James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Deputies for their contributions. I have considered the Labour Party motion. The Government has presented its countermotion on child poverty and homelessness, which shows our determination to drive down the child poverty rates, increase supports for families and tackle family homelessness. We have outlined the significant progress we have made and reinforced our firm commitment to delivering more progress on these critical issues. Ireland has seen extraordinary social and economic progress over the previous four decades. Reductions in poverty, alongside improvements to living standards, have demonstrated the transformative potential of collective action. However, despite these schemes, poverty persists and inequalities remain. Many people struggle to make ends meet and remain one misfortune away from falling into poverty.

Strengthening the resilience of households and communities to prevent people descending into poverty is crucial. That is why the Government is determined to address poverty, and child poverty in particular. I recognise that while figures and statistics and crucial for measuring progress, they are certainly not the full picture. Behind the statistics, figures and percentages are real people with daily lived experiences of poverty, deprivation and exclusion. Indeed, the highly progressive Irish taxation system and social transfers are extremely effective at redistributing income and are recognised as one of the most effective at poverty alleviation in the EU. From an international perspective and according to Eurostat, Ireland's at-risk-of-poverty rate fell from 13.4% in 2022 to 12.3% in 2024. This remained below the EU 27 average of 16%, with Ireland's ranking improving from seventh in 2022 to fifth in 2024.

Ireland continued to be the best-performing country in the EU in the context of reducing poverty and inequality through social transfers in 2024. Social transfers reduced at the risk of poverty rate by 62.7% in Ireland, substantially higher than the EU average of 34.1%. While Ireland's system of social transfers is among the best performing across the EU, the Government and I are conscious that we must continue to strive to do more and assist those families who are in poverty. The latest poverty data from the Central Statistics Office is disappointing and shows us that investing in child poverty must be a continual process. We also must remember this data does not reflect the Government's full response to child poverty in 2024 and 2025 through budget and other measures. The Taoiseach spoken about the need to deal with child poverty holistically if we are to have a decisive impact. He has also reiterated his determination that this Government would do everything it can to remove the hurdles facing too many children experiencing poverty, to make the rates fair and to give every child an equal start.

It is important to recognise that Ireland continues to make great progress in cross-national comparisons across EU member states in terms of addressing poverty and social inclusion. Reducing child poverty is not only crucial for our children, it is also important for our communities and country to ensure a fairer and more cohesive society.

Our determination to reduce child poverty is reflected in the delivery of our programme for Government commitments to date and the establishment of the child poverty and well-being programme office in the Department of the Taoiseach, the setting of a new and ambitious child poverty target, unprecedented increases in core social welfare rates and targeted payments that support families and children most in need and investment in key programmes and initiatives, such as the hot school meals and free schoolbooks programme. We are fully aware of the work that remains to be done over the lifetime of this Government and beyond to reduce child poverty, and we are committed to this.

In the context of budget 2026, the Government has made clear the importance of focusing investment and resources to families with children where it is most needed. In making our budgetary decisions, targeted measures aimed at tackling child poverty and reducing homelessness will be at the core.

In relation to income support, our key focus will be on existing targeted measures that we know work, such as the child support and working family payments. In line with our programme for Government commitments, we are continuing to explore a targeted child benefit payment, and, as the Minister, Deputy Calleary, said, while work is under way, a second-tier payment is complex and will take time to get right. As a result, it will not be announced as part of budget 2026.

In tackling child poverty, it is essential that we do so by means of a cross-government approach. For example, this includes focusing on targeted measures in relation to homelessness and housing. The additional €15 million that I allocated to my Department in the past few weeks for a second-hand acquisitions budget is a clear and unambiguous reflection of the Government’s commitment in this regard. When I became Minister, there was €60 million available for second-hand acquisitions. It is now the middle of September, and that has increased to €375 million already. This additional funding complements a range of other measures to address long-term homelessness and will, as I said, be ring-fenced and targeted at acquisitions that support families, primarily those larger families with children, to exit long-term emergency accommodation into housing. Together with income supports and measures relating to homelessness and housing in budget 2026 and beyond, I will continue to concentrate on expanding the vital services in our communities. However, we cannot achieve everything in a single budget. Tackling child poverty and homelessness will require a concerted and continued effort over the lifetime of this Government. That is a firm commitment, as the Taoiseach outlined in the context of child poverty and well-being earlier this month. We know that we have work to do, and we are determined to do it.

On housing, in the national development plan that was recently announced, one in every three euro will now be spent on delivering housing. That money will go either into the Department of housing or into Uisce Éireann to facilitate water to deliver housing. It is an extraordinary level of funding. I hear Opposition TDs saying that we are not spending enough money. Those same TDs now need to indicate what they would cut. Would they cut funding from education?

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