Personal Insolvency Bill 2012
Issued: November 2012
Summary
The Minimum Income Standard data represents a unique resource, developed through years of rigorous, time-consuming, peer-reviewed research. There is growing recognition internationally and in Ireland of the vital importance of Minimum Income Standards research. For Viet-Wilson the MIS methodology provides a credible answer to the question “How much is enough?”, setting a standard for ‘we the people’, not ‘they the poor’.
The value of this evidence based measure which is grounded in the lived experience of households has seen great growth in the multiplicity of uses and applications of this data in Ireland. The MIS not only complements other poverty measures, but informs policy makers on the adequacy of income support measures and the sustainability of personal debt resolutions. In summation, the MIS data has the potential to be a vital tool in establishing the guidelines on reasonable living expenses for debtors.