Big Families Hit with Big Cuts - a PACUB press release

Big families are being punished for a crime they did not commit through punitive cuts to child benefit.  By further reducing child benefit for the third and subsequent children, the  Government is cutting child benefit, without 'cutting' child benefit.  PACUB, the support group for families, condemns this conjuror's trick, which will hit larger families severely, when they are already at a greater risk of poverty.

“It seems that this change has been introduced to enable the Government to claim that child benefit rates have not been reduced - to fit in with election promises perhaps?,” says PACUB spokeswoman Niamh Kelly.  “Once again promises to protect the most vulnerable are being trotted out and we wonder how different is this Government to the last one.  Children are among the most vulnerable group in society and yet again they are being targeted.  Not just through these cuts to child benefit, but also reductions in fuel allowances and one parent family payments, as well as extra charges for the health and education services that families use.  I noted that the Government was claiming that an ageing population was adding an extra burden onto the health services.  Well that is why we need more children   Investing in our children is investing in our future, but  this Budget will deter families from having more children as well as penalising those who do.”

Reducing child benefit for larger families is also contrary to the vision of Sean Lemass who originally introduced a universal allowance for the third and subsequent children in a family. 

Families crushed under tsunami of latest cuts - A PACUB Press Release

PACUB condemns proposed third cut to child benefit

Children are under attack again. Budget proposals show that the new Government may abandon election promises to protect current levels of child benefit and continue to slash supports for families.

Did children cause the recession? You would think so.

Remember the Early Childcare Supplement? That was the first to go.

PACUB campaigned against cuts to Child Benefit in 2009 and we warned that if the Government cut it once, they would cut it again. And sadly we were proved right.

Since 2009 a working family with two children under 5 has lost €2,624 a year, at a time when bills are going up and incomes are going down. Now they may face further cuts of €240.

“It is criminal that this Government which promised so much is to target children once again,” says PACUB spokeswoman Niamh Kelly. “All the proposed savings are to essential services and benefits that support families. There has been no mention of removing reliefs or increasing taxes on the wealthy. Instead we are constantly told that the Government has to choose. And the choices are always unpleasant. Cut child benefit or cut the old age pension? Charge for medical cards or make more SNA's redundant? Close nursing homes or close hospital beds? It is pitting one group in need against another, while the wealthy remain above it all.

“Once again we hear Government Ministers vowing to 'protect the most vulnerable'. Cutting child benefit is NOT protecting the most vulnerable. It is damning more children to poor food, cold homes and a cheerless Christmas.”

Protest by contacting TDs, Senators and MEPs. This can be easily done using the website contact.ie. Or by signing the petition from Barnardos.

Budget result: Bankers 1, Children 0

PACUB's press release condemns a Budget that targets children and benefits bankers

Children, the one group in Irish society that did not party, did not borrow recklessly, did not spend stupidly are being targeted to bear the brunt of the cuts in this cruel Budget which savagely targets children and their families. PACUB, the support group for families, condemns a Budget that is taking an axe to child benefit, tax credits and other essential supports for families and also increasing taxes and so many charges that they cannot avoid.

“Many parents will try to protect their children by not telling them about this Budget and its effect on them,” says PACUB spokeswoman Niamh Kelly. “The children will not know about the presents they didn't receive, the extra help in school they needed, the healthy food they did not eat, the heating they did not enjoy. They will accept their lives as they live them, but they will be suffering, they will be missing out on opportunities that would enrich their lives and enhance their futures.

“These cuts will mean more children living in poverty, a backward move after all the progress in recent years.  PACUB is also very disappointed that families with children on Social Welfare will not receive a compensatory increase in the qualified child allowance as they did last year.  And what are the plans for 2012? It’s hard to believe that there will be even more cuts.  We’re very afraid child benefit go the same way as the early childcare supplement : cut, cut, gone!

“Children and their families are being hit from every angle, with social welfare cuts, cuts in education and health services, increases in charges and taxes.  They are the sector of society being most unfairly targeted, but they will be left picking up the pieces.

“Saddest of all will be the casualties, the families who have to leave their homes - to be rehoused at more cost to the State, the families that will break up, with all the trauma that causes to children, the suicides, the emigrations. Others will struggle on, but without hope. There is no vision in the Budget of a better and fairer Ireland at the end of the four year programme. Just pain.”

Child Benefit RIP

PACUB says proposed abolition of child benefit is 'frightening'

PACUB says the proposed abolition of child benefit in the National Recovery Plan published today November 24th, and its replacement by a new two-tier child income support scheme is ‘frightening’. Without any details of the new payments, parents are worried that the base rate of child income support for all but the poorest families could be quite low.

“We have been living in fear for the past year, first we are told that we have turned a corner, but now it is nothing but doom and despair,” says PACUB spokeswoman Niamh Kelly. “Why can our Government not be straight with us, and tell us exactly what is happening with child benefit? We don't have the luxury of a bailout - I have four children and a fifth on the way, how am I going to pay for doctor's fees, nappies, prescriptions, shoes, food, school books? What do I tell my children this year for Christmas? I urge the Government to come out and at least be straight with Irish families.”

