Social Justice Matters Policy Brief - Other Public Services

A core pillar of Social Justice Ireland’s Social Contract, is the objective of providing ‘Decent Services and Infrastructure’. An expanded public sector, providing increased public services, is essential in addressing cost of living increases. Making healthcare, housing, public transport, childcare and education more affordable benefits everyone. This is particularly true for those in the bottom 20 per cent of the income distribution who are disproportionately impacted by cost of living increases. It is important to recognise the importance of other public services such as public transport, financial inclusion and access to digital services which are also vital to wellbeing. 

 

 

 

 

Government continues to look to the market and engage private enterprise to provide the public services that should be part of a basic social floor that everyone in the State should expect. They do this notwithstanding evidence that it is more expensive and less effective. Consider that 2022 has seen a sudden and sharp rise in the cost of living, 9.6 per cent in the year to June, leading to more people needing supports and public services that a profit driven system will struggle to provide.

This policy brief examines some of the other public services we all rely on such as transport and access to digital and financial services.