Dr. Tricia Keilthy:

I thank Deputy Kerrane. On her first question on poverty reduction measures, obviously social protection is a core component of this and we need to ensure people have enough income. A lack of income is the main driver of poverty among households. We also need to ensure people have access to good quality services. This is why a whole-of-government approach is so important. This is what is laid out in the roadmap for social inclusion, into which we are feeding as part of our work.

It is very important when we think about families, and particularly child poverty, that we ensure access to good quality affordable childcare. We also need to ensure people have access to affordable housing, which means increasing the output of social and affordable housing. We also need to ensure children can access education on an equal footing. We want to see genuinely free primary and secondary education. We need significant investment in schemes such as those for book rentals and hot school meals, and we need an end to voluntary contributions through providing adequate funding to schools. This is what we will outline in our submission to the Department of Education later this year.

In other countries, and in the climate action Bill, we have seen the need to legislate for targets. We have poverty targets but, for example, New Zealand and Scotland have legislated to reduce and end child poverty. This is a very important mechanism to ensure we all work towards the same goal of ultimately eliminating child poverty.

Other suggestions we have made on what the Oireachtas can do include that we would love and welcome an Oireachtas committee looking at poverty and inequality. We have seen the disproportionate impact of Covid on people living in poverty and we expect to see an increase in poverty. It will be more important than ever to ensure those who experience it and are impacted by it are given a voice and their needs and experiences are highlighted in the work of our Oireachtas and elected representatives.

In terms of the fuel allowance, we wrote to the Minister for Social Protection in January when we saw that people on prepaid meters in particular were really struggling to keep their homes warm. They did not have enough money to top up the meters. We asked for an increase in the fuel allowance or an extension of the period. Unfortunately, this did not happen. We directed people to community welfare officers who were able to provide support for energy payments. The community welfare officers have discretion, which in one way is an advantage but it can be a disadvantage if the support is not given on a regular basis to people who are struggling. The restrictions, which meant people could not go into the office, also hindered access to the payment. It is still there and is still an important form of support for people.

Child maintenance is very important. We have made a submission to the review group on child maintenance. In other countries where there is a statutory child maintenance system that is guaranteed, and where it is not means tested and fully passed through to the child, there is a significant decrease in child poverty and this is also very important.

With regard to the profile of people requesting our help, 70% of our calls come from households with children and the majority of these are headed by one parent. We know this is because of the very high rates of poverty among one-parent families. This year we have seen an increase in calls from people who had not requested our support previously. These are people who have been on the pandemic unemployment payment for a long time and are facing issues with debt. Their savings are gone and there is concern about long-term unemployment. As we emerge from this crisis we must ensure that issues relating to poverty and inequality are top of the agenda from our point of view.