COPE Galway CLG (COPE Galway CLG)

Lobbying Organisation COPE Galway CLG

Date published 09 Sep, 2025

Relevant Matter Matters involving public funds

Public Policy Area Finance

Period 1 May, 2025 to 31 Aug, 2025

Specific Details Budget 2026, calling for targeted, adequately resourced, and structurally transformative policies to address pressing social challenges including in the areas of housing, homelessness including youth homelessness, women and children subjected to domestic abuse, older people, poverty eradication, and supports to the Community and Voluntary Sector.

Intended results Housing - resourcing of increased exit routes from homelessness; adapt a 'Housing First' approach to family homelessness; resource access to housing for women and children leaving domestic abuse refuge, increased funding on homeless prevention and tenancy support.. Youth Homelessness - resource delivery of support services and the current Youth Homelessness Strategy and commit to developing a successor strategy; fund psychosocial programmes addressing the traumatic impact of homelessness Domestic abuse - fully resourcing legal aid representation, Fund updating schools’ curricula/educational programmes to eradicate Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based violence (DSGBSV), delivered by specialised, trained and expert staff. Resource delivery of systematic, mandatory training and educational programmes, by DSGBV specialists, appropriately trained, expert staff, on DSGBV to all workers in public services, Older people - Resource a comprehensive, all-of-government national ageing strategy; Resource suitable housing for older people; Increase resources for befriending services; Provide an energy guarantee payment for those on lower incomes; Ensure funding and develop a sustainable funding model for the statutory right to homecare; Resource accessible, suitable transport options so older people; Ensure access to appropriate food and nutrition advice for older people. Poverty eradication - targeted support to those in energy poverty through increasess in key ancillary benefits such as the Fuel Allowance, Household Benefits Package and Living Alone Allowance; Resource the benchmarking and indexing of the state pension planned for 2026, so that its rate will always be at least equal to 34% of total average earnings to preserve its status as the bedrock of income in older age; Increase core social welfare rates and benchmark them to average, weekly earnings. Community and Voluntary Sector - full cost recovery including the funding of non-pay costs; Prioritise multi-annual funding; prevent the creation of a new tier of under-resourced public service delivery and expansion to workers beyond Section 56, 40, 39 and 10; Invest €500,000 towards training, awareness raising and supporting capacity building for sector organisations, to support the full implementation of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals 6.

Name of person primarily responsible for lobbying on this activity Sally Anne Corcoran

Did any Designated Public Official(DPO) or former Designated Public Official(DPO) carry out lobbying activities on your behalf in relation to this return? You must include yourself, and answer Yes, if you are a current DPO or a DPO at any time in the past. (What is a Designated Public Official?) No

Did you manage or direct a grassroots campaign? No

Was this lobbying done on behalf of a client? No

Lobbying activity

The following activities occurred for this specific Subject Matter Area.

Submission (1)

Designated public officials lobbied

The following DPOs were lobbied during this return period on this specific Subject Matter Area. These DPOs were involved in at least one of the Lobbying Activities listed above, but not necessarily all of them. As returns are specific to a Subject Matter Area the above Lobbying Activities may be associated with multiple returns.

Jack Chambers Minister (Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform)

Paschal Donohoe Minister (Department of Finance)

Mairéad Farrell TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Catherine Connolly TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Noel Grealish TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Hildegarde Naughton TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

John Connolly TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Aisling Burke Councillor (Galway City Council)

Shane Forde Councillor (Galway City Council)

Declan McDonnell Councillor (Galway City Council)

Helen Uchechukwu Ogbu Councillor (Galway City Council)

Terry O'Flaherty Councillor (Galway City Council)

John McDonagh Councillor (Galway City Council)

Alan Curran Councillor (Galway City Council)

Clodagh Higgins Councillor (Galway City Council)

Frank Fahy Councillor (Galway City Council)

Josie Forde Councillor (Galway City Council)

Donal Lyons Councillor (Galway City Council)

Alan Cheevers Councillor (Galway City Council)

Eddie Hoare Councillor (Galway City Council)

Niall McNelis Councillor (Galway City Council)

Peter Keane Councillor (Galway City Council)

Mike Cubbard Councillor (Galway City Council)

Michael John Crowe Councillor (Galway City Council)

Eibhlín Seoighthe Councillor (Galway City Council)