Social concerns are noticeably lacking in the government’s pre-Budget document, according to the Curia’s Peace and Justice Commission.

Presenting its reflections on the document’s social and environmental aspects, it said would like to see the link between employment and social inclusion made in the document followed up.

“In principle, it is true that a decent job gives one not only a sense of self-esteem but an opportunity to function as an active member of society.

The problem, however, would be how people living in poverty and on the margin of society can be adequately assisted to enter the labour market,” it said.

Over and above training and education, these people had a host of other needs, such as adequate housing and healthcare support, as well as lacking basic life skills or a strong enough motivation to move out of a state of dependency, the diocesan commission said.

The pre-budget document observes that persons who become dependent on the welfare state end up being trapped in such a system. The problem is not seen simply in terms of the application of external measures that would weed off undeserving people from the system, the commission notes. “It involves a culture change from one of dependency to one of contribution.

“Essentially, this would imply the cultivation of a sense of justice that would dispose one to contribute to the common good.”

A society based not only on distributive but also on contributive justice requires, as the pre-Budget document said, greater cooperation between business, government and training or educational institutions to create a truly contributory culture, the commission noted.

“What this cooperation involves in practice is not spelled out. But the point deserves a lot of attention.”