Conor McGuinness (Waterford, Sinn Fein)
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129. To ask the Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection his views in light of the latest ESRI report, that successive Governments have failed to reduce child poverty; and that only radical measures will turn the tide. [50753/25]

Dara Calleary (Mayo, Fianna Fail)
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Reducing child poverty is a key commitment of this Government.

Based on this commitment, on 10th September last, the Government agreed a new Child Poverty Target of 3% or less, based on consistent poverty, to be achieved by the end of 2030.

This new Target will guide our cross-Government focus to reduce child poverty and ensure investment is targeted at children who need it the most. The Target is very ambitious, reflecting a reduction of 5.5 percentage points from the current reported child consistent poverty rate of 8.5%, which is based on the Central Statistics Office's Survey on Income and Living Conditions 2024, published in March 2025, that is calculated based on 2023 income data.

It is important to note that until the release of the SILC in March 2025, consistent poverty in children had been on a downward trend, peaking in 2013 at 12.7% and falling to its lowest level in 2023 at 4.8%, before increasing significantly in 2024 to 8.5%.

Furthermore, it should be noted that while this latest child poverty data is very disappointing, it is based on 2023 income data and therefore does not reflect the Government’s full response to child poverty in recent years.

Overall, the last two Budgets each contained the largest social welfare packages in the history of the State and included significant increases to core social welfare rates. These measures have not yet been included in the latest CSO statistics, nor has the Government's significant investment in non-income supports and services during this time, such as Hot School Meals and free schoolbooks.

For Budget 2026, the Government has emphasised the importance of directing support to families with children where it is most needed. We know, based on research, that increases in the Child Support Payment and the Working Family Payment are highly effective in tackling child poverty. These payments provide targeted assistance directly linked to household income and are paid in addition to the universal Child Benefit. In line with our cross-Government approach to this issue, in addition to income supports, we will focus on key areas such as housing, childcare, education and employment.

Tackling child poverty is a commitment of this Government and is an issue that will require continued attention on a cross Government basis, and I am committed to achieving real progress in reducing child poverty in Ireland.