Will we grasp the opportunity to win a major battle in the war against poverty?

I WISH to congratulate Pat Brosnan for highlighting the poverty hidden behind the mask of the Celtic Tiger (Irish Examiner, August 31).

As a network of groups working against poverty in Ireland, our members are well aware of this, but there seems to be a conspiracy of silence in much of the media.

Ireland has one of the lowest rates of social spending in the EU and our tax and welfare systems are weighted against the poor.

EU figures show that, before they take account of tax and welfare transfers, Ireland’s ‘relative poverty’ rate is about average. After these transfers, we have the worst relative poverty in the EU.

This does not mean people here are poorer than in Lithuania, for example, but that more people are falling behind the general level of wealth in our society. In addition, our health, education, childcare and other services are well behind much of Europe for those who cannot afford to ‘go private’. Catching up will take time, but one of our big opportunities is imminent.

On Friday next, all 25 EU member states will publish their national action plans against poverty. They are required to list priorities and four-year targets to ‘make a decisive impact on the eradication of poverty by 2010’, with two-year interim targets and budgets to achieve this. This is Social Affairs Minister Séamus Brennan’s big opportunity. He and his department have shown they have the drive to make a decisive impact on poverty. The test next Friday will be whether they can bring the whole Government with them.

Robin Hanan

European Anti-Poverty

Network Ireland

5 Gardiner Row

Dublin 1