INCREASING child supports, living alone and disability payments in Budget 2026 will “give support where it is most needed” amid rising living costs, according to a leading Irish charity.
The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul (SVP) today submitted their Pre-Budget Statement ahead of Budget 2026.
The poverty charity expects 250,000 calls this year[/caption]
SVP made 15 suggestions in its pre-Budget statement[/caption]
Budget 2026 will see government departments join forces to decide how the country’s finances will be handled next year.
Poverty support charity SVP made several suggestions in the document as to how the Budget should be allocated.
It comes as the volunteer organisation expects the amount of calls for help this year to approach 250,000.
And they said that “financial adequacy and stability” must be at the heart of social protection measures “to prevent further hardship”.
The group’s Delivering an Equal and Inclusive Budget submission includes 19 measures that focus on tackling child poverty, in-work poverty, childcare, housing, living alone, education, and disability.
One of the key suggestions is to increase the core adult social protection rate by €16 per week, bringing it to €260.
The charity said: “This proposed increase is not only necessary it says to address rising living costs – including housing, energy, and food – but also represents a strategic investment in reducing poverty and deprivation.
“Without this increase that accounts for inflationary pressure since 2020, low-income households are falling further behind.”
A second suggestion is that child support is increased by €6 for under 12s and €15 for over 12s.
They explained that the evidence is based on Minimum Essential Standard of Living (MESL) 2025 report, which claims that current rates fall behind the necessary amount to ensure income equality for children.
SVDP said: ” It shows that for children aged 12 and over, current payments meet just 64% of their essential needs, while for those in primary school, only receive income to cover 88% of their needs.
“Older children in particular face increased costs related to education, nutrition, and social inclusion, and these costs are not reflected in the current child supports structure.”
A third call made by the charity is an increase of the living alone allowance, paid out to those who are living by themselves and receiving a social welfare payment.
They explained that the increase would be a targeted measure to support households facing a disproportionately higher cost of living relative to multi-person households.
WEEKLY DISABILITY PAYMENT
SVDP also called on the government to introduce a weekly €55 disability payment to assist disabled people with rising living costs.
They said: “This is in response to what SVP members witness firsthand from people living with a disability, such as the additional costs of transport, difficulties accessing employment, or the burden of extra heating needs.”
Rose McGowan, SVP National President, said: “For Budget 2026, we are appealing to the government to focus on a holistic approach to make real and tangible differences for the most vulnerable in our society.”
“The latest Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC) figures are deeply concerning – consistent poverty has increased from 3.6% to 5%, with an even higher increase for children, jumping from 4.8% to 8.5% in just one year.
‘CONSISTENT POVERTY’
“That’s over 45,000 more children now living in consistent poverty. These are not abstract statistics – they represent children growing up in cold bedrooms, going to school hungry, and missing out on the social and educational experiences that are fundamental to a healthy childhood.”
“We know from our experience on the frontline that the right policy choices do make a difference – we saw it with the introduction of free schoolbooks and hot school meals.
“Budget 2026 must continue that momentum, with targeted structural reforms to ensure adequate incomes and real pathways out of poverty.”
SVP Head of Social Policy, Louise Bayliss said: “The temporary, one-off cost-of-living payments from the government provided critical short-term relief in recent years.
MAIN PROPOSALS
Other key recommendations proposed by SVP for the forthcoming Budget:
- Increase and Index-Link the Income Disregard for One-Parent Family Payment (OPFP) and Jobseeker’s Transitional Payment (JST)
- Make childcare affordable by increasing the subsidy and threshold for the National Childcare Scheme (NCS).
- Ensure every child in emergency accommodation has access to a child support worker.
- Continue the roll out of free hot school meals to all children and ensure ongoing evaluation of the nutritional content.
- Increase the provision of social housing stock and affordable cost rental homes for vulnerable and low-income households.
- Introduce a homeless prevention budget amounting to 20% of all homeless expenditure.
- Provide capital funding to address the long-term accommodation needs for those in direct provision with status to remain.
- Allocate €10 million to establish local, publicly run Early Childhood, Education and Care (ECEC) services.
- Make our state education system truly free by removing costs and charges to families including mock exam and correction fees, electronic devices and school uniforms.
- Benchmark SUSI grants and reckonable income levels against the cost of living.
- Increase Fuel Allowance by €9.50 per week.
- Extend the Fuel Allowance to recipients of the working Family Payment.
- Pilot a community energy advice service.
- Increase funding to the Waiting List Initiative to clear the waiting list and backlog for the Assessment of Need process.
- Allocate sufficient funding to fully implement the National Therapy Service in mainstream education settings.
“However, with these supports now withdrawn, low-income households are left exposed to high living costs and growing financial insecurity.
“Poverty in a wealthy country like Ireland is a policy failure but our next Budget offers a vital opportunity to put financial certainty and dignity at the heart of Government decision-making.
“Rising poverty and homelessness rates should not be happening in a wealthy country with a growing economy, Budget 2026 can and should make a difference to the people we support.”
Increasing child welfare and disability payments are among the calls made by the group[/caption]
