Kathleen Funchion: 225,000 children living on poverty income - calls for action
Kathleen Funchion spoke in support of a motion on child poverty, warning that around 700,000 people live on a poverty income and about 225,000 of them are children. She urged immediate action, not sympathy, and committed to supporting the motion brought by Deputy Whitmore.
Scale of the problem
The deputy cited statistics saying approximately 700,000 people live on a poverty income, with about 30% (225,000) of them children. She referenced a St Vincent de Paul report from June that estimated the cost of poverty to the state at about 4.5 billion and recalled the State pledge from the first Dáil in 1919 to protect children from hunger and cold.
Consequences for children
The speech described everyday realities for children in poverty - going to bed hungry, attending school without lunches, lacking warm coats and correct footwear. She highlighted the additional burdens on children in direct provision and overcrowded or hidden homeless situations where normal childhood experiences like birthday parties and having friends over are impossible.
Impact of COVID-19
The deputy said COVID-19 exposed and exacerbated child poverty, noting many children lost access to the safety, warmth and meals that schools and early years settings provide. She acknowledged the efforts of organisations to distribute meals during the pandemic but warned that more children may now fall through the cracks.
Programmes and policy solutions
She praised initiatives such as the school meals programme and breakfast clubs and called for greater attention to the school completion programme. The deputy argued the school completion programme needs restored funding and a wider mandate so it can be rolled out to more schools, because it offers discreet, practical support that helps children without singling them out.
Support for the motion
The deputy opened by commending Deputy Whitmore and her party for bringing the motion and concluded by stating she and her colleagues would fully support it, emphasizing that children need action rather than sympathy.
We publish thousands of recordings to make Irish politics transparent and resistant to manipulation. Spotted an error? Report it — together we are building a reliable archive of Irish politics.
Thanks very much. First of all I want to pay tribute to Deputy Whitmore and thank her and her party for bringing this forward. It's an excellent motion, it's only a shame that we actually have to be talking about such a subject but that is the reality and as I stand here today approximately 700,000 of our fellow citizens live on a poverty income and out of that about 30% or 225,000 are children and if that wasn't actually you know startling enough the St Vincent de Paul earlier in June of this year did a study called the hidden cost of poverty report and it released that it actually cost the state in the region of 4.5 billion poverty and what actually is that when we when we talk about it it's children going to bed hungry it's children going into school without lunches without the correct warm coats as we come into this time of year without correct footwear it's all of those things you know and I think it's important to remember that that's what the reality is for children you know to think about kids in this day and age in 2020 they're actually going to bed hungry or going into school hungry you know it's heartbreaking to say the least but certainly what those children need is not sympathy they need action on it and I found this extremely interesting as well when I was looking to see exactly what I would say here today that this obviously is not a new phenomenon but we've been talking about this as far back as the first doll in 1919 when the state pledged then as its first duty to make provision for the and I quote physical mental and spiritual well-being of the children to secure and no child suffer hunger or cold from lack of food clothing or shelter and yet here we are over 100 years later and children are still suffering from the same plight and I think it's important to say that this obviously has a knock-on effect on every single part of your life you cannot go into school and function properly if you're hungry if you're tired if you're freezing cold and that's the reality for so many children and then there's all the stuff around direct provision children in direct provision not having the same opportunities children in homeless services and I'd like to just say as well that's not just hotels and B&Bs that's children living in very overcrowded situations maybe with families and friends where you know people are trying to keep themselves out of the the kind of emergency accommodation system but yes they really are still the hidden homeless and you know children growing up like that kind of squashed into everybody in the family sharing one room there's no opportunities for children like that to even have the normal things that we take for granted or that other children take for granted about having school friends over or having birthday parties and all that sort of stuff and it's really important I think COVID obviously we've had child poverty and unless we do something radical we're going to have child poverty but COVID I think highlighted it and showed how many children not only were obviously missing everybody missed the benefits of school and their child care their early years place but for a lot of children that was the place that they went to that was safe that was warm and that provided them with a meal and I know so many organisations and services did so much good work over COVID trying to get meals and food out to children but still we're facing a huge amount more children now potentially going to fall through the cracks as a result of that and it's really important that we're focused on that and that we're ensuring there's measures put in place and one thing and you touched on it in your speech minister in relation to the school meals programme I mean that's an excellent programme and initiative and breakfast clubs but something else as well that I regularly talk about and I think sometimes doesn't get enough attention is the school completion programme and it's not only in Jess schools it's primarily in Jess schools but it's also in other schools and that could be a programme that could be rolled out first of all they definitely need their funding increase because they haven't had any funding cuts restored since the recession but they do excellent work on a range of things and they kind of fly under the radar which is exactly what a child in that situation needs they don't need everything being highlighted that they are somehow different and a big red circle around them and that's what's excellent about the school completion programme and I know ironically it's moving from your department but if you have any influence in the time that it's left to increase its funding or increase its mandate that it can roll out in more schools because the work that they do is invaluable and but I would just like to I'm going to pass over to my colleagues but I do want to just commend again Deputy Whitmore and say and that we will be fully supporting the motion
Thank you for downloading 🙏
If you publish this material on social media, we would be very grateful if you tagged VideoParliament. It helps us reach more people and keep building a transparent archive of Irish politics.
