We will pay the price for inaction

SOME 138,000 extra people could be at risk of falling into poverty in the midst of our unprecedented economic prosperity, according to the Conference of Religious in Ireland.

It has called for Ireland to set a target of reducing the risk of poverty to the EU average rate by 2011.

Such a goal could be a modest target, seeing that we are one of the wealthiest economies in Europe. Should we be content with striving for just average performance? In some ways we are actually deteriorating.