John Browne
Question:29 Mr. Browne (Carlow-Kilkenny) asked the Minister for Health and Children the role his Department has in implementing the national anti-poverty strategy. [25541/01]
Written Answers. - National Anti-Poverty Strategy.
Although health or health targets were not included in the original national anti-poverty strategy – NAPS – published in 1997, my Department has been involved in setting and reviewing annual workplans for NAPS. More recently, as part of its commitment to tackling social exclusion, the Government gave a commitment in the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness to review the NAPS across all relevant Departments and to develop NAPS targets in the health area with an associated monitoring and implementation framework. The Department established a working group on NAPS and health which included the social partners and the Combat Poverty Agency and sought the assistance of the Institute of Public Health with research and consultation aspects of the exercise.
An extensive public consultation exercise was carried out and the assistance of the Community and Voluntary Pillar and the Combat Poverty Agency was sought to try to ensure that the consultation was as inclusive as possible of people who are poor or socially excluded. The working group completed its report in July last. The report is currently being integrated with the NAPS reports from other Departments with a view to the adoption by Government of a revised NAPS strategy later this year. Concurrently, the report of the NAPS and the health working group is informing the new national health strategy.