Paul Nicholas Gogarty
Question:110 Mr. Gogarty asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs if she has sought to have the budget of each Department poverty proofed. [24762/02]
Written Answers. - Anti-Poverty Strategy.
Since late 1998, all memoranda for Government and key policy initiatives, upon which significant policy decisions have to be made, are required to be poverty proofed. Poverty proofing is defined as "the process by which Government Departments, local authorities and State agencies assess policies and programmes at design and review stages in relation to the likely impact that they will have or have had on poverty and on inequalities which are likely to lead to poverty, with a view to poverty reduction". The primary aim of the process is to identify the impact of the policy proposal on the poor so that this can be given proper consideration in designing the policy. Each Department, including by own, is obliged under Government procedures to poverty proof its own policy proposals. I can assure the Deputy that my Department's budget package will be poverty proofed as usual.
The national office for social inclusion, which is being established under the revised national anti-poverty strategy, will be resourced to develop a more effective poverty proofing process and to ensure that it is appropriately operationalised in all relevant Departments. The development of the process, which will include the production of new guidelines – will take account of the findings and recommendations contained in the review of the poverty proofing process published by the National Economic and Social Council. In line with increasing the effectiveness of proofing procedures generally, it is intended that greater integration of poverty proofing and other proofing processes, for example, gender and rural proofing, will also be developed.