The Government has been urged to scrap universal payments and instead 'focus on families most in need'. 

Today, the ESRI published a report that reveals one in five Irish families live in poverty once housing costs are taken into account. 

It also found that adults who grew up in poverty are more likely to suffer from poor health and material deprivation than their peers who did not. 

On Newstalk Breakfast, Tanya Ward of the Children’s Rights Alliance said the findings underline just how essential it is to tackle the housing crisis.  

 “What it’s telling us is that the measures the Government have introduced… it hasn’t been enough to deal with the cost of housing,” she explained. 

“It hasn’t been ambitious enough to deal with income levels and that’s what we’re seeing here; real issues with income inequality.” 

The report also concluded that the rising cost of food and utilities has slashed the disposable income of the poorest households. 

“They’re saying that if you’re a low income household, you’re really going to feel the cost of inflation,” Ms Ward continued.  

“Light, heat, groceries have particularly been vulnerable to inflation costs. 

“So, you’re going to be the part of this disenchanted generation who are really struggling on a day to day basis. 

“The report is also saying it’s going to have a lifelong effect.” 

A person wearing black woolly fingerless gloves close to a domestic radiator. Picture by: Tennessee Witney / Alamy.com. 

Ms Ward added that the Government needs to be more “ambitious” in its efforts to tackle poverty. 

“There’s ways for the Government to do that,” she said. 

“They have a working family payment; very low income people who are in work can receive that. 

“We want to see the Government put an extra €50 in that every week to make a difference. 

“They also have a child income supplement for people on welfare; again, they could make increases there that could make a difference. 

“They need to be ambitious is the truth of it and stop focusing on these universal measures, one for everyone in the audience.

“They need to focus on the families that are most in need in this budget - if they don’t, God knows what the statistics are going to look like next year.”

Last week, Minister for Finance Paschal Donohoe said there would be no one off cost of living payments in next month’s budget. 

Main image: A child in poverty. Picture by: Ralf Geithe / Alamy Stock Photo