DONEGAL COUNTY DEVELOPMENT BOARDS Planning For Inclusion In County Donegal A Statistical Toolkit 2009 Donegal County Development Board Bord Forbartha Chontae Dhún na nGall Foreword CHAIRMAN OF Donegal COUNTY Development Board Following a comprehensive review of Donegal County Development Board’s ‘An Straitéis’ in 2009, it was agreed that the work of the Board would be concentrated on six key priority areas, one of which is on ‘Access to Services’. In this regard the goal of the Board is ‘to ensure best access to services for the community of Donegal’. As Chairperson of Donegal County Development Board, I am confident that the work contained in both of these documents will go a long way towards achieving an equitable distribution of services across the county in terms of informing the development of local and national plans as well as policy documents’ in both the Statistical and Mapping Documents. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all persons involved in the development of these toolkits including the agencies and officers who actively participated in Donegal County Development Board’s Social Inclusion Measures Group, Donegal County Council’s Social Inclusion Forum, Donegal County Councils Social Inclusion Unit and finally the Research and Policy Unit who undertook this work. There is an enormous challenge ahead for all of us in 2010, in ensuring that services are delivered in a manner that will address the needs of everyone in our community, especially the key vulnerable groups outlined in this document. I would urge all of the agencies, with a social inclusion remit in the county, to take cognisance of these findings with the end goal of creating a more socially inclusive society in Donegal in the future. Cllr. Dessie Larkin Chairperson of Donegal County Development Board CHAIRMAN OF Donegal’S COUNTY Development Boards SOCIAL Inclusion MEASURES GROUP Planning for inclusion in County Donegal requires an in-depth understanding by all agencies and organisations of a number of key questions such as ‘Who are the groups that are most vulnerable to poverty and social exclusion in County Donegal?’; ‘How have their situations changed over time?’ and ‘Where are the pockets of deprivation or poverty located within the county?’. It was with this in mind that the Research and Policy Unit, Donegal County Council began the preparation of both of the ‘Planning for Inclusion Toolkits’ contained in this document. From the onset there was a strong willingness on behalf of all of the stakeholders on Donegal County Development Board’s Social Inclusion Measures Group and Donegal County Council’s newly established Social Inclusion Forum to become involved in the process. Their participation was greatly facilitated by the work of the Social Inclusion Unit of Donegal County Council. It is hoped that these toolkits will provide a valuable resource for all agencies with a social inclusion remit to plan their services in a manner that will reach the people who are most susceptible and vulnerable in our community, especially in such economically challenging times. Finally, I would like to thank all of those who have devoted so much of their time and energy to ensuring the preparation of such a robust and timely document. Mícheál Ó hÉanaígh Stiúrthóir Pobail, Cultúir agus Fiontair REPORT COMPILED BY: Loretta Mc Nicholas, Research And Policy Unit, Donegal County Council. WITH GRATEFUL ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS TO THE WORK COMPLETED BY: Rosita Mahony on the mapping of poverty perspectives and Roisin Mc Bride on the Census 2006 Fact Sheets, both of which have greatly informed this Statistical Analysis. DESIGNED BY: www.durganmedia.ie CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 POVERTY AND DEPRIVATION IN COUNTY DONEGAL 1.0 INTRODUCTION 01 1.1 WHAT IS POVERTY? 01 1.2 DEPRIVATION IN THE BORDER REGION AND COUNTY DONEGAL 02 1.3 OUTLINE OF THE REPORT 05 CHAPTER 2 APPROACH AND METHODOLOGY 2.0 INTRODUCTION 06 2.1 SELECTING POVERTY INDICATORS 06 2.2 EXAMINING POVERTY AT DIFFERENT SPATIAL LEVELS 12 2.3 GROUPS MOST ‘AT RISK OF POVERTY’ IN IRELAND 12 2.4 POPULATING THE INDICATOR SET 12 2.5 USING THIS REPORT 13 CHAPTER 3 POVERTY, DEMOGRAPHICS AND KEY TARGET GROUPS 3.1 INTRODUCTION 14 3.2 DEMOGRAPHICS 14 3.2.1 POPULATION GROWTH 14 3.2.2 POPULATION DENSITY 15 3.2.3 POPULATION SETTLEMENT PATTERNS 16 3.2.4 POPULATION OF GAELTACHT AREAS 17 3.2.5 POPULATION OF THE ISLAND COMMUNITIES 17 3.3 GROUPS MOST AT RISK OF POVERTY IN COUNTY DONEGAL 18 3.3.1 WOMEN 18 3.3.2 AGE DEPENDENT 19 3.3.3 LONE PARENTS 19 3.3.4 PERSONS RENTING HOUSEHOLDS AT OR BELOW THE MARKET PRICE 21 3.3.5 RURAL DWELLERS 21 3.3.6 