Irish Greens criticise method of measuring poverty

["John O'Neill" <johnfergaloneill@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Greens criticise method of measuring poverty
By Colman Cassidy



  The use of the consistent poverty indicator, which measures income
threshold levels and experience of deprivation in charting poverty levels in
the Republic, was challenged in the Dáil yesterday by the Green Party.

Mr Dan Boyle (Green Party, Cork South Central) described the indicator as
"unique in Ireland". All other measures of income poverty "show this country
performing quite poorly". The gap between the "most wealthy" and the least
well off was the second highest in the OECD, outside the US.

"The policies the Government is pursuing, in the light of rising
unemployment and inflation running higher than the European average, will
make the situation worse," he said.

The Minister for Social and Family Affairs, Ms Coughlan, did not agree.
Indicators of poverty - relative and consistent - were academic, she argued.

"The ESRI, my Department and I agree the use of consistent poverty is a
better measure and indicator. Reliance on income is not a true reflection of
poverty." Consistent poverty had fallen from 15.1 per cent in 1994 to 6 per
cent in 2000: "The Government is committed to reducing consistent poverty to
below 2 per cent and, ideally, eliminating it by 2007."

Labour's spokesman on family and social affairs, Mr Tommy Broughan, said it
was "a demonstrable fact that we are being ripped off, right, left and
centre, particularly since the introduction of the euro". The ?10 a week Ms
Coughlan's predecessor had given people on social welfare last January had
been wiped out by inflation, he added. There had been "massive inflation in
goods and services". One in five women pensioners was living in consistent
poverty, he said.




© The Irish Times




~~~~~~~
PLEASE clip all extraneous text before replying to a message.