CORI described the budget as unfair, unjust and unacceptable, insulting Ireland's poorest people once more. It also stated that budget 2003 marked a moment of truth for the Government in that it failed to address the substantial poverty and social exclusion which is persistent to this day. It has widened the gap between rich and poor, the widest gap in the EU. This is a telling commentary on the Government's policy on social and family affairs from a group that deals with so many disadvantaged and people on the margins of society.