Pledge to tackle child poverty

MINISTER for Social Affairs Séamus Brennan yesterday promised to urgently deal with the “unacceptable” level of child poverty in Ireland.

Mr Brennan, who was launching a Combat Poverty Agency policy paper, Ending Child Poverty, said it was unacceptable that between 60,000 to 120,000 children were affected by poverty at a time of huge prosperity for the country.

He promised to target three areas to help alleviate the problem: increased and focused child income supports; measures to encourage lone parents back to education and work; and the delivery of thousands of additional childcare places.

“Despite the economic surges and the record spending on welfare supports, child poverty remains a blemish that tarnishes the Ireland of the 21st century,” he said.

“We are making progress on tackling child poverty, and poverty in general, but it is at a pace that will deliver too little too late for many of our most vulnerable and marginalised.

“That is the reason I am accelerating the implementation of proposals that will reach to the very core of the problems.

The report found State aid for childcare and health services for families with children is among the lowest in the EU.

Helen Johnston of the Combat Poverty Agency said it was unacceptable in a rich society that around 148,000 children, 15% of the population, were living in consistent poverty.

“We fall short on service provision for families with children and this results in increased hardship for below-income and work-poor families,” Ms Johnston said.