Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 21 Apr 1999

Vol. 503 No. 4

Written Answers. - Anti-Poverty Strategy.

Michael Bell

Question:

64 Mr. Bell asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if all Government Departments have reported on their 1998 NAPS workplans; and if the reports will be published and assessed by the NAPS interdepartmental policy committee. [10356/99]

Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs (Mr. D. Ahern):

The national anti-poverty strategy, NAPS, contains a commitment that Departments will produce annual progress statements for the interdepartmental policy committee, IDPC, setting out progress achieved over the previous year in relation to the strategy.

In this context, Departments have provided their reports to the NAPS unit in my Department. These reports contain updates on progress made in relation to the various programmes and measures being pursued by each Department which are supportive of the social inclusion agenda. All Departments represented on the IDPC have now submitted their reports.

These departmental reports will feed into the forthcoming first annual report from the NAPS interdepartmental policy committee. This annual report will be a comprehensive review of progress to date with regard to social inclusion measures which have been undertaken, including progress against measures identified in Departments' 1998 workplans. It will also provide a brief assessment of progress made towards achieving the NAPS targets. It is expected that the report will be published in May and will include the detail from each Department's report, updated where necessary to take account of information which may have become available since Departments originally submitted their reports.

In addition, Departments have now submitted their workplans for 1999 and the NAPS unit will, in due course, be examining these with a view to identifying further cross cutting initiatives where co-ordinated action could usefully be pursued.

The IDPC annual report, together with other relevant documents such as the forthcoming ESRI report on monitoring trends in poverty – which will update our data to 1997 – will provide a valuable yardstick for assessing the progress made to date, particularly towards the NAPS goal of reducing the numbers living in consistent poverty. This updated information will help to refocus our efforts to ensure that we continue to advance this Government's commitment to promoting a more inclusive society for all.