People left behind
Posted on 01. Feb, 2018, in Community, Economy, Faith and Justice, Gospel ValuesComments Off on People left behind
The Irish Business and Employers Confederation – IBEC recently released a report showing that disposable incomes of Irish households are growing at four times the euro-zone average. However Social Justice Ireland responded with the fact that almost 800,000 people continue to live in poverty in Ireland and up to one million are experiencing deprivation – 105,000 of those are people with jobs.
Eamon Murphy from Social Justice Ireland said that these figures are unacceptable in a country like Ireland.
He added that as Ireland’s economy grows and resources become available it is essential that these are used to address the major challenges faced by many of Ireland’s people in areas such as housing and homelessness, healthcare, poverty and precarious employment.
Mr. Murphy went on to state that “It is clear that a rising tide does not automatically lift all boats, and that specific interventions are required to tackle the problems highlighted. If Government wishes to address issues of reducing poverty and ‘making work pay’, policy must prioritise those at the bottom of the income distribution. These policies must be designed to address the wide variety of households and adults in poverty”.
Miriam Gormally spoke with Eamon Murphy from Social Justice Ireland to find out more about what can be done to address the inequality.