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NEW FIGURES FROM the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show that households in just four counties in Ireland have more disposable income that the State average.
The figures for 2011 reveal Dublin still has the highest average disposable income* per person at €21,329 while the border region with €16,984 and midlands with €17,428 fared the worst.
The gap between the highest and lowest value of disposable income per person in each region has widened, increasing by €632 in Dublin. However Dublin was also the only region in the country with a higher per capita disposable income than the State average for the entire 2002 to 2011 period.
Households in Donegal, Monaghan, Cavan, Roscommon, Offaly, Kilkenny and Kerry showed the lowest disposable income per head, as seen in the chart below:
Cork, Kildare, Dublin and Limerick are the only counties where this income is higher than the State average.
At the other end of the spectrum, the counties of Donegal and Kerry have had per capita disposable incomes below 85 and 90 per cent of the State level during the entire period of 2002 to 2011.
A recent tracker from the Irish League of Credit Unions found disposable income has increased by €13 since last year, though the majority of readers in our poll said they didn’t have more money in their pockets than this time last year.
*Note: The CSO defines disposable income as total income minus current taxes on income, minus social insurance contributions.
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Good man Hugh. Can I suggest that you circulate this to some of your younger colleagues who have posted articles over the past few days which have suggested that the fans were responsible for this tragedy.
Hi Eamonn, can you give me any specific examples here?
@ Hugh. Sure, check out an article posted 22 hours ago in the Score section. The original wording was amended after I pointed out the facts of the Taylor Report but in the discussion below the article the writer repeats the assertion that " fan irresponsibility" was the cause of the tragedy. This is totally untrue. The Taylor Report clearly states poor crowd management and Stadium design as the key factors. Thanks Hugh.
@Eamonn: I understand this is a highly emotive subject, and I accept your point re:the ambiguity of the original wording, but your claim that I blamed the actions of fans for the tragedy is grossly inaccurate. I think if you re-read my comment, you’ll see that’s the case.
The significance of the Commons debate lay in its attempt to dispel the myth of fan irresponsibility once and for all, bringing the official, government narrative in line with the experience of supporters and victims. The PM is contemplating a public apology because that never really happened, even in the wake of the Taylor Report.
@ Conor. My concern is that comments like “The question of official blame, however, has historically been reduced to one of fan irresponsibility” is just simply untrue and unfortunately, only helps perpetuate the myth. I’m not sure how else I’m supposed to read this. This is totally at odds with the only official inquiry into the events leading up to the tragedy. That’s my point, nothing personal. Over and out. Thanks Conor.
Another of Thatcher’s legacies.
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