Measures to address child poverty will be speeded up, Minister for Social and Family Affairs Séamus Brennan said today.
Speaking at the publication of the Combat Poverty Agency's annual report for 2004, Mr Brennan said although overall strategies exist, particular measures should be introduced quickly.
Combat Poverty estimates that 15 per cent of children in the State live in consistent poverty - along with the United Kingdom, the highest of any OECD country.
The agency's annual report said children are twice as likely to be impoverished compared to adults. It said that financial support to parents were needed and that other measures should be taken.
Its director, Helen Johnston, said children in poverty were experiencing poor health, slower physical and mental development and lower levels of educational achievement.
Minister for Social and Family Affairs Seamus Brennan
This was a matter for society at large, and politicians at the highest level should assist in raising the profile of a problem that should not be tolerated in a modern society, she said.
"This should be supported by a strategy to ensure that all sectors of Irish society will support and contribute to policies and actions to eliminate child poverty," Ms Johnston said.
"The social partnership negotiations provide a context for making the elimination of child poverty a key national issue and a shared responsibility," she added.
Mr Brennan's comments today will be seen as an indicator of some of the measures to be announced in December's budget in which steps to assisting parents pay for childcare and the cost of rearing children are expected.
Among the proposals for dealing with the problem in the Combat Poverty report are:
- Child benefit to increase to €149.90 for first and second children and €185.40 for third subsequent children, index linked for successive years.
- Increase child dependant allowances and work towards a supplementary child benefit payment.
- Improve early education and care provision.
- Fund community level initiatives to tackle health inequalities.
- Improve the supply of social housing.
- Provide additional funds for family services with a focus on vulnerable groups.
Mr Brennan said: "The national strategies are extremely important and in time they will deliver significant results. But I am also strongly of the opinion that significant strides in social policy reform can be made in the meantime.
"The real challenge is to find ways to channel additional resources directly to support these children and their families and to do so without delay," the Minister said.
He said measures to assist the State's 86,000 lone parents would also help alleviate child poverty.
Mr Brennan today said the issue was blighting the lives of children and "sow[s] the seeds for a serious lack of later development."