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Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 19 January 2022

Wednesday, 19 January 2022

Questions (927, 928, 929, 930, 931, 932, 993, 994, 995, 996, 997, 998, 1000, 1001, 1002, 1003, 1004, 1005)

Cathal Crowe

Question:

927. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Social Protection the level of consistent poverty in each of the electoral areas of Ennis, Ennistymon, Killaloe, Kilrush, and Shannon, County Clare in each of the years 2011 to 2021, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1455/22]

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Cathal Crowe

Question:

928. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Social Protection the level of child poverty in each of the electoral areas of Ennis, Ennistymon, Killaloe, Kilrush, and Shannon, County Clare in each of the years 2011 to 2021, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1456/22]

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Cathal Crowe

Question:

929. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Social Protection the level of food poverty in each of the electoral areas of Ennis, Ennistymon, Killaloe, Kilrush, and Shannon, County Clare in each of the years 2011 to 2021, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1457/22]

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Cathal Crowe

Question:

930. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Social Protection the level of fuel poverty in each of the electoral areas of Ennis, Ennistymon, Killaloe, Kilrush, and Shannon, County Clare in each of the years 2011 to 2021, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1458/22]

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Cathal Crowe

Question:

931. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Social Protection the deprivation rates in each of the electoral areas of Ennis, Ennistymon, Killaloe, Kilrush, and Shannon, County Clare in each of the years 2011 to 2021, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1459/22]

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Cathal Crowe

Question:

932. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Social Protection the median household income in each of the electoral areas of Ennis, Ennistymon, Killaloe, Kilrush, and Shannon, County Clare in each of the years 2011 to 2021, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1460/22]

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Michael McNamara

Question:

993. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Social Protection the level of consistent poverty in each of the electoral areas of Ennis, Ennistymon, Killaloe, Kilrush and Shannon, County Clare for each of the years 2011 to 2021, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1518/22]

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Michael McNamara

Question:

994. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Social Protection the level of child poverty in each of the electoral areas of Ennis, Ennistymon, Killaloe, Kilrush and Shannon, County Clare for each of the years 2011 to 2021, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1519/22]

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Michael McNamara

Question:

995. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Social Protection the level of food poverty in each of the electoral areas of Ennis, Ennistymon, Killaloe, Kilrush and Shannon, County Clare for each of the years 2011 to 2021, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1520/22]

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Michael McNamara

Question:

996. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Social Protection the level of fuel poverty in each of the electoral areas of Ennis, Ennistymon, Killaloe, Kilrush, and Shannon, County Clare for each of the years 2011 to 2021, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1521/22]

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Michael McNamara

Question:

997. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Social Protection the deprivation rates in each of the electoral areas of Ennis, Ennistymon, Killaloe, Kilrush, and Shannon, County Clare for each of the years 2011 to 2021, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1522/22]

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Michael McNamara

Question:

998. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Social Protection the median household income in each of the electoral areas of Ennis, Ennistymon, Killaloe, Kilrush, and Shannon, County Clare for each of the years 2011 to 2021, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1523/22]

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Violet-Anne Wynne

Question:

1000. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Social Protection the level of consistent poverty in each of the electoral areas of Ennis, Ennistymon, Killaloe, Kilrush, and Shannon, County Clare in each of the years 2011 to 2021, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1621/22]

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Violet-Anne Wynne

Question:

1001. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Social Protection the level of child poverty in each of the electoral areas of Ennis, Ennistymon, Killaloe, Kilrush, and Shannon, County Clare in each of the years 2011 to 2021, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1622/22]

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Violet-Anne Wynne

Question:

1002. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Social Protection the level of food poverty in each of the electoral areas of Ennis, Ennistymon, Killaloe, Kilrush, and Shannon, County Clare in each of the years 2011 to 2021, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1623/22]

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Violet-Anne Wynne

Question:

1003. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Social Protection the level of fuel poverty in each of the electoral areas of Ennis, Ennistymon, Killaloe, Kilrush, and Shannon, County Clare in each of the years 2011 to 2021, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1624/22]

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Violet-Anne Wynne

Question:

1004. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Social Protection the deprivation rates in each of the electoral areas of Ennis, Ennistymon, Killaloe, Kilrush, and Shannon, County Clare in each of the years 2011 to 2021, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1625/22]

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Violet-Anne Wynne

Question:

1005. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Social Protection the median household income in each of the electoral areas of Ennis, Ennistymon, Killaloe, Kilrush, and Shannon, County Clare in each of the years 2011 to 2021, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [1626/22]

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Written answers

I propose to take Questions Nos. 927 to 932, inclusive, and 993 to 1005, inclusive, together.

