Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, Independents 4 Change) | Oireachtas source

I listened to an interview with Dr. Patricia Keilthy, head of policy for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, this morning. The number of calls to the society went up by 20% last year and continues to rise. Calls for help with energy and utility bills went up by 40% and a quarter of the calls received were from first-time callers. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul is calling for targeted supports in the spring budget or whatever it will be called. Dr. Keilthy said that many of the supports provided in the budget were welcome but are now gone and that almost half of lone-parent households will see an increase in child poverty. The society is calling for increases in the qualified child payment, including an increase from €42 to €47 for children under 12. It would cost the State €110 million to provide these increases both for those under 12 and older children. It is also calling for an increase in the working family payment. For those households in low-paid work, being brought into the fuel allowance net would give a net benefit of more than €950. It is also calling for increases in social welfare and State pension payments. Will the Tánaiste raise these calls in today's discussions?

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