Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 22 September 2015
249. Deputy Sandra McLellan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection if she is aware that 138,000 children are currently living in consistent poverty, with almost 1,000 children living in emergency accommodation; her views that these figures are an indication that the Government's child poverty reduction targets are not working; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27552/15]
View answerThe CSO Survey on Income and living Conditions for 2013 shows that 11.7 per cent of children, or 138,000 children, were in consistent poverty, a slight but not statistically significant increase on the 2012 rate. The Survey also found that the at-risk-of-poverty for children decreased from 18.8 per cent in 2012 to 17.9 per cent in 2013. A key driver in reducing income poverty among children is social transfers, which reduced the at-risk-of-poverty rate for children from 45.5 per cent to 17.9 per cent, thereby lifting a quarter of all children out of poverty. This equates to a poverty reduction effect of 60.7 per cent. Ireland is amongst the best performing member states in the EU in this regard.
In Budget 2015, the Government committed a further €96 million for children. This provided for an increase of €5 per month in child benefit, the introduction of the Back to Work Family Dividend worth €29.80 per child for eligible families returning to work, and an additional €2 million on the School Meals Programme.
Government policy around tackling poverty for children and families is articulated in Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures The national policy framework for children & young people 2014-2020. This includes the adoption of a child-specific social target for poverty reduction aiming to lift 70,000 children out of poverty by 2020, equivalent to a reduction of two-thirds on the 2011 rate. In line with this target, the Government has committed to implementing a whole-of-government approach to tackling child poverty, building on the lifecycle approach in the National Action Plan for Social Inclusion, 2007-2016 and informed by the European Commission Recommendation on ‘Investing in children: Breaking the cycle of disadvantage’. Tackling child poverty is a priority issue under Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures, and involves a range of government departments and external stakeholders.
A key way to tackle child poverty is to get parents back to work. Through Pathways to Work and the Action Plan on Jobs, the Government is putting people into real jobs. The Family Income Supplement and new Back to Work Family Dividend will support parents, especially those furthest from the labour market, to take up and remain in employment.
The issue of children living in emergency accommodation is a matter for my colleague, the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government.
