We pride ourselves as being one of the richest countries in Europe. And yet our citizens experience deprivation levels that are only matched in Portugal and the Slovak Republic. Nearly one in five people are at risk of poverty because of their low income thresholds while 7 per cent experience consistent poverty and go without necessary food, heating or clothing.
This is not just an economic scandal, it is an indictment of political leadership and of the selfishness and social values that have brought us to this point.
Government ministers normally reject critical international surveys on the grounds that the statistics used are outdated and that much has altered in the meantime. That avenue of escape is not open on this occasion because the EU report on Irish living conditions uses up-to-date figures, reflecting changes from the last budget. And the findings are cringe-making.
It would be wrong to suggest that the Government has been blind to these unacceptable levels of poverty. The last two budgets by Minister for Finance Brian Cowen have shown a shift in the right direction. And further relief has been promised for elderly citizens next month. The percentage of people at risk of poverty has fallen. In terms of correcting the gross imbalances and inequalities grounded in our society by the fiscal policies of his predecessor Charlie McCreevy, however, he has only been tinkering at the edges.
Forty-one per cent of single-parent families now experience deprivation, compared to one in five pensioners. In both instances, the numbers affected have improved recently because of social welfare increases. But even if the Government repeats the budgetary exercise of last year, these people will remain critically exposed to cost-of-living increases. The same will hold true for the ill and the disabled.
Those at risk of poverty include the "working poor"; families that fail to qualify for a variety of allowances but are exposed to the full brunt of cost increases. Here, as with single-parent families, children may be the long-term losers because of the impact of deprivation on their health and on their education opportunities. The Government and the Minister for Social and Family Affairs, Seamus Brennan, know what has to be done to lift these people out of poverty and to give them a chance to achieve their potential. Providing access to childcare, training and education will be expensive. But these are the kinds of anti-poverty measures that are desperately required if we are to get to grips with the neglect of the past.