Children living in deprivation a ‘social obscenity’

The fact that one-in-three children are living in deprivation is a "social and moral indictment of the priorities of a government that privileges tax cuts over poverty reduction," it has been claimed.

Unite trade union’s research officer, Michael Taft, voiced his criticism in an analysis of deprivation figures compiled by the European Commission.

Mr Taft said the criteria used by the commission was “harsher” than the Central Statistics Office here.

The European model describes someone as living in “material deprivation” if they or their family could not afford three of the following items:

- pay their rent/mortgage/utility bills;

- keep their home adequately warm;

- face unexpected expenses; to eat meat or proteins regularly;

- go on holiday;

- own a television set;

- own a washing machine;

- own a car;

- own a telephone.

A person unable to afford four items is classed by the commission as living in “severe material deprivation”.

Mr Taft extrapolated from the latest European Commission figures that 24.9% of Irish people fall into the “material deprivation” category — compared to an EU-15 average of 15.7%. Only Greece and Italy had higher percentages.

When it comes to people living in “severe material deprivation”, almost one-in-10 people here (9.8%) fell into the category, compared to an EU-15 average of 7.3%. Again only Greece and Italy had higher percentages.

The Unite research officer chose to focus on the levels of poverty among children. He found that 31.6% of Irish children, more than 380,000, live in material deprivation and 12.4%, 150,000, fall into the category of “severe material deprivation”.

“These are grim numbers,” he said. “One million people living in deprivation, nearly one-in-three children suffering deprivation, is an economic, social and moral indictment of the priorities of a government that privileges tax cuts over poverty reduction.”

Mr Taft said there was no indication from government ministers that the levels were an issue.

“All we get is practised responses that avoid the issue,” he said in his blog ‘Unite’s Notes on the Front’. “A cut in taxation for people on incomes of €70,000 is on the agenda; cuts in poverty and deprivation are not.

“It is important for progressives who want to prioritise a new social agenda, one where poverty reduction is a national imperative, to not only point out the social obscenity of such high levels of deprivation. It is important to show that an economy cannot optimise its growth potential if it is burdened with these deprivation levels. “

He said merely increasing social protection payments was not enough, though such increases would be welcome.

“It requires a comprehensive response to improve people’s living standards: increased public services, especially in education and health; social housing and affordable private rents; programmes that improve people’s labour and personal skills; easier access to work and stronger rights in work (in particular, part-time workers); debt reduction — and much more,” he said.

“This is a drive that would pay for itself in no time... but the first step is to get the Government and the popular debate to acknowledge the painful reality of Ireland today. We are a deprivation nation.”