Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 14 Oct 1998

Vol. 495 No. 2

Written Answers. - National Anti-Poverty Strategy.

Proinsias De Rossa

Question:

90 Proinsias De Rossa asked the Minister for Finance the role of his Department to date in implementing the National Anti-Poverty Strategy; the way in which he intends to advance the objectives of the strategy in regard to the forthcoming budget; and the steps, if any, being taken to poverty-proof the 1998 budget proposals in line with the strategy. [19612/98]

Minister for Finance (Mr. McCreevy)

From the outset, my Department has participated fully in the National Anti-Poverty Strategy (NAPS) process and this continues to be the case. This involvement includes membership of the InterDepartmental Policy Committee on the NAPS which, under the direction of the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Social Inclusion, is the administrative mechanism for progressing the NAPS strategies.

The public expenditure, taxation and incomes policies adopted by the Government and implemented by the Department of Finance have underpinned the current economic success which is delivering an unprecedented rate of increase in employment and providing the resources which are enabling considerable social progress to be made. The NAPS Strategy Statement recognised that the unemployed were the group at the greatest risk of poverty and that the most effective way of reducing poverty was through the creation of jobs. Accordingly, the continued rapid fall in unemployment — particularly long-term unemployment — represents substantial progress towards meeting the overall NAPS target of reducing the numbers of consistently poor from 9 to 15 per cent of the population in 1997 to less than 5 to 10 per cent by the year 2007. Another indication of progress towards this target was that, following the 1998 budget initiatives, the three-year Partnership 2000 commitment for expenditure on social inclusion measures was met in two years.

I also wish to inform the Deputy that NAPS considerations will be taken into account in the forthcoming budget.

Reflecting the recent Government approval of a poverty proofing framework, my Department is aware of the need to give appropriate attention to the assessment of the impact which proposed measures will have in terms of promoting social inclusion and combating poverty and disadvantage in all its forms. The Department also supported the introduction of poverty proofing in the budgetary process so as to ensure that all Departments will consider the overall impact of their activities on those in poverty when submitting relevant proposals.