Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We know that social welfare will always work to reduce poverty. If we did not have social welfare, we would obviously have much more poverty. Regrettably, however, the latest statistics on the incidence of poverty and income distribution are two years old. I do not blame the Minister specifically for this situation but it should be addressed by the Government. We are in the unusual position whereby I can get up-to-date CSO figures on the number of cows in County Limerick but I do not know the incidence of poverty in that county for 2014.

The figures from 2012 revealed that one in six people was living below the internationally accepted poverty line. The poverty line had decreased because of the economic downturn in the preceding years. One in six of the population equates to 750,000 people. The 2012 figures also showed that the deprivation rate, whereby people go without at least two of the 11 basic necessities, was 26.9%, which equates to a staggering 1.2 million people. Is the Minister confident that the statistics for 2014 will show an improvement in that situation?

See this speech in context