LOBBY GROUPS REACTION:Groups representing the elderly and the homeless have warned the Government against implementing elements of the report which could unfairly target vulnerable sections of society.
Age Action Ireland said the Government needed to protect the most vulnerable older people – including those who are sick or on very low incomes – when it comes to deciding which of the Bord Snip Nua report recommendations it will implement.
"Today's report includes proposals for some very drastic cuts for older people," Age Action spokesman Eamon Timmins said. "These are proposals from economists looking only at cost cutting. The challenge for any Government is to protect its most vulnerable citizens, and this is the job which faces our leaders as they sift through the options in the coming months."
Focus Ireland said was vital for the Government to establish a true picture of the impact of recent welfare cuts before considering any of the proposals of An Bord Snip Nua in relation to further cuts in welfare spending.
The Government brought in cuts to rent supplement levels in both Budget 2009 and the recent mini-budget. Focus Ireland said the impact of these changes has already significantly increased the financial hardship for thousands of families and has put more people at risk of homelessness.
A spokesperson for PACUB - the Protest Against Child Unfriendly Budget - said the group was "vehemently opposed" to recommendations contained within the report "which suggests a 20 per cent cut in Child Benefit. "Our members are willing and ready to take direct action to preserve child benefit at current levels for all children living in Ireland,” the spokesperson said.
The National Disability Authority expressed concerned at the suggestion in the report that responsibility for disability policy would revert to the Department of Health and Children rather than remain under the remit of the Department of Justice Equality and Law Reform.
"At a time when we have a National Disability Strategy in place, which relates to all Government Departments and the active involvement of the Department of Justice Equality and law reform in the monitoring and implementation of this strategy, the idea to take this independent resource
and put it into the Department of Health and Children is a retrograde step and goes against the national policy of integration and mainstreaming that people with disabilities and their organisations fought so hard for", said Angela Kerins, NDA Chairperson.
