Social Justice Ireland Calls for Action in Budget 2027 to Tackle Poverty
As discussions around Budget 2027 heat up, Social Justice Ireland has put forth a strong call to the Government to benchmark social welfare rates as a decisive step in addressing poverty across the nation.
In a detailed pre-Budget submission, the organization supported Taoiseach Mícheál Martin’s emphasis on prioritising families and children in the upcoming budget. However, Social Justice Ireland insists that these intentions must translate into real, targeted interventions by October.
Proposed Increases in Social Welfare and Child Benefit
Social Justice Ireland has proposed a €15 weekly increase in core social welfare rates alongside a €20 boost in child benefit payments. This proposal comes against the backdrop of staggering statistics, which highlight that over 200,000 children currently live in poverty in Ireland. According to Susanne Rogers, a research and policy analyst at Social Justice Ireland, these children belong to families needing substantial support from the forthcoming Budget.
“Child poverty does not exist in a vacuum. The best means to address child poverty, and to support vulnerable households, is to prioritise low-income welfare-dependent families in Budgetary policy,” Rogers stated.
Benchmarking Social Welfare Rates
Social Justice Ireland advises that the government should commit to benchmarking social welfare rates at 27.5% of average weekly earnings by 2027. This could be achieved over two Budget cycles, with an initial €15 increase in Budget 2027 followed by a €10 increase in Budget 2028. “Real progress on child and family poverty requires progress on household income. And for the most vulnerable children and their families, this means increases in weekly social welfare payments,” Rogers added.
Further Proposals
In addition to the above measures, the organization has called for an increase in Child Support Payments—€10 for children under 12 and €18 for those over 12. There’s also a proposal to extend Housing First initiatives to families experiencing homelessness.
This move by Social Justice Ireland highlights a pressing need for budgetary policies that take a proactive stance against poverty, ensuring that the well-being of families and children remains a top priority.
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