As Minister of State with responsibility for social inclusion, I oversee the implementation of the Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020-2025, the national strategy for poverty reduction and improved social inclusion.  The Roadmap aims to reduce the percentage of the population in consistent poverty to 2% or less by 2025 and to make Ireland one of the most socially inclusive countries in the EU.   I chair the Social Inclusion Roadmap Steering Group which monitors the implementation of Roadmap. It  has met four times since November 2020.  The first Roadmap Progress Report will be published shortly.

The most recent poverty data is from the 2020 Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC) which was published by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) on 17th December 2021.  Official poverty data, as collated by the CSO, is not available at an electoral area or county level.  However in order to be of assistance to the Deputy I am providing equivalent regional data which includes Co Clare data.

Up to 2019 data is available for the 'NUTS' 3 Mid-West region which covers Counties Clare, Tipperary and Limerick. In 2020 the data was provided for the NUTS 2 Southern region which consists of Counties Clare, Tipperary, Limerick, Waterford, Kilkenny, Carlow, Wexford, Cork, and Kerry.  The table below provides data for the NUTS 3 Mid-West region for the period 2012-2019 and for the Southern region for 2020 for the information of the Deputies.

It should be noted that further regulatory changes, which took effect in January 2021, have resulted in a break in the time series for SILC data.  This means that the 2020 SILC data are not fully comparable with data from previous years.

Poverty Rates  

Data on child poverty is not published by the CSO on a regional level.  However addressing child poverty continues to be a Government priority.  The Roadmap for Social Inclusion underlines  that no child in Ireland should live in poverty and that, where it happens due to adverse circumstances, available supports should ensure that the child and their family exit poverty as soon as is possible. The Roadmap highlights the importance of both income supports and access to services, particularly to basic essential services such as housing, health and education, in addressing poverty and social exclusion.  Budget 2022 included a range of measures to support families and children including increases to all core weekly payments and to the qualified child rates; an increase in weekly income threshold for the Working Family Payment for all family sizes; an increase in the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance for older and younger children; and the extension of the Hot School Meals programme.  The Department is also working with the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth on the development on Ireland’s national plan for the implementation of the EU Child Guarantee.  Data on national trends in child poverty are available in the Social Inclusion Monitor publication available on www.gov.ie.  

While there is no official food poverty indicator in Ireland, in 2012 the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) developed a measure which defined food poverty as the inability to have an adequate and nutritious diet due to issues of affordability or accessibility. 

As part of its series reporting on Ireland’s progress towards meeting its targets under the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the CSO published ‘Irelands UN SDGs 2019 – Report on Indicators for Goal 2 Zero Hunger’.  Using the ESRI food poverty measure, the report includes the food poverty rate for the Southern Region for the period 2012-2018.

Southrn poverty rates  

In April 2021, I established a Working Group on Food Poverty to progress the delivery of Roadmap Commitment 61: develop a comprehensive programme of work to further explore the drivers of food poverty and to identify mitigating actions.  The membership of this group comprises representatives from relevant government Departments as well as the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Crosscare and the Children’s Rights Alliance.

In addition, the Department of Social Protection helps to address food poverty through the Fund for European Aid to the Most Deprived (FEAD), which supports EU Member States’ actions to provide food and material assistance to the most deprived. FEAD Ireland has received funding of €26.7 million for the period 2014 – 2020, with over 150 charities nationwide distributing food to their communities.  A list of approved charities can be found on www.gov.ie. 

There is no official fuel poverty indicator . However, the SILC basic deprivation indicator includes two items relating to energy provision/availability:

- without heating at some stage in the last year through lack of money;

- unable to afford to keep the home adequately warm. 

Data on trends in these deprivation indicators is available on the CSO website, but not at a regional level.

However tackling fuel poverty is a Government priority.  The Roadmap for Social Inclusion has a specific commitment in relation to tackling fuel/energy poverty (Commitment #60): as part of the Climate Action Plan, review ways to improve how energy poverty schemes target those most in need.  This commitment is being delivered by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications.   

Fuel poverty is also addressed through the provision of the Fuel Allowance by the Department of Social Protection.  Budget 2022 increased the Fuel Allowance by €5 to €33 per week with an increase to the weekly income threshold for Fuel Allowance from €100 to €120.  Both changes came into effect from 11 October 2021 to ensure that recipients benefited during the winter fuel season.  In addition, Budget 2022 reduced the qualification period for Fuel Allowance from 15 months to 12 months for people in receipt of Jobseeker's Allowance and Supplementary Welfare Allowance. People in receipt of the Household Benefits Package also receive a monthly allowance of €35 (€420 per year) towards the cost of either their electricity or gas bills.

Question No. 928 answered with Question No. 927.
Question No. 929 answered with Question No. 927.
Question No. 930 answered with Question No. 927.
Question No. 931 answered with Question No. 927.
Question No. 932 answered with Question No. 927.
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