Written answers

Wednesday, 5 February 2025

Department of Rural and Community Development

Poverty Data

Photo of Donna McGettiganDonna McGettigan (Clare, Sinn Fein)
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1412. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the level of consistent poverty in each of the electoral areas of Ennis, Ennistymon, Killaloe, Kilrush, and Shannon, in County Clare, for each of the years 2011 to 2024, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3391/25]

Photo of Donna McGettiganDonna McGettigan (Clare, Sinn Fein)
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1414. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the level of food poverty in each of the electoral areas of Ennis, Ennistymon, Killaloe, Kilrush, and Shannon, in the County of Clare for each of the years 2011 to 2024, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3393/25]

Photo of Dara CallearyDara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 1412 and 1414 together.

Pobal’s HP Deprivation Index is Ireland’s primary social gradient tool, used by many Government Departments, including my own, and state agencies for the identification of disadvantage, in order to target resources towards communities most in need.

The Index is a robust and reliable tool, using data from Ireland’s census to identify relative levels of affluence or disadvantage across geographic areas throughout the country.

The HP Deprivation index uses a number of variables to determine area deprivation scores, however it is not a tool for collection and reporting of specific metrics such as food poverty or consistent poverty in particular areas.

I would recommend the deputy contact the Central Statistics Office who may be in a position to provide the requested information.

Photo of Donna McGettiganDonna McGettigan (Clare, Sinn Fein)
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1416. To ask the Minister for Rural and Community Development the deprivation rates in each of the electoral areas of Ennis, Ennistymon, Killaloe, Kilrush, and Shannon, in the county of Clare, for each of the years 2011 to 2024, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3395/25]

Photo of Dara CallearyDara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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The Pobal HP Deprivation Index is Ireland’s primary social gradient tool, used by many Government Departments, including my own, and state agencies for the identification of disadvantage, in order to target resources towards communities most in need.

The Index is a robust and reliable tool, using data from Ireland’s census to identify relative levels of affluence or disadvantage across geographic areas throughout the country.

The current iteration of the Index uses data from Census 2022, analysing ten measures of an area’s levels of disadvantage. These include educational attainment, employment status and the numbers living in individual households. More detailed information on the index can be found on the Pobal website at .

The below table sets out a breakdown of HP Deprivation Index scores for the County Clare Electoral Areas of Ennis, Ennistymon, Killaloe, Kilrush, and Shannon for each of the years 2011 to 2024.

The current Local Electoral Areas (LEA) reflect the changes as defined in the Local Electoral Areas Order 2018. Prior to 2018, the Local Electoral Areas of Ennistymon and Kilrush had not come into effect, and the electoral area of West Clare comprised of both at that time. As such specific HP Deprivation Index scores for those areas are not available prior to 2018.

For the purposes of making the data comparable when looking back at the other Local Electoral Areas data, the West Clare 2022 Deprivation Index score has been recalculated using a weighted average from the Ennistymon and Kilrush Local Electoral Areas.

LEA Name 2006 HP Deprivation Index 2011 HP Deprivation Index 2016 HP Deprivation Index 2022 HP Deprivation Index
Ennis 1.0 1.4 1.2 1.14
Killaloe 2.0 1.7 1.6 2.88
Shannon 1.0 1.0 .6 0.3
West Clare (Split in 2018) -3.5 -3.9 -3.4 -2.4
Ennistymon (Created in 2018) NA NA NA 0.35
Kilrush (Created in 2018) NA NA NA -4.62

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