Written answers

Wednesday, 14 November 2007

Department of Social and Family Affairs

Anti-Poverty Strategy

9:00 pm

Photo of Arthur MorganArthur Morgan (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Question 168: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the percentage of households in poverty in 2006 and to date in 2007 which were headed by a person with a job. [28899/07]

Photo of Martin CullenMartin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)
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Information on poverty levels, deprivation and social exclusion are provided in the EU Survey on Income and Living Conditions (EU–SILC), which is conducted on an annual basis by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) and which commenced in Ireland in 2003. The most recent results are for the year 2005. The results for 2006 are due to be published before the end of this year.

In 2005 the percentage of households 'at risk of poverty' and whose principal economic status was 'at work' was 8.2%. This rate was significantly lower than that for the total population, which was 18.0% in 2005. However, households whose income falls below the 60% median income threshold are classified as being "at risk of poverty", but are not necessarily in poverty. An indicator has been developed by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), called "consistent poverty", which identifies the proportion of people 'at risk of poverty', who are classified as being in poverty due to being deprived of certain goods or services considered essential for a basic standard of living. This measure was recently updated and revised by the ESRI. It is now used in the National Action Plan for Social Inclusion (NAPinclusion) 2007-2016. In 2005 the percentage of persons whose principal economic status was 'at work' and who were in "consistent poverty" was 2.2%. This compares with a rate of 6.5% for the total population.

Low levels of unemployment over the past decade have helped to lift a significant number of people out of poverty. A key objective of the NAPinclusion is to remove barriers to people obtaining better quality, full time employment through a series of "activation" measures including education, training, provision of child care, assistance with job search and job placement, appropriate income support, and access to essential services. The measures provided for also specifically include more support for lone parents and for people with disabilities in increasing their participation in employment and measures to improve progression opportunities for people in low skilled employment.

The degree of commitment to meeting this challenge is reflected in the overall poverty goal in the NAPinclusion, which is to reduce the number of those experiencing consistent poverty to between 2% and 4% by 2012, with the aim of eliminating consistent poverty by 2016. The objectives of the NAPinclusion have been prioritised in the Programme for Government, which underlines the Government's fundamental commitment to the social inclusion agenda. My plans, in working with Government to deliver the programme over the coming years, are to build on the significant progress that has been made in reducing poverty in the past decade and to deliver real improvements in living standards and well being so that all households whether in work or dependent wholly or partially on income support participate in the benefits of our economic success.

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