Government ‘must do more’ on child poverty, Taoiseach says
The Government needs to take more action to address child poverty, the Taoiseach has said.
It comes after a report found an increase in the number of children being deprived of basic essentials because of inflation.
About 230,000 children suffered from material deprivation in 2023, an increase of 30,000 children compared with 2022.
Material deprivation tracks the number of people in households unable to afford two or more items from a list of 10 essentials.
Although rates of child poverty have fallen slightly on a before-housing-cost basis, they have increased from 20 per cent in 2020 to 22 per cent in 2023 if housing costs are excluded.
The research also found there was a three per cent decline, adjusted for inflation, in the average disposable income of households with children.
Dr Barra Roantree, a co-author of the report, said a two-tier child benefit system may need to be considered.
He said: “The findings in this report suggest additional policy measures,…
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