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Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 13 Dec 2000

Vol. 528 No. 2

Written Answers. - Anti-Poverty Strategy.

Eamon Gilmore

Question:

48 Mr. Gilmore asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if he will update the current list of indicators on which the consistently poor category is based; and if he will review these indicators regularly. [29709/00]

The national anti-poverty strategy set out a number of goals to be achieved over a ten year period from 1997 to 2007, including targets in relation to income adequacy. The latest data available, in respect of 1998, show that 6% to 8% of the population are living in consistent poverty, so we are well on our way to achieving our revised target of below 5% by 2004.

There is no single best way to measure poverty. No one method can provide all the answers. To effectively measure poverty it is necessary to look more broadly at a person's exclusion from the life of society because of lack of resources. Direct measures of deprivation provide a valuable and complementary source of information in measuring poverty and assessing poverty trends.

The NAPS poverty target defines consistent poverty as being below 50-60% of average household income and experiencing enforced basic deprivation. This, as the Deputy will know, is based on independent research by the Economic and Social Research Institute. Eight basic items were identified by the Economic and Social Research Institute in their 1987 household survey, following their selection by the respondents themselves as basic necessities but which they are unable to afford.

The Economic and Social Research Institute, supported by my Department, keeps the deprivation index under regular review to ensure that it remains relevant to people's perception of necessities. The indicators were most recently examined in June 1999 in relation to the 1997 Living in Ireland Survey and an examination in relation to the 1998 Living in Ireland Survey will be completed by the end of this year.
Central to a relative conception of poverty is the understanding that expectations and perceptions of needs will change over time as general living standards rise. It is therefore necessary to consider incorporating further items which, through changing attitudes and expectations "become necessities" over time. Current evidence from the Economic and Social Research Institute suggests that it remains valid to restrict the deprivation index to the original items and that the original set of basic items is more successful in capturing generalised deprivation than an expanded set would be at this point. However, regular review of the deprivation index will continue and changes will be made to the index as necessary, based on evidence from the Economic and Social Research Institute.
Questions Nos. 49 and 50 taken with Question No. 38.

Brian O'Shea

Question:

51 Mr. O'Shea asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs his views on the issues raised in the Interdepartmental Policy Committee Report 1999-2000 on the social inclusion strategy. [29719/00]

I welcome the findings of the second annual report of the National Anti-Poverty Strategy Interdepartmental Policy Committee 1999-2000 which I launched with the Taoiseach on September 29.

This second National Anti-Poverty Strategy progress report provides an overview of developments in social inclusion and anti-poverty initiatives across all Government Departments over the past year under the five key theme areas: educational disadvantage, unemployment, income adequacy, disadvantaged urban areas and rural poverty. It also outlines new policy initiatives to combat social exclusion.

The progress which has been made since the launch of the strategy in 1997 is very significant. The key targets set under the strategy have now all been met. Unemployment is down to 3.7%, long-term unemployment is down from 7% in 1996 to 1.6% today and consistent poverty has almost halved from 15% to just over 8% today.

While progress to date has been striking much needs to be done. The Programme for Prosperity and Fairness provides that the methodology underlying the national anti-poverty strategy will be reviewed, existing targets reviewed and revised where appropriate and new targets will be considered under the themes of child poverty, women's poverty, health, older people, and housing-accommodation.

A number of working groups, with social partner representation, are currently being estab lished to facilitate the review of targets. The first meetings of the working groups on housing-accommodation and health were held in October and working groups on employment, education, rural poverty and urban disadvantage are also being established. A separate working group has been established, with an independent chairperson, to examine the issues in relation to benchmarking and indexation of social welfare payments.
The National Anti-Poverty Strategy Inter-Departmental Policy Committee will continue to play a key role in addressing issues central to the strategy, such as the current review, and agreeing future plans and programmes of activity. I am confident that this work will provide the basis for further progress towards our goal of effectively eradicating poverty.
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