Ireland has one of the highest levels of children at risk of poverty in Europe.
That is according to Eurostat figures which show that a third (34%) of children here are at risk - compared with the EU average of 28%.
The Eurostat survey was referred to by the European Parliament this week.
MEPs called on EU countries to boost their efforts to combat child poverty and social inequalities.
Sinn Féin MEP Lynn Boylan says it was particularly important for her to vote in favour of the report, and says "in Ireland we've seen child poverty double since Fine Gael and Labour came into government":
Separately, the charity Barnardos is launching new research at its 'Rise Up' conference in Dublin today, looking at the impact of inequality on Ireland's children.
The charity's CEO Fergus Finlay says, “our research reveals those in the poorest households spend seven times more of their disposable income on fuel and light than those in the wealthiest households.
"One in six children is now living in a household experiencing food poverty and households with children are 89% more likely to be in rent or mortgage arrears than those without," he added.
