Number below poverty line doubles

THE number of people living below the poverty line continues to increase, an Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) report published today shows.

The report, Monitoring Poverty Trends in Ireland, found that between 1994 and 2001 the number of people below the poverty line more than doubled from 6% to 13%.

It also found a widening in the gap between the "haves" and the "have nots" a gap that was widening at a time when unemployment fell very sharply and there was substantial real income growth.