Over 750,000 People Living In Poverty - Report

A new report has revealed over 750,000 people are living in poverty in Ireland.

In its policy briefing on Poverty, Deprivation and Inequality, think tank Social Justice Ireland stated the number of poverty living in poverty has increased by more than 100,000.

Over 57% of these people are not connected to the labour market, such as those who are retired, students, people in caring roles of people who are ill or have a disability.

Some of the key challenges facing the Government includes:

• 18% of adults in poverty are employed

• The top 10% of household received 24% of Ireland's total disposable income while the bottom 10% receive 3%

• Almost one in five children live in households with incomes below the poverty lines

• Most weekly social assistance rates paid to single people are €30 below the poverty line.

The organisation stated social welfare "is of critical importance" to addressing poverty issues, as without it "more than half" of the population would be living in poverty.

It added if Government wishes to lessen the income divide, it must first prioritise those at the bottom of the income distribution and design policies to address the "wide variety" of households and adults in poverty.

To view the Policy, Deprivation and Inequality briefing, visit here.

(LM/CD)