COPE Galway Pre-Budget Submissions
Ahead of the announcement of the annual Government budget, COPE Galway prepares and submits a range of recommendations to the Minister for Finance and the Minister for Public Expenditure.
Our pre-budget submission outlines the key challenges and issues affecting the people and communities we work with and proposes policy and spending recommendations.
We are calling on the government to implement effective measures that will address these issues, and deliver real change for some of the most vulnerable people in our communities.
Our Recommendations for Budget 2025
Housing
- Resource an additional €1.4 billion investment of windfall tax revenues to double the ‘Housing for All’ social housing targets and move towards social housing constituting 20% of the overall housing stock by 2030.
- Develop a range of housing options and schemes to suit the needs of older people and enable them to age at home as far as is possible.
Homelessness
- Resource increased exit routes from homeless accommodation to long-term tenancies.
- Resource access to secure, long-term housing for women and children leaving domestic abuse refuge accommodation.
Youth Homelessness
- Resource the targeting of young people who are most vulnerable to becoming homeless as outlined in the National Youth Homelessness Strategy 2023-2025.
Older People
- Provide additional funding to increase homecare hours and introduce a Statutory Homecare Scheme.
Women and Children Experiencing Domestic Abuse
- Ensure that all women survivors of domestic abuse have access to legal aid.
- Resource periodic, mandatory legal training on domestic/gender-based violence for the judiciary, social workers, An Garda Siochana and local authority staff.
Addressing and Alleviating Poverty
- Benchmark and index the state pension to always be at least 34% of total average earnings to preserve its status as the bedrock of income in older age.
Community and Voluntary Sector
- Fully fund the community and voluntary sector with full cost recovery to deliver essential services on behalf of Government, such as funding pension costs for the sector, given the new Automatic Enrolment Retirement Savings System is due to come into operation in 2025.
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