An tOrd Gnó - Order of Business
Dail Éireann — 2026-09-16
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Sorca Clarke (SF), Longford-Westmeath

Recent ESRI research shows that child poverty has risen sharply. After housing costs, some 260,000 children are living below the poverty line. I want the Taoiseach to picture a classroom with 30 children and I want him to imagine seven of those kids. That is the equivalent proportion of children who are now living below the poverty line in this State. It would take 5,000 52-seater buses to fit all of those kids. That would stretch from Leinster House to Glendalough.
I know that the Taoiseach is going to come back to me and talk about hot school meals and they are welcome, but a hot school meal does not lift a child or a family out of poverty. It does not pay their rent or heat their home. I know that the Taoiseach is going to talk about the strong economy, but that is not going to put a coat on a single child's back this winter. What specific measures will the Government take in budget 2027 to tackle child poverty and to lift children and families out of deprivation?

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-09-16/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-28T05:50:48+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-09-16