C&V Sector tells gov't what's needed from Budget 2023

You may be surprised by some of the calls - and hidden needs. Read what 9 organisations urgently want the Government to take action on in Budget 2023.

- JOE SAUNDERS (@joeosandair) REPORTS. (Full story link @ end).

Firstly, it's worth recalling that over 60 organisations and community groups took part in a meeting with Minister Heather Humphreys in July to discuss what C&V sector organisations wanted from Budget 2023. (Post-meeting official press release here: https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/e925d-minister-humphreys-hosts-pre-budget-2023-forum/)

So what was she told by The Wheel, Social Justice Ireland and St Vincent De Paul? They were at the meeting. And what of other important submissions recently published by Community Work Ireland, the Irish Local Development Network, the Irish Traveller Movement and Inclusion Ireland, among others. And Dóchas - we cannot only look inwards.

Here is Saunders' summary of 6 pre-budget submissions:

?SOCIAL JUSTICE IRELAND says a "new social contract" is needed and that Budget 2023 should be guided by one core principal - the protection of the poorest in Irish society.

The new social contract should have five goals: "to deliver a vibrant economy, decent services and infrastructure, just taxation, good governance and sustainability.?These five outcomes must be addressed simultaneously.”

SJI proposes a €477m package with more support for Public Participation Networks (PPNs), the Social Inclusion and Community Activation Programme (SICAP), the Community Services Programme (CSP) and LEADER.

The ILDN also calls for an increase in the annualised LEADER budget. It says the current “reduced income for the programme will lead to reduced funding for community infrastructure and enterprise development in rural areas – this at a time of severe pressure on the rural economy due to the impact of fuel inflation. It will lead to staff lay-offs by Local Development Companies too.”

(Update - last Thurs, Minister Heather Humphreys made an announcement regarding future LEADER funding - READ ABOUT IT HERE: https://www.gov.ie/en/press-release/4615e-our-rural-future-minister-humphreys-welcomes-the-approval-of-irelands-cap-strategic-plan-by-european-commission/#).

The ILDN, among others, also highlights how inflationary pressures are posing serious challenges for disadvantaged, low-income individuals and families. It adds:

“Community services also require protection and promotion given their key role in identifying, reaching and supporting the most vulnerable in society.”

The ILDN calls for the restoration of the SICAP budget to pre-crash levels. Chair Jim Finn says:

“Despite the fact that the programme’s target groups are experiencing intense food and fuel poverty... the current budget level for the programme is approximately half of the €85 million level in 2008."

“The budget for SICAP needs to reflect a sense of real urgency in addressing the various crises affecting those excluded from the mainstream.”

VINCENT DE PAUL cites a weekly gap of €49 between core social welfare rates and the cost of a minimum standard of living; 200,000 children are now living in deprivation.

Dr Tricia Keilthy, SVP Head of Social Justice said:

“Investment in essential services like housing, childcare and education must go hand in hand with a social protection system that is strong enough to keep people out of poverty while out of work, living with an illness or disability, caring for a loved one, on low pay or in retirement.”

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?COMMUNITY WORK IRELAND, among other things, wants to see the Community Development Pilot Programme expanded. It seeks a doubling in the number of pilot projects from seven to fourteen in 2023, plus?seven new projects a year until 2027, to bring the total number up to 42 by then.

The 7 current projects each receive €135k p.a. - CWI want that increased by 8%.

?THE WHEEL wants action on what it calls a "crisis" in Community & Voluntary sector recruitment and retention.

• It rings alarm bells as the sector is becoming less attractive as other sectors move faster to ensure competitive salaries (and this is compounded by inflation).
• One of The Wheel's main asks is for increased funding to enable community and voluntary organisations to address recruitment and retention in the sector.
• It also wants a comprehensive skills development strategy for the Community and Voluntary sector workforce.
• It calls for action on commitments for multi-annual funding to allow for better planning.
• It also wants a a streamlining of regulatory and funding-related requirements. While regulatory compliance ensures continued confidence in the sector, the bureaucratic burden is inadequately funded.
• Finally The Wheel calls for extra dedicated resources to deliver on commitments in three national policies?- regarding the sector, volunteering and social enterprise. These policies were developed by the Department of Rural and Community Development in recent years.

Dóchas wants €223m more for overseas aid in Budget 2023 "to ensure that universal human rights and minimum standards are being fulfilled, including access to food, water and healthcare".

Dóchas is the umbrella group for Irish international development and humanitarian organisations. It says the "extraordinary global events" (war, climate change, Covid, etc) mean more challenges, especially for people in countries that were already experiencing humanitarian crises.

• The increased funding should go to: fighting hunger, tackling the climate emergency, addressing conflict and responding to the Covid-19 pandemic.
• It should be delivered to civil society groups, particularly women’s organisations.
• Dóchas criticises our progress towards the state’s commitment to providing 0.7% of Gross National Income annually to Overseas Development Assistance. It is currently at 0.32%.
• Dóchas also wants the government to use its influence in its remaining few months on the UN Security Council to push for greater action on the structural causes of extreme poverty, inequality, conflict, the climate emergency and hunger.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Other important C&V sector submissions were published by, among others, Inclusion Ireland, the Irish Traveller Movement, and the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Social Protection, Community and Rural Development and the Islands.

The Irish Traveller Movement published its Pre-Budget Submission titled ‘Progressive Realisation for Travellers of Budget 2023’, available here.

https://itmtrav.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/ITM-Pre-Budget-Submission-2023.pdf

Inclusion Ireland – the national association for people with an intellectual disability – also recently published its Pre-Budget Submission – read about the launch here of 'Moving from Crisis to Confidence': https://inclusionireland.ie/news-events/prebudget-submission-2023/

Read the summary of its submission here:

https://inclusionireland.ie/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/Easy-to-Read-Prebudget-2023-Summary-Inclusion-Ireland.pdf

PICTURED ABOVE: Oireachtas Joint Committee members.

Finally, the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Social Protection, Community and Rural Development and the Islands published a Pre-Budget Submission and presented it to the Department of Rural and Community Development. Read it here:

https://data.oireachtas.ie/ie/oireachtas/committee/dail/33/joint_committee_on_social_protection_community_and_rural_development_and_the_islands/reports/2022/2022-08-31_report-on-pre-budget-submission-to-the-department-of-rural-and-community-development_en.pdf

READ OUR FULL STORY HERE - https://www.changingireland.ie/irish-community-and-voluntary-sector-tells-govt-needs-from-budget2023/

Changing Ireland will report after the Budget on the impact on social inclusion services and targets groups.