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Poverty Data

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 22 September 2020

Tuesday, 22 September 2020

Ceisteanna (49)

Claire Kerrane

Ceist:

49. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection if her attention has been drawn to the CSO report on Enforced Deprivation published on 2 September 2020; her views on the findings of the report; the steps she plans to take to tackle deprivation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [25031/20]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

The CSO published the first set of data from the 2019 Survey on Income and Living Conditions on 2 September which reported on the level of deprivation in Ireland in 2019. The data showed that the percentage of the population experiencing basic deprivation increased to 17.8% in 2019 compared to 15.1% in 2018. By contrast, the level of deprivation had trended downwards between 2013 and 2018. While it was encouraging to see that 70% of the population did not experience any deprivation, I noted with concern that deprivation rates rose for many groups across society, including lone parent families, children, and people with disabilities. Evidence suggests that non-cash benefits and social transfers alleviate financial pressure on families and individuals by improving their access to services such as childcare, healthcare and housing. This can reduce the cost of these services and ensure that people have more disposable income available for daily living. The challenge is to do more to protect vulnerable groups by providing them with access to affordable services, as well as increased opportunities in education and employment. The Programme for Government commits to the rigorous implementation of the Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020-2025, published in January of this year, to ensure that social inclusion and poverty reduction remain at the heart of government for the next five years. This is of particular significance in light of the ongoing impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on Irish society and the economy. The 2019 deprivation data forms one aspect of the overall Survey on Income and Living Conditions, with a further release by the CSO focusing on income and poverty expected at the end of October. This is the first time that the deprivation data has been published separately by the CSO and I would be cautious about making any inferences until the full SILC data set is available.

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