We submitted our submission to Government on budget recommendations. 

Download a copy here. 

Our headline recommendations are: 

• Increase of the Daily Expenses Allowance by €20.00 for the duration of the pandemic emergency.

 

• Audit of the Daily Expenses Allowance and benchmarking against the minimum essential acceptable standard of living.

 

• Make the Pandemic Unemployment Payment available to people seeking protection who are living in Direct Provision who lost work because of the Covid 19 pandemic.

 

• Child benefit for all children in the protection process. Children in Direct Provision are amongst the poorest and most marginalised in Ireland – make universal child benefit truly universal and give it to the neediest children.

 

• Capital budget for building of accommodation for people seeking protection.

 

• Transitional supports for people with status exiting Direct Provision. People with status to remain in Ireland are stuck in Direct Provision because they can’t access housing – NGO supports bring expertise to help negotiate this process.

 

• Free travel pass for people in Direct Provision. Tackle isolation, encourage social cohesion and integration, and facilitate access to employment and education – and it is more cost-efficient for the State.

 

• Increase in civil legal aid for protection applicants. Protection applicants deserve the opportunity to make their case as best they can – more civil legal aid will allow applicants to present a full case at first instance, instead of at appeal stage, reducing costly appeals and time spent in Direct Provision.