National Women’s Council responds to Budget 2025
Published: Tuesday, October 01, 2024
In response to Budget 2025, the National Women’s Council (NWC) today (1st October) welcomed the permanent measures in this budget that will address women’s inequality, including investment in women’s health, particularly the roll out of free HRT (see our detailed analysis here), the increase for Maternity, Paternity, Parent’s Benefit and Adoptive Benefit, the extension of the free schoolbook scheme and free public transport for under 9 year-olds. These measures must now be built on in future Budgets.
NWC warned, however, that the cost-of-living pressures continue to affect women across the country and criticised the Government’s ongoing over-reliance on temporary one-off payments rather than structural reform and permanent solutions. With the general election on the horizon and the scale of public resources available, NWC highlighted missed opportunities for real investment and reform in our public services, particularly childcare.
Family Leave and Childcare
NWC Director Orla O’Connor said:
“NWC welcomes the increase of €15 for Maternity, Paternity, Parent’s and Adoptive Benefit and the ‘baby boost’ payment for newborns of €420. This will give greater choices to women and families, in particular during the first year of a child’s life and must be built on in future budgets to bring Ireland in line with its European neighbours in terms of the rate and duration of family leave supports.
However, this Budget is a missed opportunity for the new Taoiseach and new Minister for Finance to lay out a roadmap for real reform and investment in tackling the ongoing childcare crisis.
While we welcome the increased investment in early years care and education, this will not do enough to address affordability and accessibility for parents. The best way to achieve affordability and accessibility for every child and family is the development of a universal public system of Early Childhood Education and Care. This system would guarantee a place for every child and also provide better pay and working conditions for early years educators. NWC is calling for all political parties to commit to the development of this universal public childcare system in the next programme for government.”
Cost of Living Crisis
NWC Women’s Economic Equality Co-ordinator Donal Swan said:
“While the Budget 2025 cost-of-living package and the permanent increases – including the €12 increase in social protection and pension rates, the changes to the Carer’s Allowance, and the Qualified Child Increase - are welcome, they fall short of moving towards real income adequacy for many women.
“The cost-of-living crisis is not going away, and yet the Government has again resorted to temporary cost-of-living fixes for a permanent problem. For women and families, the double child benefit payments, for example, are welcome – yet a permanent increase in the rate would have been a much more impactful change. Structural reforms such as benchmarking of social protection payments is the only way to ensure a secure and adequate income for all women.
Income tax cuts not working for women
“NWC is concerned about the emphasis on tax cuts in Budget 2025. Weakening our tax base through permanent income tax cuts in Budget 2025 is very costly and is more likely to negatively impact women through under-investment in public services. As women are more likely to be in low pay and part time jobs, they benefit less from income and wealth tax cuts and are more likely to be reliant on public services.”
“With a General Election on the horizon and the scale of public resources available, what is needed now is the political will, vision and commitment for real reform and investment to tackle the crises that hit women harder and exacerbate gender inequality – from the climate crisis, to the housing crisis, to the cost-of-living crisis, to the rise in violence and hate in our society.
NWC has issued a detailed analysis of the women’s health package.
Ends/
For more information, please contact Sinead Nolan, Communications and Social Media Coordinator, NWC, Tel. 085 861 9087 or Silke Paasche, Head of Communications, NWC, Tel. 085 8589104.
About NWC
The National Women’s Council is the leading national representative organisation for women and women’s groups in Ireland, founded in 1973. We have over 190 member groups and a large and growing community of individual supporters.
The ambition of the National Women’s Council is an Ireland where every woman enjoys true equality and no woman is left behind. This ambition shapes and informs our work, and, with our living values, how we work.
We are a movement-building organisation rooted in our membership, working on the whole island of Ireland. We are also part of the international movement to protect and advance women’s and girls’ rights. Our purpose is to lead action for the achievement of women’s and girls’ equality through mobilising, influencing, and building solidarity. Find out more on www.nwci.ie