More people caught in poverty trap

According to the latest survey from the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), the number of people below the poverty line in this country continues to rise.

The report covers the seven-year period from 1994 to two years ago, one of the most economically prosperous periods Ireland has witnessed, when the Celtic tiger roamed the land.

In that comparatively short span of time, the gap between the haves and have nots widened from 6% to more than double that figure to 13% in 2001.