Every Childhood Lasts a Lifetime: Invest in Children: Barnardos' Pre-budget Submission, 2005.

Abstract

The theme of the 2005 Barnardos Pre-Budget Submission to Government is "Invest in Children". It is a truism to state that children are a country's future but Barnardos would argue that investment in this generation of children will pay economic and social dividends in the future. As an organisation working with disadvantaged children, Barnardos is particularly concerned that the 2005 Budget should prioritise the needs of disadvantaged children. The evidence of child poverty in Ireland is well documented and irrefutable. Ireland's levels of general poverty and of child poverty are remarkably high by EU and OECD standards. Parallel with high levels of child poverty, the Irish economy is booming. All the economic indicators are positive: we have one of the fastest growing economies in the world with high levels of job creation, low unemployment, including long-term unemployment and a much reduced rate of emigration. In addition, the state of our public finances is very healthy with tax revenues up by 15% while public expenditure is substantially lower than was expected; these factors have resulted in a borrowing requirement which is significantly lower than that forecast in December 2003. This means that the Government is well positioned to introduce a Budget that will tackle child poverty and invest in children in a concerted and strategic manner.