Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

A number of weeks ago Social Justice Ireland revealed that one in ten children goes to school without proper clothing or breakfast. The CSO revealed recently that 10% of the population is living in food poverty. Today we read, in a report from Trinity College and the ESRI, that two thirds of families of thousands of teenagers surveyed for the Growing Up In Ireland study are experiencing significant hardship and that the number of families in that situation has doubled in four years. Another survey reveals that nine out of ten people believe that after the forthcoming budget they will have less money to pay for basic food items.

It is incredible that poverty and hunger are stalking the land in the 21st century. Against this background the Government plans to impose a tax of between €400 and €500 per year on the homes of already struggling families. Is there any red line the Labour Party will not cross? Is it willing to drive hundreds of thousands of families into poverty and hunger? Can the Tánaiste give us an assurance that those who are already struggling to put food on the table, clothe their children and pay their bills will be given protection and perhaps even relief in the forthcoming budget?

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