Poverty in our country today

It is essential that the Ireland of today faces up to one of the most basic questions: What kind of society, served by what kind of economy, beliefs and values do we want in Ireland? Are the scandals of Church and State over the last number of years going to continue to be a feature of how we live, or can they be addressed and rectified before further irreparable damage is caused?

Can we as a nation continue to tolerate the deceit, corruption, lack of integrity, the disregard shown for the voiceless in our society, the unacceptable waste of tax payers money, the disregard for the health, education and vital services needed for our citizens in a modern country. Or, is it possible to challenge and overturn the policies that will allow all these political decisions to be reversed? Will we ever elect a leader with courage and valour who will tackle the problems that are so prevalent today in our country?

We are a small country with just 5 million inhabitants, generally law abiding, industrious, pay our taxes, generous in our charity, a proud nation, so why can't those who are our elected representatives, and those who have the power, (like senior civil servants who are unelected), ensure that those who need to access services and care, get them? Or, do we all bear some responsibility for the acceptance of the society we now live in? Maybe we can we start by promoting fairness and equality in our own lives and make sure that those who cross our paths benefit from these values.

Looking to the future is a grim proposition. By 2025 the number of people living in Ireland aged over 85 years will have doubled. The number will have increased to 136,000 by the year 2031, just 12 years away. By 2031 also, there will be nearly 1 million people aged 65 and over. So what provision is being made for these staggering figures coming down the tracks? This level of population ageing will be associated with higher levels of disability and long-term ill-health, so the time for planning and investment is fast disappearing.

Is our Government, and those responsible for future planning, sleepwalking into this disastrous situation by failing to make adequate provision for our future citizens? Surely a plan to urgently meet the growing needs of our ageing community, or face drastic consequences, must be implemented without further procrastination.

Social Justice Ireland is seriously concerned that adequate funding is not being provided to address the ageing of the population. This will result in a steady increase in older people and people with disabilities trying to access services that will be unavailable or stretched to the limits. As things stand today, a figure of 5,000 people die unnecessarily every year because of lack of proper care. Better management of budgets for essential services is one of the most important aspects for future planning. Value for money must be made a priority, and harsh consequences imposed, if proper decisions are not made by the policy makers.

In 2008, the Government of the time, Fianna Fail, removed 3000 beds from our hospital system that were never replaced. We see today the futility of that decision, as the numbers on trolleys and those sick and waiting for beds are at an all time high. Those old and infirm cannot wait any longer for a proper health care system to be in place to care for an ageing population, which will obviously become worse every year. What we see every day in the media and the sad stores revealed by relatives about overcrowding and lack of beds for those sick and must lie in unacceptable conditions waiting for treatment, must be fixed urgently.

Key issues that were highlighted in the National Social Monitor 2016 are clear and are spoken about every day by those on the frontline trying to hold the system together. Additional provision of healthcare services, home care facilities, home care packages to keep people in their homes, the provision of extra home help hours, all need to be increased to meet the needs of people growing old in their own environment, where they want to remain. Instead, all these services have suffered serious cuts to the detriment of the sick and the elderly. Instead they are being hospitalised or put into nursing homes where they are removed from family and friends at their peril.

With an ageing population, the acute hospital system is unable to operate effectively, so there must be a greater shift towards primary and community services as a principal means of meeting patient needs. Even government agencies recognise this, but no serious effort has been made to address the problem.

Another major issue addressed by Social Justice Ireland was transport, especially for rural Ireland. Instead, we hear of Bus Eireann having removed up to 90 routes and cancelling others. Over 90 bus services linking the South-east, the South and the West to Dublin were axed because they are unviable, according to Bus Éireann, leaving the country outside of the capital with a reduced or no service. The question begs to be asked, whose needs are being met? This cut in services has huge negative implications for those who use the service as a means of transport, especially those in rural areas.

If Ireland is to have vibrant urban and rural communities with proper services, Government must support the provision of these services that are vital for all communities but especially small, struggling communities across Ireland and those living in remote rural areas. Is this being done?

An unequal and two tier society is emerging in Ireland. In rural areas, poverty levels are higher and the median income is lower than in urban areas. Whilst employment is increasing in urban areas, unemployment still poses a significant challenge in rural Ireland. There is no sign of any improvement in feasible employment in rural areas in the near future, so additional help must be given to those who travel to remain employed.

Since the onset of the recession in 2008 the number of people in poverty in Ireland has increased. Today there are more than 750,000 people living in poverty in Ireland and this is a major concern as we have re-entered a period of growth. More than 57 per cent of those in poverty are not connected to the labour market; they are people who are retired, students, people in caring roles or people who are ill or people with a disability. The incomes of some of these people are generally static, so they are destined to remain in poverty if no added assistance comes from the government.

Between 2010 and early 2016 inflation was 3.44 per cent - implying that a buying power of €188 in 2010 was equivalent to €194.50 by February 2016. Social welfare has not kept abreast of these statistics and need to do so in the budget for 2017. Adequate social welfare payments are required to prevent an increase in poverty.

Ireland’s level of public investment is among the lowest in the EU as a proportion of our economy. Dramatically higher levels of investment are required if our economy is to thrive, if our infrastructure and services are to improve and if we are to see more better paid jobs. Ireland today needs investment in housing, in childcare, healthcare, eldercare, care of the vulnerable, in broadband, in rural and regional development, in education, in disability services, in sustainability and in public transport. These should be the priorities in Budget 2017 and in the years ahead.

Failure to invest in these areas now will have enormous long-term social, environmental and economic costs. Broken societies are bad for business. Without the integrated approach advocated here by Social Justice Ireland, Ireland will not become the fair, just and sustainable society Irish people seek, but will instead continue to be a country being shamed by its poverty, unemployment, waiting lists (for housing or healthcare) and poor infrastructure. Looking forward, Ireland is at another pivotal moment in which choices must be made: choices that will decide whether or not we become a just and fair society.

President Michael D. Higgins summarised the consequences of inaction in these areas recently as follows: “Should we fail to change our policies, our institutions and, more importantly perhaps, our theory of growth, should we fail to tackle decisively current patterns of deregulation, of rocketing inequality, of cannibalisation of the real economy by financialisation, then our citizens will continue to pick up the tab, not just “in money value”, but “in the hard currency of their daily existences.

Peg Hanafin, MSc. Psych/Couns
Author of: Getting more out of Life
Thoughts for your Journey
Never Give Up and
I Wish I Had Known.