Cork campaigner calls on Government to address elderly poverty

Calls by Age Action Ireland for a €5 a week increase in the State pension have been branded a 'disgrace'.

A leading Cork campaigner for the elderly has branded calls by Age Action Ireland for a €5 a week increase in the State pension a 'disgrace'.

The organisation made the call in a pre-budget submission which also included calls for a €2.40 increase in the living alone allowance and the restoration of the telephone allowance.

Between 2009 and 2013, the number of older people living in deprivation has increased from 9.5% to 16.1%.

Speaking to RedFM News campaigner for the elderly Paddy O'Brien says a €5 a week increase in the State pension will not be enough to tackle the poverty elderly people are currently living in:

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