Child & Youth Disability Benefit Cuts
Ireland's government announced its budget plans for 2012 last week, which included €475 million in social welfare spending cuts. Among the announced cuts were a reduction to child benefit levels, and a cut in disability allowance for young people. Community organisations and NGOs have warned that these cuts risk putting vulnerable groups at greater risk of poverty.
Social Justice Ireland cautioned the government that reducing child benefit will have a detrimental impact on the most vulnerable in society. The organisation's director Fr Sean Healy commented that "Social Justice Ireland believes there is absolutely no justification whatsoever to reducing child benefit in any form, either by reducing it or taxing it or means-testing it or using vouchers."
Barnardos Chief Executive Fergus Findlay criticized the "mean spirit" of plans to cut child benefit levels for families with three or more children: "23% of families in Ireland have three or more children and it is their childhoods that are being compromised. This is a policy choice that is again inequitable and unredistributive, it will adversely affect those on low incomes and reliant on social welfare."
The Children's Rights Alliance has prepared a comprehensive analysis of the 2012 Budget. Senator Jillian van Turnhout, outgoing Chief Executive of the Alliance said that "The parents of our poorest children will feel this Budget the most - contrary to the principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child."
The government's budget announcement also included cuts to disability allowance payments for young people. It was announced that payments for new claimants of Disability Allowance would be cut to €100 a week for people aged 18-21, and to €144 for people aged 22-24.
Following severe criticism from community groups and NGOs, the Taoiseach Enda Kenny announced that the disability allowance cuts had been "paused" pending an official review.
When the cuts were announced, John Dolan, Chief Executive of the Disability Federation of Ireland said, "the cumulative impact of the cuts announced today will seriously undermine the gains made in recent years to work towards putting disabled people on an equal footing. In parallel to this the reductions of disability funding in health, along with the decrease in staff numbers, will also have a serious impact on people's day to day lives". Inclusion Ireland said that comparing disability allowance to jobseekers showed a lack of understanding about the needs of people with disabilities. That organisation later welcomed the "pause" to disability allowance cuts, but said that "there is need for reform of Disability Allowance, which must include a cost of disability analysis. Any review must be done in consultation with people with disabilities and their families."
Click here to read a post by Mary Keogh on the Human Rights in Ireland blog from early December (before the budget announcements), which argues that austerity cuts must not destabilise progress made on disability rights.
Cash injection for mental health services
It was also announced in the Budget that there is to be €35 million 'cash injection' to consolidate and improve mental health services, which have been under pressure in recent times. The funds will go towards projects including a suicide crisis initiative and training for GPs.
The measure has been welcomed by the Mental Health Reform group, however the group cautioned that a directorate of Mental Health Services should be appointed so that the money is properly allocated.
Director of Mental Health Reform Orla Barry commented: "it is crucial that this additional money is used to develop community mental health services and protected in such a way that it cannot be used for anything but the development of community mental health teams."
On a related note, as the Bulletin went to press, Mental Health Reform called on Mental Health Minister Kathleen Lynch to give the HSE a budget to employ front-line mental health staff, following a pledge to lift the recruitment embargo in mental health services. Ms Barry said to the Irish Examiner that "unless the HSE is given the money specifically to recruit, there is no point in the minister saying she will lift the embargo because the money isn't there to deliver".
Click here to view a press release by Mental Health Reform.