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Ireland not meeting legal obligations on health and social security under European charter

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Ireland not meeting legal obligations on health and social security under European charter

Ireland is not meeting its international legal obligations under the European Social Charter, the European Committee of Social Rights (ECSR) has found.

The committee yesterday published its annual conclusions for 2017 in respect of 33 states, including Ireland and the UK.

It focusses on a different part of the Charter each year, last year focusing on health, social security and social protection from 2012–15.

In relation to Ireland, it examined 19 situations and reached five conclusions of conformity, 13 conclusions of non-conformity, and made one request for further information from the State.

It found that Ireland was not in conformity with the legally-binding Charter on the grounds that:

  • there is no adequate overall and coordinated approach to combating poverty and social exclusion

  • it has not been established that the right of access to healthcare is guaranteed in practice

  • it has not been established that there is an effective and equal access to social services

  • it has not been established that the quality of social welfare services meets users’ needs

  • the level of social assistance provided to a single person without resources is not adequate

  • on account of the restrictions introduced in terms of the social security system during the reference period, as well as the fact that some of these restrictions were maintained even after the economic situation had improved

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