Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

On the Deputy's question on the Pobal HP deprivation index, this is Ireland's primary social gradient tool used by numerous State agencies for the identification of disadvantage to target resources towards communities most in need. The index is recognised as a robust and reliable tool for the identification of relative levels of affluence or disadvantage across geographic areas by using existing data from the national census. The index allows for an objective regional and local assessment of relative disadvantage and affluence at the small area level which can be used both for targeting resources as well as measuring change over time.

There are currently no examinations being undertaken to map the incidence of Covid-19 to the Pobal HP deprivation index that Pobal is aware of. The Pobal HP deprivation index is freely available for researchers and policymakers to use from the Pobal website. While Pobal had initially intended to undertake such an examination itself, the necessary level of granular geographic incidence rate is currently not available to Pobal for such an examination to take place.

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