Child Poverty: A Legacy of the Fianna Fail/PD Government

Without a doubt the last ten years has seen significant improvements in the Irish economy. However, despite advances made in our economy, it is quite clear that we continue to live in a society with glaring inequalities in areas such as income distribution, health, education and housing. Recent figures show that over 65,000 children live in constant poverty in an Ireland that is supposedly one of the richest countries in Europe.

Poverty and disadvantage are an everyday occurrence in housing estates in urban areas of this country and also in many rural parts of the country. In a country that has pledged to cherish all the children of the nation equally, one in seven children continue to live in poverty according to the children’s charity Barnardos.

Combat Poverty quite correctly point out that child poverty makes a difference to children’s health, their educational achievement, how long they will live, how well they develop physically and mentally, what kinds of jobs they get, as well as on their overall life opportunities.

The first step in dealing with any crisis is to recognise that the crisis exists. The Government committed to reduce the number of children in consistent poverty to below 2% and, if possible, to end child poverty completely in the National Anti-Poverty Strategy and set 2007 as the target date for achieving this commitment. Yet, if these targets are to be met, significant and radical measures will have to be taken in the forthcoming budget as this will be the last one before the governments target date.

The indication from Brian Cowen is that this budget will go down as another missed opportunity in the fight against poverty and child poverty in particular. It is this lack of political leadership on the issue that has led to the unacceptable high levels of child poverty.

The Labour Party recently published A Fair Deal: Fighting Poverty and Exclusion, where the party sets out how it proposes to tackle this issue following the general election. The publication of this Labour Party policy document on fighting poverty and exclusion seeks to find solutions to the issue of poverty and exclusion in Ireland. The four main policy areas that the plan focus on are as follows:

• A Fair Deal For Communities: The revitalisation of area-based interventions in areas and neighbourhoods of chronic multiple deprivation, including in the delivery and provision of such services in deprived areas;
• Reform in the fields of education, training and Labour market regulation;
• Both area based and nationally;
• Welfare Reform to tackle child poverty and promote opportunity; and
• Adopting a whole of Government approach to poverty and inequality.

Over the next few weeks I hope to discuss these proposals in greater detail. The issue of poverty and child poverty in particular is a challenge for all political parties but it is a challenge that must be met head on.