Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 5 February 2025
635. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Social Protection to list the level of food poverty in each of the electoral areas of Ennis, Ennistymon, Killaloe, Kilrush, and Shannon, in County Clare for each of the years 2011 to 2024, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2969/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraWhile there is no official indicator at EU level for measuring the rate of people experiencing food poverty, the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) has developed a deprivation-based measure of food poverty in Ireland, based on data from the Survey of Income and Living Conditions (SILC).
Under this measure, Food Poverty is defined as the inability to have an adequate and nutritious diet due to issues of affordability or accessibility. It is measured by the percentage of individuals experiencing one or more of the following –
• Unable to afford a meal with meat, or vegetarian equivalent, every second day,
• Unable to afford a weekly roast dinner (or vegetarian equivalent), and
• Missing one substantial meal in the last fortnight due to lack of money.
Due to sample size constraints in the SILC, data for the number of people experiencing food poverty, under this measure, is only available at the National level and cannot be reported at regional, county or electoral area level.
The national rate of food poverty in Ireland in SILC 2023 was 8.9%, up from 8.4% in SILC 2022 but down from 12.2% in SILC 2020.
