Vol. 496 No. 7
53 Mr. Sargent asked the Minister for Health and Children if his attention has been drawn to reports, including a recent report from the Combat Poverty Agency, which confirm the high incidence of child poverty; and the steps, if any, being taken by the Government to co-ordinate the delivery of public services to children and their guardians in view of these findings. [20063/98]
I am aware of the Combat Poverty Agency report referred to by the Deputy which is a pre-budget submission to my colleague, the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs. The Government is aware of the problem of social exclusion in our society and has made "an inclusive society" one of the seven key concerns in the programme for Government. A Cabinet Committee on Social Inclusion has been established which is chaired by the Taoiseach. At the outset, the committee saw the need for a co-ordinated approach across departmental boundaries to address children's needs generally.
The Deputy will be aware that in addition to my responsibilities in the Department of Health and Children, I have also been appointed as Minister of State at the Departments of Education and Science and Justice, Equality and Law Reform. In this context, I chair the Inter-Departmental Co-ordinating Team which comprises officials from the three Departments. The committee meets regularly to discuss matters of relevance to the three Departments.
I actively support the family support projects to which the Government has committed £2.4 million in each of the years 1998, 1999 and 2000. The objective of the family support projects is to prevent at risk children and young people from engaging in various forms of anti-social behaviour by providing a pro-active inter-agency response to support the children and their families.
