3 February, 2005

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Poverty levels more damning than jailing of Burke

Photo: Former Fianna Fáil minister Ray Burke is led off to serve his time

Sinn Féin Dáil spokesperson on Health and Children, Caoimhghin Ó Caoláin, has described the report published last week, which showed that nearly one in four people were at risk of poverty, as a "much more damning indictment of the record of governments than the jailing of Ray Burke".

Ó Caoláin made his comments during Leaders' Questions in the Dáil on Wednesday. He described the persistence of this level of poverty and inequality, in a State that is supposedly one of the wealthiest in the world, as "a disgrace". He specifically asked the Tánaiste, who was standing in for the Taoiseach, what was "her response to the fact that after a decade of the so-called Celtic Tiger, it is children more than any other group who are living in consistent poverty.

"Nearly 15% of children under 15 are consistently poor - in other words living in homes which struggle to provide adequate food, heating and clothing. Isn't this a much more damning indictment of the record of Governments than the jailing of Ray Burke?"

Calling for an increase in Child Benefit and Child Dependent Allowance, he said: "We have the resources in this country to ensure that no child suffers deprivation."

Ó Caoláin also described the cutting of funding to the Community Workers Co-op as a "scandal" and called for it to be reversed as "the organisation has been doing major work to combat poverty for the last 24 years".

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