Once-off cost of living measures are ‘masking shift towards greater levels of poverty’

Social Justice Ireland responded to the release of the CSO’s annual SILC, revealing 629,495 people in Ireland living in poverty, including over 190,000 children, a 64% increase in older people in poverty, and nearly one in three unable to work due to health issues. The organization highlighted the impact of short-term cost of living measures on poverty levels, with the deprivation rate increasing significantly from 2023 to 2024, and emphasized the need for refundable tax credits and a basic income system to address the issue of the working poor and reduce poverty in Ireland.

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