Ceisteanna ar Pholasaí nó ar Reachtaíocht - Questions on Policy or Legislation
Dail Éireann — 2026-06-11
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Aidan Farrelly (SD), Kildare North

How many children experiencing poverty is too many for this Government? The Taoiseach and Tánaiste have both said child poverty is a priority for the Government. Everything seems to be a priority for this Government, but outcomes are not improving and we see that justified in the Children's Rights Alliance report this week, which told us that one in 12 children is experiencing poverty in this country. The Minister will tell me about school meals or he might talk about school books as if they are silver bullets. We know they are not. What families need is income equality. We have been told, through the rumour mill, that a second tier of child benefit is in the mix. Can the Minister confirm if this is still in the mix for budget 2027? Families also need access to quality public services, such as childcare that is affordable, diagnoses, assessments and therapeutic services. Is one in 12 children experiencing poverty too many or is it one in ten or one in eight? What is the acceptable level of child poverty in this country?

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-06-11/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-14T01:01:05+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-06-11