Criticism of failure to tackle smoking or obesity in children on budget

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Budget 2022 dealt a triple blow to children’s health, according to the Irish Heart Foundation (IHF) which highlighted what it sees as a failure to tackle smoking, e-cigarette use and the ‘obesity.

As the charitable sector began to respond to various spending and tax measures on Tuesday, the IHF accused the government of appeasement to children’s health.

Our teenage smoking rate is on the rise for the first time in a quarter of a century and there has been huge growth in vaping, which could fuel the surge in tobacco use, said Chris Macey, director of advocacy. .

In addition, the World Health Organization predicted that Ireland was set to become the country with the highest obesity rate in Europe even before the pandemic triggered an increase in junk food consumption and reduced levels of physical activity.

While the government increased the cigarette tax by an additional 50 cents, the IHF had hoped for the introduction of an e-cigarette tax and a large sugar tax targeting food companies.

However, other measures have proven to be more popular. Barnardos, the children’s charity, welcomed the equalization of back-to-school allowance thresholds for one-parent and two-parent families, an issue she had campaigned for.

The move was also welcomed by the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul, which said additional support for back-to-school costs was important.

SVP supported even more families this year struggling with the costs of education. Higher rates equalizing support for single parents is a step in the right direction, he said.

However, while happy with budget increases for social protection, he said Tuesday’s announcements were insufficient to keep people afloat given the rising costs of basic needs.

Active Retirement Ireland (ARI) said the budget does not contain enough to give older people a good quality of life.

The 5% increase in the state pension, a major pre-budget talking point, was insufficient to meet the cost of living, especially in the context of escalating energy costs, according to association.

Short-term view

Chief Executive Maureen Kavanagh described the retirement movement as a short-term vision and said the increase should have been 15.

Failure to bring the state pension to a rate of 34 percent of the average weekly wage and not lock it in three times to ensure that it increases with the rate of inflation or the average growth of workers. income, demonstrates the lack of longer-term planning promised by the elderly government, she said.

The National Council of Women (NWC) and the Irish Family Planning Association (IFPA) have both welcomed the rollout of free contraception but, as expected with Budget’s reaction, the positivity has been nuanced.

Women have already entered the pandemic from an unequal place and the social and economic consequences of this global crisis are borne disproportionately by women, said NWC director Orla OConnor.

Although we recognize the positive steps, for example on childcare and parental leave, this budget attacks an unequal system, we still lack transformative investment in our social protection system and public service infrastructure that would address the vast structural inequalities that women experience.

IFPA said funding for contraception was a historic step that would empower women.

The National Council for the Blind of Ireland (NCBI), however, said the budget would do nothing to reduce structural barriers for the people it represents.

June Tinsley, advocacy manager, said issues of inclusion and accessibility to the built environment and the digital world will persist alongside an increased risk of poverty.

The increase in basic social benefits is not enough to offset the increase in the cost of living, she said. But efforts to improve their educational experience with increasing availability of ANS in schools and ICT grants to schools are welcome.

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