One-in-six people are at risk of poverty

ALMOST one-in-six of the population are now at risk of poverty and, of those, almost a fifth have been unable to pay to heat their homes.

The latest statistics on income and living conditions from the Central Statistics Office show that in 2010, in spite of more and more people falling upon hard times, the rich appear to only be getting richer.

The CSO said those in the highest income bracket are earning 5.5 times more than those in the lowest income bracket. The ratio was 4.3 just a year earlier.