A failure to reduce child poverty numbers will be one of this Government\u2019s most shameful legacies, according to Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore.<\/p>\n
Deputy Whitmore, who is the party\u2019s spokesperson on children, said:<\/p>\n
\u201cDespite record budget surpluses, there are more than 260,000 children living in poverty in Ireland \u2013 an increase of 30,000 in the past year alone.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf these, around 58,000 children are experiencing consistent, deep poverty due to cost-of-living pressures and extremely low incomes. This is causing serious harm to these children on an ongoing basis.<\/p>\n
\u201cChild poverty is not inevitable \u2013 it is something that can be tackled if the right political choices are made.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen Leo Varadkar last took up office as Taoiseach, he pledged make this issue a priority so that Ireland would be the best country in Europe to be a child.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith more than quarter of a million children \u2013 or one in five \u2013 living in poverty, these words now ring hollow.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs End Child Poverty Week 2024 gets under way, it is fitting that we reflect on the Government\u2019s abysmal record in this area.<\/p>\n
\u201cA failure to reduce child poverty numbers will be one of its most shameful legacies.<\/p>\n
\u201cInstead of a focus on transient one-off measures in the budget, it is clear that more targeted supports are required to lift children and their families out of poverty.\u201d<\/p>\n
September 2, 2024<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A failure to reduce child poverty numbers will be one of this Government\u2019s most shameful legacies, according to Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore. Deputy Whitmore, who is the party\u2019s spokesperson on children, said: \u201cDespite record budget surpluses, there are more than 260,000 children living in poverty in Ireland \u2013 an increase of 30,000 in the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2069,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[542,268,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7213","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-child-poverty","category-jennifer-whitmore","category-press-release"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n