Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The vision set out in this document is extremely timely and necessary. To eradicate child poverty and eliminate child homelessness are two monumental undertakings. They are outside the child's control. No child deserves to be in homelessness or to live in poverty. All Members of the House would agree on that. For a relatively wealthy First World country, the socioeconomic division across our society is striking. The inequity and inequality that persist across the country reinforce high levels of hunger, poverty and insecurity for many children.

Research by the Irish Youth Foundation has shown that of the 40,000 babies born during the pandemic, 8,000 of them left the maternity hospital setting to spend their first night in marginalisation, discrimination and homelessness. Barnardos Ireland tells us that 90,000 children are living in consistent poverty at present and, according to Focus Ireland, child homelessness has risen by 200% since 2014. While 1,500 children were homeless in 2014, in June 2021 the number was almost 4,000. It is essential that radical and immediate steps are taken to address these issues. It is interesting to note that our last housing policy, Rebuilding Ireland, did not even feature homelessness on its agenda. Now, in Housing for All, the goal is to eradicate it altogether, which is quite a leap. Although ambitious, there are concerns about its feasibility.

We must take account of the fact that Covid-19 and lockdowns aggravated many domestic situations whereby children's needs were not being met. These were situations where there were addiction issues, mental health issues, neglect, poverty or violence. There have been almost 25,000 domestic violence incidents reported to the Garda to date this year, and 500 of those were in my constituency of Clare. These situations unfortunately lead to adverse childhood experiences. The more a child is exposed, the more impacted his or her outcomes are later in life. I work on the Committee on Disability Matters and I work in the community with parents who are trying to gain access to services for children with additional needs, my son included. There are distinct disadvantages faced by these children. The major costs associated with assessments, interventions and assistive technologies, for example, further expose them to economic disadvantage and put them at risk of poverty. These are situations where the State must assume a stronger duty of care. Bureaucracy and lack of funding cannot justify children's rights being abused.

I could speak for longer but, unfortunately, I do not have enough time.

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