Claire Kerrane
Question:545. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of children currently deemed as living in poverty in Ireland. [11518/21]
View answerWednesday, 3 March 2021
Questions (545)
Written answers
The most recent official poverty data is from the annual Survey on Income and Living Conditions 2019, published by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) in October 2020. It shows that the consistent poverty rate in 2019 for children aged 0-17 years was 8.1% (approximately 97,000 children based on the CSO estimated population figures for 2019). This is an increase on the 2018 figure of 7.7%. A person is regarded as being in consistent poverty if their income is below 60% of the median income (at risk of poverty) and they are deprived of at least two items out of an eleven item deprivation list (basic deprivation).
The 2019 at-risk-of-poverty rate for children was 15.3% (approx. 184,000 children), a reduction on the 2018 figure of 15.9%. The deprivation rate was 23.3% (approx. 280,000 children), up from 19.7% in 2018.
Data from the 2020 Survey on Income and Living Conditions is not expected to be published by the CSO until Quarter 4 2021.
The Roadmap for Social Inclusion, 2020-2025 is the national whole of government strategy aimed at reducing the number of people in consistent poverty in Ireland and increasing social inclusion for those who are most disadvantaged. The strategy contains a number of goals and commitments focused on delivering these aims, including the reduction of child poverty in Ireland.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.