Seán Ryan
Question:36 Mr. S. Ryan asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the mechanisms, if any, in place to monitor and implement the National Anti-Poverty Strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24643/98]
Written Answers - Anti-Poverty Strategy.
This Government has pledged itself to achieving a society based on social inclusion, and to addressing the structural causes of poverty as it affects a significant minority in our society. This is reflected in the Government programme, An Action Programme for the Millennium. A key element to achieving this is the national anti-poverty strategy, NAPS.
Administrative structures have been put in place to ensure the efficient implementation of NAPS. These include the Cabinet Subcommittee on Social Inclusion and Drugs, including local development, chaired by the Taoiseach, which now meets on a regular monthly basis. The Cabinet subcommittee reviews the strategies which are in place to deal with poverty and exclusion and provides strong leadership for the strategy; the senior officials' social inclusion group which supports the work of the Cabinet subcommittee; The NAPS interdepartmental policy committee, which comprises senior officers who have responsibility for ensuring that the NAPS provisions relevant to their Departments are implemented; the NAPS unit based in my Department which co-ordinates the implementation of the strategy; and, the NAPS liaison officers in relevant Government Departments fulfil a communication and co-ordination role.
Baseline documents were submitted by Departments earlier this year giving an outline of each Department's programmes and initiatives impacting on the area of poverty and social inclusion. Departments prepared workplans for 1998. They have now been asked draw up an annual report for the interdepartmental policy committee setting out their Department's progress on the NAPS. These reports will form the basis for the interdepartmental policy committee's report to the Cabinet Subcommittee on Social Inclusion and Drugs which will give an overview of the progress which has been made on NAPS across Government Departments.
The Combat Poverty Agency has an evaluation role in the NAPS process, including consideration of the views and experience of the voluntary and community sector. The agency has been working closely with my Department in progressing the NAPS.
It has for example, played a key role in the recent introduction of a mechanism to ensure that all significant policy proposals are assessed for their impact on those in poverty or at risk of falling into poverty.
The National Economic and Social Forum has responsibility for monitoring the social inclusion element of Partnership 2000 and in that context will be specifically asked to report on the progress on implementing the NAPS. The forum has recently been reconstituted and will be pursuing its role in this regard.