UNEMPLOYED PERSONS 21 3.3.7 PERSONS WITH LOWER LEVELS OF EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT 22 3.3.8 ETHNIC MINORITIES 22 CONTENTS CHAPTER 4 DEPENDENCY AND POVERTY 4.1 INTRODUCTION 25 4.2 AGE DEPENDENCY 25 4.2.1 OLDER PERSONS 26 4.2.2 YOUNGER PERSONS 27 4.2.3 ASYLUM SEEKER CHILDREN 28 4.3 ECONOMIC DEPENDENCY 29 4.3.1 PERSONS IN THE LABOUR FORCE 29 4.3.2 PERSONS OUTSIDE THE LABOUR FORCE 31 4.3.3 UNEMPLOYMENT IN COUNTY DONEGAL 32 4.4 AVERAGE DISPOSABLE INCOME 35 4.5 WELFARE PAYMENTS 35 4.5.1 LIVE REGISTER PAYMENTS 35 4.5.2 PENSIONS 37 4.5.3 SICKNESS OR DISABILITY PAYMENTS 37 4.5.4 ONE PARENT PAYMENTS 38 4.5.5 CHILD RELATED PAYMENTS 38 4.5.6 OTHER PAYMENTS 38 CHAPTER 5 HOUSING AND POVERTY 5.0 INTRODUCTION 39 5.1 GENERAL HOUSING IN COUNTY DONEGAL 39 5.1.1 A HISTORY OF HOUSING 40 5.2 TRAVELLER ACCOMMODATION IN COUNTY DONEGAL 40 5.3 HOUSING NEEDS IN COUNTY DONEGAL 41 5.3.1 NETT HOUSING NEED 41 5.3.2 CATEGORY OF HOUSING NEED 41 5.3.3 INCOME LEVEL OF HOUSEHOLDS 42 5.3.4 HOUSING WAITING LISTS 43 5.3.5 HOMELESSNESS 44 5.3.6 ASYLUM SEEKERS, REFUGEES 44 5.4 FUEL POVERTY 44 CHAPTER 6 HEALTH AND POVERTY 6.1 INTRODUCTION 46 6.2 GENERAL HEALTH OF THE POPULATION 46 6.2.1 BIRTH RATES FOR COUNTY DONEGAL 2007 AND 2008 46 6.2.2 DEATH RATES FOR COUNTY DONEGAL 2007 AND 2008 46 6.2.3 CARERS AND PERSONS UNABLE TO WORK 48 6.3: HEALTH OF KEY TARGET GROUPS 49 6.3.1 PEOPLE WITH A DISABILITY 49 6.3.2 WOMENS HEALTH, DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND POVERTY 51 6.4 MEDICAL CARDS IN COUNTY DONEGAL 54 6.5 COMMUNITY WELFARES SERVICES 56 CONTENTS CHAPTER 7 EDUCATIONAL DISADVANTAGE AND POVERTY 7.1 INTRODUCTION 57 7.2 EARLY SCHOOL LEAVING IN COUNTY DONEGAL 58 7.3 LEVELS OF EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT IN COUNTY DONEGAL 58 7.3.1 EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT MALES 60 7.3.2 EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT FEMALES 60 7.4 EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT 61 CHAPTER 8 ACCESSING SERVICES AND POVERTY IN COUNTY DONEGAL 8.0 INTRODUCTION 62 8.1 THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT OF COUNTY DONEGAL 62 8.2 TRAVELLING AROUND COUNTY DONEGAL 65 8.2.1 TRAVEL TO WORK 65 8.2.2 HOUSEHOLDS WITH NO CAR 66 8.2.3 RURAL TRANSPORT PROGRAMMES 67 8.3 WATER , WASTE AND SANITARY SERVICES IN COUNTY DONEGAL 68 8.3.1 WATER 68 8.3.2 CONNECTION RATES TO SEWERAGE FACILITY SERVICES IN COUNTY DONEGAL, URBAN AND RURAL AREAS 69 8.3.3 WASTE AND RECYCLING IN COUNTY DONEGAL 70 8.4 OTHER ESSENTIAL SERVICES 72 8.4.1 CENTRAL HEATING SUPPLY IN COUNTY DONEGAL 72 8.4.2 ACCESS TO THE INTERNET AND OWNERSHIP OF A COMPUTER 72 8.5 ACCESS TO QUALITY OF LIFE INFRASTRUCTURE 72 8.5.1 CHILDHOOD CARE AND EDUCATION 72 8.5.2 PLAYGROUNDS AND MINI PITCHES 73 8.5.3 YOUTH SERVICES IN COUNTY DONEGAL 73 8.5.4 COMMUNITY INFRASTRUCTURE 74 8.5.5 CULTURE AND LEISURE 74 APPENDICES FOR: CHAPTER 1 78 CHAPTER 7 83 CHAPTER 8 87 POVERTY AND DEPRIVATION IN COUNTY DONEGAL 01 CHAPTER 1: POVERTY AND DEPRIVATION IN COUNTY DONEGAL 1.0 INTRODUCTION To plan for an inclusive society, it is necessary to examine and fully understand the fundamental factors that prevent people from enjoying and participating in activities that are considered the norm by others - one such factor is inadequate income levels. The extent of poverty in County Donegal has been well documented by many sources, locally, regionally and nationally. According to the ‘Deprivation Index for Ireland’ produced by Trutz Haase, County Donegal has been identified over the last four consecutive Census periods as being the most deprived local authority area in the whole of the country. To determine what is driving this level of deprivation, the groups who are most affected by inadequate income levels and the factors which help or hinder the reduction of poverty levels within any county the Research and Policy Unit through the guidance of Donegal County Development Boards’ Social Inclusion Measures Group and Donegal County Council’s Social Inclusion Forum, have prepared these tool kits for 2009. 1.1 WHAT IS POVERTY? The application of a broader definition of poverty was fundamental in the preparation of this profile, in that, people who are living in poverty not only lack money and different types of resources but many may also feel excluded, isolated, powerless and discriminated against from participating in activities. Therefore the Government defines poverty as: ‘People are living in poverty if their income and resources (material, cultural measurements of poverty and social) are so inadequate as to preclude them from having a standard of living, which is regarded as acceptable by Irish society generally.