Disadvanged communties being “left behind” by Government, says Gannon

Social Democrats TD Gary Gannon has accused Government of “failing miserably” in their efforts to address generational poverty.

Gannon, who is the party’s spokesperson on Social Protection, pointed to statistics published by the Pobal Deprivation Index that showed a rise in people living in areas that are classified as “very disadvantaged” or “extremely disadvantaged.”

Thr data revealed that the number of people living in areas classed as ‘very disadvantaged’ or ‘extremely disadvantaged’ increased from 143,506 in 2016 to 195,992 in 2022 – a rise of more than 52,000 over six years.

“Even though the figures show that employment growth returned to 2006 levels, areas classed as ‘very’ or ‘extremely’ disadvantaged did not experience the same level of improvement recorded in the majority of communities,” Gannon said.

Gannon noted that a “disproportionate” number of disadvantaged communities are located in his constituency of Dublin Central, as well as the north and west suburbs of the city and other locations outside the capital.

“Significantly, these are all areas where there are more lone parents, higher unemployment rates and lower levels of education,” he noted.

“Despite the Taoiseach’s pledge to make Ireland the best country in Europe to be a child, his Government continues to pay lip service to the issue of generational poverty.”

Gannon took umbrage with the recent Budget measures, where he pointed to the Qualified Child Payment rising by €4, and said that Government also failed to create a new DEIS-Plus categorisation for the most disadvantaged schools that was proposed in his party’s alternative budget.

“Eliminating poverty requires a combination of child and adult income supports, in addition to access to quality public services. The Government must now use the data published by Pobal to ensure that resources and supports are targeted at the disadvantaged areas that need them most,” he said.