Dr. Karina Doorley:

It depends on what the Deputy means by a gap. What we identified is that the current system is doing a really good job. It is lifting a considerable proportion of children who would otherwise be poor above the poverty line, but there is still a problem with child poverty. It is not a problem that is specific to Ireland. There are many European and other OECD countries where child poverty rates are higher than the rates among the rest of the population.