Emmet Stagg
Ceist:36 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the position with regard to relative poverty levels in the State and in regard to revised targets for the national anti-poverty strategy. [5736/01]
Written Answers. - Anti-Poverty Strategy.
Relative poverty, or relative income poverty, is a measure which seeks to quantify the number of households or people whose incomes lie under certain specified proportions of average weekly household income. Data produced by the Economic and Social Research Institute, ESRI, from its analysis of the living in Ireland survey is used to estimate the levels of relative income poverty.
The latest data available are derived from the 1998 living in Ireland survey and was produced by the ESRI in late 2000. It shows that 10.5% of households were estimated to be below the 40% relative income line, 24.6% of households were estimated to be below the 50% line and 33.4% of households were estimated to be below the 60% line. The corresponding figures for persons were 9.1%, 20% and 28.6% respectively.
The ESRI has argued that reliance on income alone as a measure of poverty has its limitations and may give a misleading impression when looked at in isolation – most particularly at a time when there is a very rapid growth in average incomes, as is the case currently. The development of the consistent poverty measure, which incorporates both income and the presence of various indicators of deprivation, is the gauge which has been used for the poverty reduction target in the national anti-poverty strategy and provides a broader picture of poverty caused by a continued lack of resources.
The terms of reference of the social welfare benchmarking and indexation working group, established under the terms of the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness, provide for an examination of the issue of relative income poverty. The group comprises representatives of the social partners and relevant Departments, under the direction of an independent chairperson. It is expected to finalise its work later this year. I envisage that the findings of the group will inform the development of future policy in this area, including the national anti-poverty strategy review.