Child poverty is not being addressed, says NESC

CHILD poverty is not being adequately addressed either by the Government or social partners, according to the National Economic and Social Council (NESC).

It is one of the range of social problems that require urgent attention, the director of the NESC, Dr Rory O’Donnell, said yesterday at a conference marking 30 years of the organisation.

Among those listening to his address was Taoiseach Bertie Ahern who opened the conference entitled Deliberation and Public Policy.

Dr O’Donnell cited the most pressing problems as educational disadvantage, inadequate childcare, underdeveloped services for people with disability, long-term unemployment, poor levels of training and alcohol and drug misuse.

“It is not sufficiently realised that these are not just social, but also economic, problems.” Dr O’Donnell told delegates.

“Poverty in the early years leads to low levels of educational attainment, low skills, vulnerable employment, low levels of participation in the workforce and high dependence on the State. It is not only morally right, but also economically rational, to seriously address these problems,” he said.

“Partnership must prove its worth by making sure that the special initiatives on these problems, included in the Sustaining Progress national partnership agreement, are real, radical investigations of what is needed.

"It is no longer an option for the social partners to sit on committees or working groups that are deadlocked by disagreement between the ideologies of unions, employers and the community and voluntary sector.”

His comments were echoed by NESC economist Dr John Sweeney, who revealed that Ireland spends less per child on primary and secondary education than most other EU countries.

Dr Sweeney said the number of young people entering the workforce from the educational system was declining. From 1996-2011, the number of secondary students will have dropped by 20%.

“There is not much evidence that we are investing more in our young people. On the contrary, Ireland’s spend per child in primary and secondary education is among the lowest in the EU,” he said.

Opening the conference earlier, the Taoiseach said that the Government was committed to honouring its public service benchmarking deal.