Michael McCarthy (Labour)

I support Senator Terry's amendment. Economists of differing persuasions have had a long-running debate about the various types of poverty, an issue which deserves more than a cursory glance. The arguments made by both sides are particularly intriguing. I agree with the Minister that employment is a useful weapon in the fight against poverty, but education is also critical. The back to education allowance allowed people to attain education and to join the workforce. The Exchequer benefits from the taxes paid by such people when they enter employment. Many statistics have been revealed during the long-running debate on this subject. While I agree that we need to focus on investing in employment, it is more important to invest in education. Both areas are central in the fight against poverty. We need to be aware of the various types of poverty, such as consistent poverty and relative poverty, and the scales that are used to measure them. There are inconsistencies in some of the scales used by economists to distinguish the various levels of poverty. It is obvious that any level of poverty is unacceptable. This issue should be the focus of a number of Departments and, critically, the Minister.