Official figures out today give a picture of how the economic downturn has been affecting household spending across the country.
The details have come in a new report from the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
This research was conducted as part of the Quarterly National Household Survey between April and June of last year.
At that stage almost 80% of people had cut back their spending on a wide-ranging list of items including groceries, clothing, trips abroad and membership of a gym or sports club.
More than half were spending less on groceries while a similar amount had cut back on going out.
15% had cut back on health insurance, while 11% had reduced the amount they were putting towards their pensions.
The study shows the mounting pressure of bills too.
20% of households said they were missing or delaying bill payments so that they could pay for basic goods and services.
While 10% of households reported having to borrow money from family or friends in the previous 2 years so that they could meet day to day costs.
Employment work scheme to target people with disabilities
& allow them to return to work and retain some Govt. support
THE MINISTER FOR Social Protection Joan Burton has announced two new initiatives aimed at enhancing support offered to people with disabilities who are planning to take up employment or development opportunities.
The Partial Capacity Benefit Scheme will allow people with disabilities to avail of employment opportunities without restrictions on their employment income while continuing to receive their income support payment form the Department of Social Protection.
The payment option will be open to people with disabilities who are in receipt of an Invalidity Pension or who are in receipt of Illness Benefit for more than six months. Those eligible to take part will receive an ongoing income support payment based on an assessment of their capacity to work, the Minister said in a statement today.
Participation in the scheme, which aims to “address a limitation of the current welfare system”, is voluntary and applications will be taken from today. It is hoped that it will address existing shortcomings by “recognising and responding to the reality that some people with disabilities will have a capacity to engage in employment while continuing to need some income support from the State”.
A second initiative, the EmployAbility Service, will offer a range of supports, including workplace adaptation grants, wage subsidies and on-site job coaches and mentors to both workers and to employers.
The service aims to educate and reassure employers about misconceptions about the ‘risk’ of employing a person with a disability.
“People with a disability face particular challenges being accepted for and taking up work opportunities,” Minister Burton said when announcing the scheme. “One of the benefits from the merger of FÁS with the Department of Social Protection is that we will now be able to integrate our activities to develop new and improve existing measures and initiatives and to help people build on their abilities to overcome the barriers to gaining and maintaining employment”.
Mary Mitchell O’Connor TD calls for NAMA to release housing to help domestic abuse victims
Fine Gael Deputy Mary Mitchell O’Connor said that for those who find themselves in an abusive situation, “building up the courage to leave is frequently off-set by the reality of having no place else to go”.
The Dun Laoghaire deputy was speaking after the launch today of a domestic abuse awareness campaign by Sonas Housing and the Meath Womens refuge to highlight the impact of verbal abuse.
Mitchell O’Connor said that if NAMA could make housing available to the victims of abuse, then they could be supported to leave their abuser and live an independent life.
“Aside from its commercial remit,” she said, “NAMA has a social objective that aims to contribute to a better society and sustainable communities.”
The TD said that given that NAMA agreed to make 2,000 housing units available this year to people on social housing lists and to give public bodies first refusal on the purchase of property which may be suitable for their purposes, she believes that a “provision should be made to address the needs of those in exploitative relationships to enable them to get away from their abuser and begin a more positive life in a safe and harm-free environment.”
Sonas Housing and Meath Women’s Refuge said today that they specifically launched their verbal abuse awareness campaign to coincide with Valentine’s Day because it is a particularly difficult day for women suffering domestic abuse.
Sonas Housing chairperson Rachel Mullen said that “verbal abuse can, in effect, slowly deaden someone from the inside out” and that it can have a “hugely debilitating effect emotionally and psychologically”. However, despite its impact, the lack of physical evidence means it is harder for women to show its effects.
Commenting on the launch of the awareness campaign, Mitchell O’Connor said that domestic abuse “comes in many guises” and it is important for women and men in abusive relationships to know they are not alone in their efforts to change their situation.
American students of Ireland’s universities
Are selected as ambassadors to promote Irish education
Ambassador student on the left is Caela Provost at the Cliffs of Moher,
Seventeen American college students studying in Ireland have been selected as student ambassadors to promote Irish education, in an initiative organized by the Irish government.
The students, who are currently studying various programs in the seven universities in Ireland, are aiming to connect with prospective American students and their families who may be interested in choosing Ireland as a study abroad destination.
“Our main role is to create videos, pictures, and at least one blog post per month,” Caela Provost, 23, an ambassador at the University of Limerick told the Irish Voice.
“We are allowed to give the topics our own spin. In addition we have to respond if anyone has questions or comments on our blogs,” the English post-graduate student added.
Students share their daily life experiences of studying in Ireland via regular blog posts as well as utilizing other social media outlets. Adding to the interactive element of the initiative, prospective students can contact the ambassadors through email.
Provost, who hails from Winchendon, Massachusetts, says more and more American students are considering Ireland as a place where they can go for “their entire educational career.”
According to the Irish government group Education in Ireland, the country has witnessed a 70% increase in American students studying in Ireland in the last seven years.
“It seems like a lot more students are considering Ireland. Technology has bridged the distance gap and students are not as hesitant as they know that connection is there,” Provost said.
“I have actually got more comments from students who are interested in coming for full time education,” Provost added.
The ambassadors represent some of the 7,000 U.S. students who choose to study in Ireland each year. While traditionally, many students come for a semester abroad, a growing number of Americans are now opting to pursue full-time undergraduate and graduate programs in Ireland.
Provost, who also spent a semester abroad studying at the University of Limerick, appreciates the
informal environment of studying in an Irish college.
“You are approached as a person, not a number,” she said. “If you make an effort in class professors know your name, that is something that draws a lot of students.”
The Irish government aims to increase the number of full-time international students in Ireland by 50% before 2015.
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