Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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610. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the number of persons in consistent poverty here based on the latest SILC data; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51306/19]

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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611. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the national poverty target; the number of persons that will have to be taken out of poverty for the target to be met; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51307/19]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 610 and 611 together.

The National Social Target for Poverty Reduction aims to reduce consistent poverty from the 2010 baseline of 6.3% to 2% or less by 2020. This was an ambitious target but one to which the Government has remained committed. Data from the CSO Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC) show that consistent poverty rose sharply from the 2010 level, to a peak of 9.0% in 2013. However the most recent SILC data from 2018 show that this had reduced to 5.6%, down from the 2017 figure of 6.7%.

Using the CSO estimated population figure for 2018 (4.857m people), the 2018 consistent poverty rate of 5.6% equates to some 272,000 people. Between 2016 (when the rate was 8.3%) and 2018, over 118,000 people were lifted out of consistent poverty. This is a welcome and significant decrease. Nevertheless, a reduction of over 3.6 percentage points is required to meet the 2% target by 2020. Based on the 2018 estimated population figure, this equates to slightly less than 175,000 people.

While this remains a challenge, I expect the poverty data for 2019 and 2020, when they become available, to show further improvement over the 2018 outcomes in light of the continuing economic recovery and measures introduced in the most recent Budgets. I will continue to work with my Government colleagues to ensure that the economic recovery is experienced in all regions and by all families, households and individuals.

Willie O'Dea (Limerick City, Fianna Fail)
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612. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection the reason there was an increase in the at risk of poverty rate for those not at work due to an illness or a disability in the latest SILC data; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51308/19]

Regina Doherty (Meath East, Fine Gael)
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The most recent data from the Survey on Income and Living Conditions 2018 was published by the CSO in late November. It shows that the 2018 at-risk-of-poverty rate for people with a principal economic status (PES) of ‘not at work due to illness of disability’ was 47.7%, an increase on the 2017 rate (35.4%). In 2018, the at-risk-of-poverty (AROP) threshold for a single person increased by €1,200 to €13,723 per year. This was primarily driven by an increase in employment income.

The at-risk-of-poverty rate is determined by the percentage of individuals with an equivalised disposable income below 60% of the median equivalised disposable income. The calculation of equivalised income is based on household income, and thus is dependent on the income of others in the household.

This is of importance when considering those with a PES of ‘not at work due to illness/disability’ in 2018. Almost 68% of this group were living in households where nobody worked. As a result, the equivalised disposable income of those ‘not working due to illness/disability’ did not increase at the same rate as the AROP threshold in 2018.

It is interesting to note that the 2018 deprivation rate for this group was 36.7%, a reduction on the 2017 rate of 45.9%. Looking at this more closely, the deprivation rate for those within this group who were alsoat-risk-of-poverty saw a large decrease from 67.8% in 2017 to 44.7% in 2018. This is reflected in the 2018 consistent poverty rate for this group (those both at-risk-of-poverty andexperiencing deprivation) which was 21.3%, down from the 2017 rate of 24%.

This means that, while the at-risk-of-poverty rate rose for people with a PES of ‘not at work due to illness/disability’ in 2018, the deprivation rate fell, particularly for those within the group who were also at risk of poverty.

Across Budgets 2017 to 2020, the Government increased maximum weekly welfare payments by €15 per week with proportionate increases for qualified adult dependents; introduced a new qualified child rate for children over 12 years of age and increased weekly qualified child rates by €6.20 for children under 12 and €10.60 for those over-12, amongst other measures.

It can take some time for the full impact of budgetary measures to reflected in data from the Survey on Income and Living Conditions. Given the continuing economic recovery and the measures introduced in recent Budgets, I expect to see the poverty data for 2019 and 2020, when they become available, to show further improvements over the 2018 outcomes. I will continue to work with my Government colleagues to ensure that the economic recovery is experienced in all regions and by all families, households and individuals.