CORI says gap between rich and poor growing

The gap between rich and poor in Irish society has grown in spite of the economic boom since the mid-nineties, it was claimed today.

The Conference for Religious in Ireland’s (CORI) Justice Commission said, on its 21st anniversary, that governments had failed to produce a fair society for all of Ireland's people.

A new approach is required to ensure a fairer future for all, the Commission said, calling for an urgent national debate on how to develop a fair society that balances economic development, social equity and sustainability.

Fr Seán Healy SMA, Justice Commission director, argued that although the country’s wealth of the nation has grown dramatically, the proportion of the population with incomes below the poverty line has also grown. He said that in 70 per cent of people living in poverty are in homes where there is no income other than state benefits.

"There is growing social polarisation between these two parts of society," he said.

Ireland's rate of relative income poverty has risen during the boom years and is one of the highest in the EU, he added.

"Is Ireland satisfied to continue with levels of infrastructure and social provision well below the EU average and live with the lower quality of life that accompanies such lower levels of provision?" he asked.