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

We have no objection in principle to the amendment. The point that has just been made by the previous speaker is valid. The Government's commitment was to reduce the incidence of consistent poverty among the population as a whole to 4% by 2016. When last measured - the figures were for early 2014 - the level was 8%. We are, therefore, operating in a vacuum. We cannot reasonably ask the Minister what progress has been made almost three years down the line because we still do not have the latest figures. Is there any mechanism by which the poverty figures could be made more relevant? The latest figure, again for 2014, for the incidence of consistent child poverty is about 12%, or nearly one in eight children. The actual figure is 134,000, which in this day and age is shocking in a developed economy. The Minister may tell us that the position has improved substantially since 2014, but anecdotal evidence is all we have to go on because we do not have the up-to-date figures. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul tells us that it has never been busier in terms of the amounts spend and the numbers of telephone calls received. On the figures for the levels of homelessness in Dublin, the number of people sleeping on the streets has more than doubled in the past 12 months. Even though I have not seen the official figures for Limerick, I would say the numbers there are probably even worse. I know this from my observations in walking around the streets. The hostels are full. They are now giving sleeping bags to people to sleep outside in this weather, which, again, is quite remarkable and it is evident to anybody walking the streets of Limerick. I am constantly stopped by people who ask for my help in getting into a hostel. When I make inquiries, I find that, almost invariably, the hostels are full, which means that people have nowhere to go for the night. The problem is becoming acute and we have all the signs that the Government's consistent poverty reduction targets are not being met.

I must ask about the validity of having a programme to reduce the incidence of consistent poverty to a certain percentage by a certain year when we do not have the figures for that year. We have no mechanism by which to measure it. Can we make it realistic? As Deputy John Brady rightly said, when one is planning budgets and legislating, one has the levels of child poverty and consistent poverty among the population as a whole in mind. In order to introduce the proper targeted measures to alleviate these levels, what one needs first are the figures. Figures will always be dated to some extent. The latest report will be for a period some three or six months ago, but it is unacceptable that the most recent figures we have in discussing budget 2017 are for early 2014. I ask the Minister to tell me whether the matter can be rectified because, clearly, the position is unacceptable.

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