Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party)
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The Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020–2025is the national strategy for poverty reduction and social inclusion. The ambitious headline target is to reduce the percentage of the population in consistent poverty to 2% or less by 2025. The Roadmap also includes other indicators to support on delivery of this ambition.

Official poverty data is published annually by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) in the Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC). SILC 2022 data shows that there have been improvements across the key national poverty indicators over the last decade. The rate of consistent poverty has decreased to 5.3% in 2022, from a high of 9.0% in 2013.

And while poverty rates did increase in 2022, the SILC 2022 results were similar to the results of SILC 2020, despite the onset and subsequent wide ranging impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on lives and incomes. In addition, the SILC 2022 data relates to income in the calendar year 2021 and does not include the measures implemented and announced by this Government in Budgets 2022, 2023 and 2024, as well as cost of living packages, that have prioritised the introduction of measures that have had and will continue to have a direct and positive impact on poverty.

In this regard, post Budget analysis from the ESRI found that Budget 2023, combined with one-off measures to reduce the cost of living, were effective in protecting most households from rising prices last winter. Additionally, similar ESRI post-Budget analysis shows that measures announced under Budget 2024, were progressive with the greatest gains going to lower income quintiles and would again insulate most households from rising prices next year.

We continue to see the significant impact played by social transfers on reducing poverty and reducing income inequality. The At Risk of Poverty rate before social transfers was 36.7% in 2022, but this reduced to 13.1% after transfers were included. This represents an overall poverty reduction effect of 64%, meaning Ireland continues to be one of the best performing countries in the EU for this measure.

The SILC survey results will be incorporated into our annual reporting on progress against targets set out in the Roadmap for Social Inclusion. The continued implementation of Roadmap commitments is key to ensuring a reduction in poverty for all segments in society.

The 17th of October last week was the UN International Day for the eradication of poverty. Every year my Department funds initiatives by community groups and projects to raise awareness of this important day. This year I was able to attend the event to commemorate this initiative and listened to the testimony of people experiencing poverty. While it is clear we have made progress in reducing poverty in recent years I acknowledge that we still have much work to do and I will continue to work with my Government colleagues as we strive for further improvements across the key national poverty indicators, ensuring continued support for those most at risk of poverty.