Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)

What is the Taoiseach's response to Social Justice Ireland's assessment of the European Council's failure to set targets for poverty reduction and educational disadvantage? The Social Justice Ireland commentary on the European Council meeting concluded that European leaders seem to be abandoning the most vulnerable people in Europe. Let us consider the draft EU 2020 strategy presented by the Commission to the council. It set very modest targets indeed but it was not even accepted. It was overturned and rejected by the Heads of Government in favour of what Social Justice Ireland has described as meaningless aspirations.

Does the Taoiseach agree with the European Anti-Poverty Network that this sends a remarkably negative message about our commitments, that of the Taoiseach and the Government and about the EU's purported desire to tackle poverty and social exclusion given that 4.2% of our population are living in consistent poverty, 14.4% live in relative poverty and, at present throughout the European Union, some 84 million live in relative poverty? How does the Taoiseach explain the failure on his part and that of the Irish representation and the European Union to act against this very sorry set of statistics? It is very important because sometimes the view is that job creation of itself is the entire panacea for the issue of tacking poverty. Does the Taoiseach not accept that some 30% of those here living in poverty have jobs? They include the heads of households who are at work but they are living in poverty because of the low-pay circumstances in which they work.

Does the Taoiseach not accept that a more complex and broad response is required to truly tackle all causes of poverty? Does the Taoiseach not agree that a poverty reduction strategy with binding periodic targets enforced by the European Union with at least the same vigour with which it pursues its economic goals should have been adopted at last the European Council meeting last Thursday and Friday?

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