Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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31. To ask the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide an update on the progress in tackling food poverty in Ireland as part of the commitment to do so in the programme for Government; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10446/14]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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There is no specific commitment in the Programme for Government to tackle food poverty and no official measure of food poverty.

The Department of Social Protection’s primary role is to provide a minimum standard of living through the social protection system. Recently published ESRI research shows that transfers lifted almost 40 per cent of the population out of poverty in 2011, which equates to a reduction of 71 per cent in the pre-social transfer at-risk-of-poverty rate. As a result, Ireland is among the best performing countries in the EU in reducing poverty through social transfers. This reflects the continuation of substantial State investment in the social protection system, despite the challenges and constraints of the economic and fiscal crisis.

In addition, the Department’s school meals programme is a targeted intervention for children at risk of food poverty and educational disadvantage. The Department has provided €37 million for the programme in 2014 which will benefit over 205,000 children across some 1,600 schools and organisations, for the academic year. In Budget 2014, I announced the provision of additional breakfast clubs to support school going children in disadvantaged areas.