Increase in Deprivation is this Government’s Great Shame

  22 January 2015

Increase in Deprivation is this Government’s Great Shame.

- Wexford third poorest County in Ireland;
New Ross the most disadvantaged countywide-

 Fianna Fáil Councillor Michael Sheehan has slammed the record of this Government in tackling poverty as statistics from the CSO released on Wednesday show that 30.5% people in Ireland now live in deprivation. This figure is up from 13.7% in 2008. The statistics also show that almost one in eight children now live in consistent poverty.

 Councillor Sheehan added that "These shocking statistics show how pointless the Labour party has become in Government. Having been elected to protect those who struggle to pay their bills from day-to-day or need a helping hand, Labour in Government have proven themselves to be one of the most irrelevant and out of touch political parties in our country's history.

Since becoming Minister for Social Protection, the leader of the Labour Party has presided over approximately €1.8 billion in cuts to social programmes. The number of long term unemployed has remained static at 180,000 for the past three years. 74,000 young people are still out or work and not in any education or training schemes, despite the fanfare surrounding the Youth Guarantee. Labour in Government has slashed the very supports which aim to protect vulnerable people, so it should come as no surprise that public confidence in the Government has plummeted.

"These CSO statistics must act as a wake-up call for the Government. There is no point in the Taoiseach and Ministers preaching to the world about how Ireland is experiencing a strong economic recovery when our people and our society are still sinking into deprivation. I am calling on the Government to make poverty reduction its number one priority and to ensure that any recovery is felt by everyone, not just the top earners. We cannot allow a two tier recovery to continue between urban and rural, the haves and have-nots. A new, all-encompassing poverty strategy must be developed by this Government to address this very worrying trend.

This latest CSO report backs up the recent information by the All Ireland Research Observatory which has some startling information on the poverty levels in Wexford. In the Deprivation indices, New Ross and Enniscorthy fall well below the average and Wexford and Gorey are marginally below average.

Countywide we are the third poorest County in the State, registering nearly 87% marginally or below the average. On a more worrying trend and a deeper analysis, nearly 21% of the County is designated disadvantaged/ very disadvantaged. The people may feel that this government, be it jobs, be it investment has let Wexford down. The people are right.


Cllr Michael Sheehan, M.C.C.