Paul Murphy criticises Minimum Essential Standard report findings
Paul Murphy criticised the Minimum Essential Standard of Living report, saying social welfare is lagging behind basic needs and a large proportion of households have inadequate incomes. He challenged the government’s political choices, citing a €65 billion surplus, and urged the next budget to prevent anyone falling below a minimum standard for a decent basic quality of life.
Minimum Essential Standard findings
The report found more than three quarters of the cases examined had an inadequate income and 43% had a deeply inadequate income. It recorded that the cost of a Minimum Essential Standard of Living rose by nearly 17% since 2020, with food costs up by more than 20%, energy up by more than 60%, formula up 37% and the price of nappies nearly doubling.
Impact on families
Murphy highlighted that small increases in social welfare, including one-off payments, have not kept pace with rising costs. He said a two-parent family with two children (one in primary school, one in secondary) is left €96 a week short of a Minimum Essential Standard of Living and pressed for a different political choice in the coming budget.
Housing and HAP access
On child homelessness Murphy said there is a need to do more and raised the mismatch in available housing sizes - both three- and four-bedroom needs and one-bed demand are problems depending on household circumstances. He noted that last year saw the largest number of social homes provided since the 1970s and pressed the Department of Housing on why people must wait until they are nearly at the cliff edge before accessing the higher rate of HAP.
Child poverty policy debate
Murphy set out the tension between universal and targeted approaches to child poverty, citing examples of universal measures like Free School Books and expansion of Hot School Meals. He said targeted supports are also necessary and referenced the Children's Rights Alliance as arguing for sensible targeted measures as the next budget is prepared.
Community supports and partnerships
He argued for wraparound enhanced supports in communities and urged that community safety partnerships develop beyond criminal justice discussions. Murphy said Family Resource Centres and similar services should be included in conversations about creating safer, better communities for children and families.
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Thanks. Teachta, today the Minimum Essential Standard of Living report has been published and it's pretty damning. It shows that social welfare is lagging behind basic needs. Of all the cases they looked at, more than three quarters of them, people had an inadequate income. 43% of them had a deeply inadequate income and it found that the cost of a Minimum Essential Standard of Living, so like the very basics that you need to have like the basics, of a decent life, the costs have gone up by nearly 17% since 2020, we know food has gone up by more than 20%, energy up by more than 60%, the cost of babies has gone up the most, the price of formula up 37%, the price of nappies nearly doubling over that period of time. The report says that the small increases that the government has introduced in social welfare, including the one-off payments, has not compensated for that, has not meant that people have kept step with achieving a Minimum Essential Standard of Living. They find that a two-parent family with two kids, one in primary school, one in secondary school, is being left 96 euros a week short of a Minimum Essential Standard of Living. This is a political choice with a 65 billion euros surplus. Will you make a different political choice in the coming budget to say that nobody will be left below this minimum needed for a decent basic quality of life? Thanks very much to the deputies for raising these issues. On child homelessness, we have a real need to do more. It is interesting that Poy Barrett made about three- and four-bedroom houses. This is the challenge with a housing crisis in general. I often meet people in my own constituency office looking for the one-bed. If we are being honest and truthful, this is what happens when you have a deficit of a match-up, although we have seen the largest amount of social homes provided last year since the 1970s. But I do take the point about three- and four-bedroom houses and I will scratch the surface on that a little bit more. You have made the point, which I have passed on to the Department of Housing on a few times, about when someone can access the higher rate of HAP and why they are having to wait until they are nearly at the cliff edge before being able to access it. Your point sounds logical in relation to that. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I am also in good faith. Deputy Murphy on the Minimum Essential Standard of Living report published I haven't yet read it, but I will. And look, we do want to make child poverty a priority. There is no one in Ireland who wants to see a child in poverty. I don't believe there is anyone in this house, regardless of the political ideology, that does too. In any case, there are political choices to be made. Absolutely. I actually think one of the political choices to be made is universal versus targeted. I discussed this at the Child Poverty and Wellbeing Summit in Dublin Castle recently because there is absolutely a benefit to doing universal things. There's certain things I think we all just want to be universally provided for all children in Ireland and I think the Free School Books is an example of that, the expansion of the Hot School Meals is an example of that. But I have to be honest, there's also a need to do more on the targeted side. I listened to people like the Children's Rights Alliance on this recently and I think they're talking a lot of sense on it actually. So as we approach the next budget, yes, child poverty will be a priority but I think we're going to have to make very targeted decisions in relation to child poverty because we need to bring all children to that equal starting place in terms of their lives. So I'm proud of a number of things the government has done in this area. I could list them but I won't in the interest of time. But I do think there's a need to look at more targeted measures for children in particular need as well. And Deputy America's point is similar in terms of those kind of wraparound enhanced supports that we do need in communities. And I hope as we start to see the community safety partnerships develop and roll out as well that they don't just become discussions about kind of criminal justice issues. They're not meant to be in terms of their membership because what we're trying to do here is have a conversation about what can you do to create a better, safer, in every word, in every sense of the word, excuse me, community. And that's why I think it's very important that the likes of Family Resource Centres and others are plugged into that discussion. Thank you.
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