I propose to take Questions Nos. 75 and 93 together.
In its recently published annual report for 2002, the Combat Poverty Agency addressed the issues of child and family poverty in Ireland. Drawing on published data sources, the agency estimated that some 5.5% of households experience consistent poverty. Consistent poverty is a measure devised by the ESRI to measure basic deprivation. It identifies the proportion of people below a certain income threshold who lack what are considered basic necessities to sustain a minimally adequate standard of living. This measurement greatly assists in identifying the most deprived and ensuring that special attention is given to their needs.
The reduction and eventual elimination of consistent poverty has been the priority goal of the national anti-poverty strategy since its inception. The progress being made has been documented by the 2001 "Living in Ireland" survey, the results of which will be published in the near future. These confirm that the proportion of people experiencing consistent poverty has almost halved – falling from 9.7% in 1997 to 5.2% in 2001, with the proportion of children dropping even more dramatically, from 15.3% in 1997 to 6.5% in 2001. The overall target, as I have said previously, is to reduce the proportion of consistently poor to below 2% by 2007 and, if possible, to eliminate consistent poverty by that date.
One of the Government's priorities is to continue to further develop policies that are achieving this progress, which include support for increased employment, improved income support in real terms, especially for children, and improved access to services, such as health, education and training, housing and accommodation.
The strategies for the development and implementation of policy in these areas are set out in the revised national anti-poverty strategy, "Building an Inclusive Society", of February 2002 and the national action plan against poverty and social exclusion, NAPS/incl., submitted to the EU Commission in July 2003.
The national action plan incorporates the commitments made in NAPS and in the social partnership agreement, Sustaining Progress. The strategies set out a range of targets in all the relevant policy areas for combating poverty and social exclusion. In addition, specific targets have been established in respect of groups identified as being particularly vulnerable to poverty, such as children and young people, women, older people, people with disabilities, Travellers, migrants and ethnic minorities.
Future policy development will be largely focused on the agreed special initiatives in Sustaining Progress, eight of which are of direct relevance to combating poverty, including the initiatives on ending child poverty, tackling educational disadvantage, supports for the long-term unemployed and other vulnerable workers, supports for carers, housing and accommodation and migration and inter-culturalism The newly established office for social inclusion in my Department, has overall responsibility for co-ordinating the implementation of the national anti-poverty strategy.