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

There is no bigger partitionist party than Deputy Brady's.

I think we are all agreed that the figures are out-dated. The figures from 2014 showed a 12% rate of consistent child poverty. There has probably been an assumption that the figures have improved much more than they actually have between 2014 and 2016. I would agree that when the reality becomes evident and we get the figures it will become evident that the back-to-school clothing and footwear allowance should have been adjusted upwards in order to target child poverty.

However, the amendment does not achieve that. The Minister has said, and I agree, that CSO publishes the figures on an annual basis. However, it is not a question of publishing the figures on an annual basis; it is a question of publishing more up-to-date figures on an annual basis. The figures that are published are wrong. The amendment simply calls for the Minister to publish figures which he is doing already. We want to see more up-to-date figures and the amendment does not provide for that.

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