John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

This morning, the ESRI published a major study into deprivation in 11 EU countries between 2004 and 2015. The study distinguishes between social groups who experience spells of deprivation and those who experience deprivation persistently. Across all countries, the highest material deprivation rates were found for the same two social groups: lone parents and working age adults with a disability. The study showed a significant gap in the rate of deprivation experienced by vulnerable adults in Ireland compared with other countries.

Out of 11 EU countries, Ireland's gap was the largest and it had increased the most between 2004 and 2015. The ERSI found that lone parents and adults with a disability were worse off than other people of the same age. In Ireland, the persistent deprivation rate is 26% higher among lone parents and 14% higher for adults with a disability and others. In Ireland and the UK, the persistent deprivation gap between vulnerable adults and other adults increased significantly over time. This did not happen in nine other countries. The lead researcher of the report, Professor Dorothy Watson of the ESRI, said that policies that successfully reduce poverty for the population as whole are not enough to support vulnerable groups and that proactive steps are required to address the deprivation experienced by lone parents and adults with disabilities and to tackle the higher rate of child poverty associated with these households. Such interventions are particularly urgent in Ireland because as the data shows the deprivation gap is most pronounced here.

The Indecon report published last year showed increases in deprivation rates for lone parent families. Among those surveyed, the majority of lone parents could not afford basic necessities such as a warm coat, a good pair of shoes or to turn on their heating. The Central Statistics Office, CSO, survey on income and living conditions, SILC, shows an increase in the at-risk poverty rate for lone parent families to 40.2% compared to a rate of 12% in households with two adults; a consistent poverty rate among lone parent families of 24.6% compared to 6.4% in households with two adults and a deprivation rate among lone parent families of 50% compared to 17.8% in a two adult household.

We now have another report in which Ireland stands out in terms of persistent deprivation among lone parent families when compared to ten other countries.

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