Also  published today, the Government’s own review* appears to support the contribution of the universal child benefit payment to children’s welfare, accepting that “child poverty did fall over the period of the review particularly at times when the level of (largely) universal support was increased.  Child income support spending clearly contributed to the reduction in child poverty over the period of the review.”  So why abolish it?

*A Policy and Value for Money Review of Child Income Support
and Associated Spending Programmes

This press release was issued on November 24th

Let the children speak

PACUB launches a Christmas Wish Campaign for children

A Christmas Wish Campaign for children is being launched by PACUB today, Tuesday 9th November 2010. Children are being encouraged to make or buy a Christmas card before November 22nd and write a message in it for An Taoiseach Brian Cowen TD. PACUB will organise delivery of the cards in the run-up to the Budget.

The campaign aims to give a voice to all the children who are affected by the current recession and the opportunity to express in the card what they would wish from the Government this Christmas:

“We know that children are worried from the many sad stories that have been pouring into PACUB,” says spokeswoman Jane Mooney. “Their activities are being cut, their clothes are getting too small and they wonder will Santa actually visit. They notice when the house is cold, when their mother is always crying, when the car is no longer parked outside, when their older brother leaves for a job in Canada.

“They see these things, but who is listening to our children? It's their future that is being decided by the cold calculations of the bond market. And now the only payment that succours our children is under threat again. We're pleading with this Government, do not target our children: Leave child benefit alone.”

To take part in the Christmas Wish Campaign, just send a bought or made Christmas card with your child's wishes for this Christmas to: Carol Haslam, c/o Jenna's Flowers, Main Street, Blanchardstown, Dublin 15. Please post them as close to Monday 22nd November as possible to give time for them to be presented. Details of the children's wishes can be posted on the PACUB Facebook page, and a selection will be published on the blog at pacub.blogspot.com.

This press release from PACUB was issued today, Tuesday 9th November.

Selling the furniture to pay the bills

This family are now selling their furniture to pay bills and put food on the table, and still they can't make ends meet:

I am a mum of three children age 9, 5 and 7 months.  Since I had my 3rd child I have been very unwell, suffering from post natal depression and have had a nervous breakdown.  Not the best start really.  I have not been able to return to work due to my illness, and currently rely on illness benefit and my child benefit to feed my family and pay my bills.  My husband's contract ended in May and he was lucky enough to secure a new PAYE role but on a lot less salary than as a contractor.  We have made cuts and cuts on our outgoings, cancelled our health insurance, cancelled everything, and are living on borrowed time. Every time the phone rings I dread to answer it as it’s yet another blocked number chasing us for money we just do not have.  We have a huge mortgage and loans to pay back and we are getting nowhere.  We have gone on interest only with the mortgage for 6 months but this will run out shortly because my husband’s salary holds him on the higher tax rate (he isn't earning that much more than the lower band).  I fear I will lose my child benefit altogether and that means we won’t eat as there is nothing left.  I constantly have to plan ahead on whether I can use my car as it might not have petrol in it and no money to put any in.

My children are suffering as I have had to stop after school activities, can't afford them, have not been able to buy them new clothes this year, shoes etc so they are in last year’s, which are starting to look very small.  My children ask me have we no money a lot, and I just don’t know what to tell them. We have sold everything we can, good jewellery, baby equipment not used, anything that will sell is sold to help pay off bills but it still isn’t enough. I have recently started selling furniture we can manage without, but I am getting very little for it.  We are just running out of ideas to get cash. We have reduced all our payments with loans we hold, but we can barely pay the reduced amounts.  Some financial houses won't even allow us reduce as they said we have nothing left to even make a payment so we are just defaulting on these.  My husband recently had a bank threaten legal proceedings on the outstanding balance of a loan and we may go to court and tell the Judge we have nothing.

My other issue is we haven’t money to pay road tax due on my husband’s car so he is soon going to get stopped and done for this but we just don’t know what to do.  He is working so hard to keep his new job and I’m just falling apart at home. If they cut child benefit we are just ruined, we will have to consider leaving the country and ditching our loans which means we will never be able to come back to our home country.

Hope this isn’t too scarey but it’s my story and I am currently in tears typing it.  How did everything get so bad and why have we ruined our children’s future here?

When the recession takes it all away

Life was good for one mother from Cork .... until the recession. This is her story:

In 2007 I fell pregnant with my daughter, who was born in April 2008. I worked for a solicitor, and my husband worked for a global computer company, so we both brought in enough money to be comfortable. 

I was due to return to work from Maternity Leave in October 2008, right when the recession hit Ireland.  I was told that there was no job for me, as there were cut backs, I have been unemployed ever since, I've applied for jobs but no joy. 

My son was born last November, and we thought that as I was out of work it would make sense to have our children now, rather than put our family on hold because of the recession. My husband was in full time employment and with the child benefit every month, we made it work. My child benefit usually buys clothes for the kids every 3 months as they grow so fast, my son has been ill and his medication is expensive.  Also I was diagnosed with Post Natal depression, so the child benefit contributes to this as well as heating oil for the house. My husband and I could live without the heating, but with a baby and a toddler it just isn't an option. 

Sadly my husband lost his job a couple of weeks ago so things are looking pretty grim now, the only hope we had for christmas was the child benefit, if it reduced we will be very badly affected, and I know a lot of other families will be even harder hit than us.