Vol. 475 No. 7
1 Mr. O'Dea asked the Taoiseach the current status of the Interdepartmental Policy Committee for the National Anti-Poverty Strategy; the proposals, if any, made or the conclusions reached by this group to date; and the action, if any, taken by the Government as a result. [5062/97]
Following regional consultation seminars, the committee identified the key issues and policy areas which must be addressed if the strategy is to be successful. These are: educational disadvantage; unemployment, particularly long-term unemployment; income adequacy; disadvantaged urban areas; and rural poverty.
Working groups, including representatives from Government Departments, the social partners and national representative organisations of the community and voluntary sector were established to consider each of these key themes. In addition, Government Departments prepared strategic statements on their policies and operations from an anti-poverty perspective. The working groups have reported to the interdepartmental policy committee and these reports, together with the departmental statements, are now being considered by the committee.
To date, seminars held under the aegis of the committee have been attended by more than 1,000 people and progress reflects the major degree of consultation which has taken place. The national anti-poverty strategy is now entering its final phase and in line with the commitment set out in Partnership 2000, it is expected that the strategy will be finalised in the near future.
The anti-poverty strategy seems to consist of producing reports and holding seminars. If the Government is seriously committed to tackling poverty and inequality in society, why has it presided over economic changes which have resulted in the poverty gap increasing appreciably? Will the Minister accept, for example, that in the past two years the budgetary strategy has resulted in a position where the gap between take home pay for a couple on £20,000 per year and payment for an unemployed couple has increased by £1,400 while the comparative figure for a couple earning £40,000 per year is £2,700? Will the Minister explain what anti-poverty strategy does that constitute?
There is a tendency to talk about cost rather than value. Most Deputies over the years have contributed substantially to tackling the sources of poverty, as is evidenced by the fact that about £2 billion will be spent this year by State Departments on tackling poverty. While I am glad the Deputy raised the question of social injustice, the way he proposes to measure it is not acceptable. A measurement that would take account of the fact that approximately 15 per cent of inner city flat and house dwellers have access to third level education would be better. Approximately 75 per cent of those in Mountjoy Prison come from five identifiable areas in Dublin. People are living in appalling housing estates in Dublin and other cities and rural poverty is still a reality. I accept we have a long way to go to alleviate poverty, but the Government's approach, through the Minister for Social Welfare, the Minister for Health and me as Minister of State with responsibility for local development, is breeding participative democracy that will enable communities tackle the source of the problem. Credit should be given for what is being done to alleviate poverty.
The Minister of State referred to long-term unemployment. Does he accept the most fundamental cause of poverty is unemployment? Will he explain the Government's anti-poverty strategy when in a time of unprecedented economic growth last year the Government reduced the long-term unemployment figure by a paltry 300?
Social welfare increases will be twice the rate of inflation this year. I accept that is not enough, but as social welfare is a great drain on the Exchequer and there is only so much to go round, the Government can only go so far at any given time. We have initiated a comprehensive local development plan which sets out to tackle in an integrated way the causes of long-term unemployment. People are long-term unemployed because they do not have skills, access to third level education or they leave school early. The local development programme will complement the existing educational, health and social welfare programmes and it has received favourable comment from the OECD.
I do not want to give the impression that I believe we are anywhere near achieving social justice. We must encourage enterprise and social justice. If we do not create wealth we cannot distribute it, but once it is created we should try to distribute it more equitably. Under the local development programme an integrated plan has been devised which, if successful, will make a significant contribution to addressing the problem of poverty.
While poverty affects the long-term unemploymed and their families in a damning way, it also affects senior citizens many of whom are proud of their contribution to the development of the State. Does the anti-poverty strategy contain anything, other than the paltry increase given to old age pensioners in the budget, to help our senior citizens?
The approach adopted by the interdepartmental committee will be cross-departmental and cross-agency and will cover all citizens. The working groups comprise members of Government Departments, the social partners and national representatives of community organisations. Their reports, with the departmental reports, will form the basis of the interdepartmental committee report which I hope will be available for Ministers to consider in a few weeks. I hope that report will be made public and I am sure it will address the fundamental issue raised by Deputy Burke.
The Minister of State said unemployment is a major cause of poverty. I am concerned not only about the number of people unemployed but the number who stand to be unemployable because of the lack of resources for pre-school and primary school education and training facilities, particularly in areas where long-term unemployment is endemic. Does the Government intend to operate the breaking the cycle scheme in this financial year? A school in Cork North-Central which is deemed to be located in an area of the highest social and economic disadvantage did not have a teacher appointed under that scheme in 1996. Will additional teaching resources be provided in that and other schools under that scheme in 1997?
The Deputy's question is outside my remit. It is a matter for the Minister for Education. Additional educational facilities, including pre-school facilities, truancy tracking, information technology and psychological services, will be provided under the £110 million to be spent on local development over the four year period to end March 1999. In consultation with their partnership companies, schools in disadvantaged areas can select from those services. They will be supplementary to the services provided by the Department of Education. As it is not my area of responsibility, the Deputy will have to put her specific question to the Minister for Education.
Does the Minister of State accept that in periods of high growth gaps between sectors of society tend to widen? For example, the elderly received a 25 per cent increase over three budgets introduced by Fianna Fáil in the 1980's whereas in the last three budgets they received only a 7 per cent increase. What proposals does the anti-poverty strategy contain to address this matter?
The interdepartmental committee's proposals will be available to Ministers at the end of March or early April. This year social welfare increases will be twice the rate of inflation. When the late Frank Cluskey was Parliamentary Secretary in the Department of Social Welfare there was an increase of 25 per cent in social welfare payments in one year. Throwing money at the problem does not solve it.
Tell that to senior citizens.
We must adopt an integrated and planned approach to deal with the sources of poverty, irrespective of whether it affects the young, the old or senior citizens. Such a plan will be presented to Ministers in the next few weeks.
I am talking about the position of the elderly relative to that of people in other sectors of our society. If inflation were running at 25 per cent, a 25 per cent increase in social welfare payments would not be of much benefit. I am talking about periods of low inflation in the late 1980s and now. The income of senior citizens has declined substantially relative to that of other sectors in the community. They received a 25 per cent increase over three budgets at a time of low inflation in the 1980s, but they received only a 7 per cent increase over the past three budgets which was also a time of low inflation. How does the Minister of State propose to address the serious decline in old people's incomes?
All sectors that have fallen behind in terms of income will be addressed under the anti-poverty strategy. We are one of the few European countries that provides free travel, low cost accommodation and pensions for senior citizens. We would like to do much more for them. The anti-poverty strategy programme will address in a strategic manner the causes of poverty and social injustice. We will not exclude any group when dealing with this issue.
How can the Minister of State describe a 3 per cent increase as double the rate of inflation in view of what the Minister for Finance said in his budget speech? Has the Government views on the notion of a basic income which has been put forward by a number of sources?
I am sorry a genuine question on social injustice and need has turned into a political football. The credit due to both sides of the House for progress made should be given. More progress is needed but it can only be made when a fundamental assessment has been carried out. That assessment is under way and will be completed shortly. For the first time we are trying to address the causes of social injustice while at the same time promoting enterprise, which is a good way to go about doing this. I repeat we have a long way to go to achieve the type of social justice I would like, but progress has been made and if this plan is as objective as I expect, it will provide the basis to achieve even greater social justice.
