'One-fifth' of Irish citizens face poverty

from The Irish Times

Clodagh Mulvey

Almost one-fifth of all Irish citizens are at risk of poverty, and Ireland is not protecting its most vulnerable members, it was claimed today.

Publishing its annual socio-economic review, the Conference of the Religious in Ireland (Cori) Justice group also claimed that nearly one third of those at risk of poverty come from households headed by an employed person.

The statistics were revealed in the social partner's 238-page annual review, Addressing Inequality.

One of the organisations responsible for negotiating and signing the last four social agreements with Government, including Partnership 2000and Towards 2016, Cori Justice said its latest research showed Ireland was now a two-tier society that is sustaining a widening wealth gap.

Calling on all political parties, ahead of the general election, to give equal priority to social as well as economic development, Cori Justice director Fr Seán Healy said: "At a time of growing national prosperity, it is clear that many have missed out on the boom times.

"Despite the huge economic growth of recent years Ireland is a long way from being a society characterised by fairness, equality and wellbeing," he said.

"It is clearer than ever that Ireland is a country of growing socio-economic divides. Any society is measured by how it treats its most vulnerable people. By this measurement Ireland is failing."

Fr Healy added: "It is time that Irish policy-makers gave equal priority to social development and economic development. Otherwise our society will not be socially sustainable."

In its report, Cori Justice outlined a number of areas it says require the attention of Government, including income, taxation, housing and accomodation and rural development.

The social partner said that Ireland's per capita income is "far above the EU average", but said infrastructure and social provision fell well below that of its EU neighbours.