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

I chair an interdepartmental group which monitors the implementation of the social inclusion roadmap. We monitor poverty levels. The Deputy will be aware of the at-risk poverty rate, which is the percentage of people with an equivalised disposable income below 60% of the national equivalised median rate. We also monitor the basic deprivation rate and key in all of that is the consistent poverty rate, which is the percentage of the population that is both at risk of poverty and experiencing basic deprivation. It was 5.5% in 2019 compared with a 2018 rate 5.6%.

I also chaired the first interdepartmental group three to four weeks ago and I specifically raised this issue with the various Departments. I said that they needed to keep an eye out for the people using their services and how they were going to be adversely impacted by Covid-19, particularly those on the margins. I will be following that up at the next interdepartmental meeting.

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