The Conference of Religious of Ireland (CORI) said yesterday the Government had a chance to tackle poverty in the forthcoming Budget by increasing social welfare rates and widening access to medical cards.
Father Seán Healy, who briefed the Fianna Fáil parliamentary party last month on the need for greater fairness in society, said previous budgets had lacked balance and CORI's proposed increases could easily be funded from available resources.
In a pre-budget "policy briefing", the CORI justice commission said social welfare rates for single people should be increased by €14 a week and for couples by €24 a week.
Tax credits should be increased to move towards taking the minimum wage out of the tax net, while corporation tax should be increased to 17.5 per cent.
Resources for social housing should also be substantially increased and a maximum waiting target of six months should be set for people eligible for local authority dwellings.
A cost of disability allowance should also be introduced, while the weekly allowance for asylum-seekers in direct provision should be increased to €60 a week for an adult and €30 for a child.
Father Healy said a recent study by the ESRI supported CORI's claims that higher welfare rates were essential if the risk of poverty was to be eliminated. He said more than 700,000 people faced the risk of poverty, including 250,000 children.
A spokesman for the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs, Mr Brennan, defended the Government's record in tackling poverty.
He said income and other supports provided by this Government, together with the substantial increases in employment, has resulted in significant reductions in the numbers of people experiencing "consistent poverty".
