Barnardos: Govt not meeting poverty commitment

A two-year campaign highlighting problems faced by Irish children has concluded that the Government has failed to limit the effects of poverty on many families.

Children's charity Barnardos has urged the government to demonstrate its commitment to eliminate child poverty by investing in early intervention policies.

Barnardos chief executive Owen Keenan said, “In previous budgets the Government has made commitments with regard to child benefit and then diluted those commitments by stretching out the period over which they were going to increase them.

"That raises questions about how serious the government is about children and families.”