The Government remains "totally committed" to reducing poverty in Irish society but there is still some way to go, Minister for Family Affairs Seamus Brennan has acknowledged.
Addressing a Combat Poverty Agency conference on social inclusion at Dublin Castle today, Mr Brennan said 250,000 people had been lifted out of poverty in the past decade but said between 80,000 and 220,000 continue to live on the breadline.
The Minister said that income supports alone, no matter how generous, will not eradicate real poverty. He called on project workers, organisations and government bodies to work together to tackle the issue.
"If our combined efforts can lift more than a quarter of a million people out of real poverty in less than a decade then together we can go that extra mile," he said. "That extra mile means delivering a society in which nobody is denied the chance to live decent and secure lives, free from the clutches of poverty."
Mr Brennan said the Government's commitment to reducing poverty and social exclusion has been repeatedly demonstrated, with funding for welfare entitlements, supports and services doubling to almost €14 billion since 2000.
But anti-poverty actions are required across all areas of government policy for a real and lasting impact to be made, he said.
"Child poverty cannot be tolerated in the Ireland of the 21st century," continued Mr Brennan. "People in their later years are also entitled to lives that have dignity and security.
The conference, entitled "Mainstreaming Social Inclusion", will focus on the results of a three-year EU transnational exchange project.
It will highlight the need to ensure poverty and social inclusion objectives are integrated into all areas of policy making.
Additional reporting: PA