Barnardos, St. Vincent de Paul to discuss Budget 2019 with Employment Affairs and Social Protection Committee

Witnesses expected to appear at 10:30 a.m. in Committee Room 4 include:

• Niamh Kelly, policy officer at Barnardos, and
• Tricia Keilthy, acting head of social justice and policy at the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.

Barnardos, in its Pre-Budget Submission published June 19, calls on the government to hire 540 additional family support workers, invest more in mental health services for children, and expand state funding of pre-school child care to 2-year-olds.

St. Vincent de Paul’s Pre-Budget Submission, published June 12, highlights the difficulties facing an estimated 10,000 homeless people across Ireland and 86,000 people on local authority waiting lists for housing.

“Both charities are putting the spotlight on areas of genuine pressing need in Irish society. The Committee has closely examined their Pre-Budget Submissions and look forward to discussing their priorities for improving social supports,” said Committee Chairman John Curran TD.

The meeting can be viewed live here.

It also can be viewed live on Android and Apple devices using the Houses of the Oireachtas app.