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Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 2 Nov 1999

Vol. 509 No. 6

Written Answers. - Anti-Poverty Strategy.

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

459 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if his attention has been drawn to the Combat Poverty Agency document, Open Your Eyes to Child Poverty; if so, the plans, if any, he has to address the issues highlighted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21273/99]

I have examined the contents of the Irish Independent supplement –“Open your eyes to child poverty”– which was published in association with the Combat Poverty Agency in June. There are many issues raised in the supplement which I and my colleagues in Government continue to consider in the context of an overall strategy on social inclusion and in the implementation of social policy.

Child poverty is a particular concern of the Government and successive budget measures, along with targeted policy initiatives, have sought to ensure that our children are protected and given the opportunities to break the inter-generational cycle of poverty.

I announced in June, at the launch of the first annual report of the National Anti-Poverty Strategy's Inter-Departmental Policy Committee, that the Government had asked the committee to consider setting targets in relation to particular groups such as children in poverty. Discussions are still at a very early stage and it must be recognised that child poverty is a complex problem, the alleviation of which requires policy responses on a number of fronts.

The Government has decided to develop a national children's strategy so as to position child and youth related issues more centrally and more explicitly in public policy development and decision making in a more co-ordinated way. The strategy will also seek to build on the efforts of statutory and voluntary and community agencies in a renewed commitment to develop more child focused services. It will address the needs of children and young people up to the age of 18, with special regard to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. It is intended to publish the strategy next year.

Child benefit is acknowledged in the supplement to be "the most direct and effective means of assisting low income families irrespective of the source of family income". The link between the risk of poverty and family size has been firmly established and my Department's provision of income support in respect of children plays a crucial role in combating the incidence of child poverty. The Government agrees that child benefit is one of the most effective means of tackling child poverty and there have been substantial increases in this payment in recent budgets. As child benefit is universal, not taxable and not assessed as means for other secondary benefits such as differential rents, medical cards, etc. it does not act as a disincentive to taking up employment or improving wages.
The 1999 budget provided for child benefit increases of £3 per month to £34.50 for each of the first two children and £4 per month to £46 for the third and all subsequent children. Some 513,000 families with a total of 1.2 million children have benefited from these increases. The full year cost of these increases is £40.76 million and the total projected spend on child benefit in 1999 is £446 million.
In addition, the 1999 budget provided for an increase in the family income supplement threshold of £8 per week which, alongside last year's introduction of FIS calculation on a net income basis, means that thousands of families are better off as a result.
The latest ESRI figures from the Living in Ireland Survey show that the percentage of children experiencing consistent poverty fell from 18-23 per cent in 1994 to 15-17 per cent in 1997, while the numbers living in households below the 50 per cent relative income line fell from 29 per cent in 1994 to 24 per cent in 1997. This reduction in child poverty is largely attributable to falling unemployment levels which have enabled many families to release themselves from dependency on social welfare payments and improve their incomes. Under this Government, there have been further record increases in employment. The unemployment rate for the period March-May 1999, the latest figures available, was 5.7 per cent.
To ensure that the needs of children are kept to the fore in the design of policy, a system of poverty proofing of policy proposals – guidelines for which specifically name children as a target group – was introduced across Departments in July 1998.
A range of initiatives have also been introduced to promote the welfare of children and strengthen family support services. These include the launch of the springboard and youth homelessness initiatives, the further development of services under the Child Care Act, 1991, and the introduction of the Children Bill this year.
This Government has attempted to alleviate and reduce the problem of child poverty in Ireland on a number of fronts. It recognises that investment in children will reap dividends – socially and economically – both now and in the future and will remain a priority in Government social policy.
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