Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The anti-poverty strategy is encompassed in the social inclusion policy and also the action plan for jobs. As the Deputy knows, the phrase "below the poverty line" does not mean that a person is living in poverty. It includes people who are at risk of poverty but who are not in poverty, as well as those who are in poverty. The figure provided by the Deputy of the number of people who are in employment and also at risk of poverty represents about 5% of people in employment; 95% of people in work are not in poverty. That is one of the better figures when compared against European counterparts. The best thing we can do about that is to help people to work more hours, support people with the cost of childcare, implement the action plan for jobs and reform the working family payment, as we have done already, which means that anybody with children who is working more than 19 hours a week is guaranteed not to be in poverty.

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