by Alan Jacques
ADDRESSING child poverty needs to be a priority for the incoming government.
ADDRESSING child poverty needs to be a priority for the incoming government.This is the opinion of Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Social Protection Willie O’Dea, who was commenting this week on the Report Card published by the Children’s Rights Alliance.
The report gives the outgoing Government an E- (E minus) in relation to Child Poverty and describes progress in this area as unsatisfactory. It highlights that child poverty has deepened and that the number of children living in consistent poverty has risen from 9.3 per cent in 2011 to 11.2 per cent in 2014.
According to Deputy O’Dea, it also highlights that lone parents in particular are vulnerable to poverty and social exclusion.
“The policies pursued by the outgoing Government in relation to the One Parent Family Payment have caused a great deal of hardship for one parent families and the failure of their policies is reflected in the fact that 22 per cent of lone parent households are living in consistent poverty, while almost 59 per cent are experiencing deprivation,” he commented.
“This report highlights that too many children are experiencing poverty and social exclusion. This has a devastating effect on children and can have long term consequences in terms of future outcomes. It is creating a two-tier society, which is not only detrimental for the individual being left behind, but for society as a whole.”
