Almost 20pc of children in Ireland lived in poverty last year while children represented the largest single group of people living with consistent deprivation, the Central Statistics Office revealed yesterday.

Despite a 16.2pc increase in average family incomes in 2007, children remained the most at-risk group of the underprivileged, according to the CSO Survey on Income and Living Conditions 2007.

Almost 40pc of those living in consistent poverty were children even though the overall consistent poverty rate fell from 6.5pc in 2006 to 5.1pc in 2007.

A small but growing number of elderly were also at risk of poverty last year, increasing from 13.6pc in 2006 to 16.6pc in 2007.

Overall, one in six of the Irish population is at risk of poverty: a statistic that hasn't changed since 2006.

Homeless charity Focus Ireland said the grim statistics should send the Government a clear message that further cutbacks must not be made at the expense of those most in need.

"The CSO survey shows that even last year there was a worrying percentage of our most vulnerable families, children and older people living in consistent poverty or at risk of poverty.

"This survey was completed before the true impact of the recession began to hit home."

The children's charity Barnardos also urged the Government not to cut back on social services for children and families.

"With the Institute of Public Health in Ireland yesterday revealing that the current economic pressures are forcing families to choose between heat and food this winter, it is incumbent on the Government to do everything possible to ensure our children do not suffer further."

The financial picture for single parents, however, improved significantly last year with the number of lone parent households at risk of poverty falling from 45.6pc to 37.6pc.

Yet despite this, single parent families remained the group most likely to fall into the poverty trap, compared with dual parent families, and childless couples and individuals.