Sinn Féin spokesperson for Social Protection, Louise O’Reilly TD, has said the public’s desire for a fairer social welfare system must be listened to.
Deputy O’Reilly was commenting on the ESRI’s statement on a recent study which found that among the Irish public “There is a willingness to pay for the welfare state”.
The ESRI stated 25% of people think taxes should stay at the same level. 34% indicated they would agree with higher taxes if it meant more or better public services – this is the sixth-highest percentage among countries in Europe.
Teachta O’Reilly said, “This study tells us what we already knew, the people of Ireland actively want to see a more substantial and durable social contract.
“The way public money has been spent by this government – 300k bike sheds, unnecessary billions on a children’s hospital which is still not open, no end to the top-ups for CEO salaries, absurd consultancy fees – is scandalous, and people know this.
“Over a third of people have said, despite the careless way their taxes are being spent, they would pay more than they do to see better public services.
“This confirms what we know to be true in Sinn Féin. No one wants to live next door to someone who is struggling to put food on the table, no one wants to think their colleagues are shivering when they go home at night, scared to turn on the heat. No one wants to think their friend or family member who is a wheelchair user cannot go out as often as they need or want to because they cannot afford to power their electric wheelchair.
“People are tired of living in a society where one in four children grow up in poverty, where people with disabilities are choosing between heating, eating enough and powering their mobility devices and where SNAs for children in our schools are being cut at a time when demand for school places for children with disabilities is at an all-time high.
“None of these issues were inevitable, and they have not happened because of a lack of funds. The exchequer has been raking in billions in surplus, however this wealth and economic growth is only felt by the wealthy. Irish people are seeing every day that this wealth is not being redistributed the way it should be. The austerity policies imposed on the poorest in our society are making them uncomfortable.
“The government has the means to lift hundreds of thousands of people out of poverty with a flick of their pen in the budget and yet has chosen at every turn to slash supports to children, families, single parents, people with disabilities, pensioners and the working poor. This state’s society today is a result of deliberate policy choices from Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil.
“It does not have to be this way. People want to see change. Sinn Féin understands the need for serious, actionable anti-poverty policies that must be put in place immediately. We will not stop advocating for cost of living supports to be reinstated as soon as possible and for legal accountability for this government’s neglect of rising poverty rates.”
