free schemes to widows.
- Increase the income disregard for the Carers Allowance to £370 for family carers.
- Establish a cost of care payment for all carers.
- Introduction of parental benefit for fathers.