I work for the Community Workers Co-operative but I am here to speak on behalf of a network of organisations which we have named Voices that Matter. We are here to talk about and on behalf of the few that have been left out of the economic prosperity described by the Chairman and who are marginalised for a diversity of reasons. We are delighted to have the chance to address the Oireachtas joint committee. In the past our member organisations have found this committee to be very supportive so we thank it for the opportunity to address it today.
I do not intend to go through the submission we sent the committee a few days ago but I will give a flavour of the type of society we live in, the sections of that society we represent, the organisations we work with and what we do, and the importance of that. We accept the point that Ireland has enjoyed unprecedented growth and economic prosperity over the last few years, although that has changed significantly recently. However, a large proportion of the Irish population remains in poverty and lives with inequality and social exclusion of various types. Despite the unprecedented economic growth, 4.2% of the population live in consistent poverty and 14.4% are at risk of poverty. According to the ESRI, Ireland is seen to compare unfavourably not only with its prosperous neighbours in the EU but also with a number of new member states. Comparatively, Ireland is not doing very well.
It is important to highlight that particular categories of people remain at higher than average risk of poverty. These include children, with an at risk of poverty rate of 18% and a consistent poverty rate of 6.3%. People in households headed by a lone parent are at particular risk of poverty as well as those who are unemployed. It should also be highlighted that people in employment are a growing proportion of people living in poverty. A significant problem of in work poverty is developing. Women, who make up 50% of the population, have a slightly higher risk of poverty and a slightly higher proportion of women than men are in poverty. I accept that the Gini coefficient is not immediately understandable to everybody but it is a good measure of how equal a society is. In Ireland our Gini coefficient is just above the EU average. That might sound okay but it is not because it is a comparison with many of the developing countries in Europe. In Sweden, for example, the Gini coefficient is 23% while ours is 31%, so we could do better in that regard.
Forms of social exclusion other than those directly related to income are more difficult to measure and, for that reason, it is probably important to highlight them. According to the National Women's Council of Ireland, representation is highly unequal in Ireland. Only 13% of our Deputies are women. With regard to Travellers, over 70% of Travellers are unemployed compared with 7% or 8% of the overall population. That is at least seven times the number in the general population. There is no member of the Traveller community in the Oireachtas. Ireland is now a country of diversity with one in ten people living here describing themselves as non-Irish but our representative democracy does not reflect that.
From the perspective of the organisations we represent, there is irrefutable evidence that equal societies do better than unequal societies not only for those who are affected by disadvantage and marginalisation but for the society in general. Why are we here today? Any serious concern on the part of the Government to tackle poverty and inequality requires support for national organisations because of what those organisations bring to the table. In outlining some of the critical factors in addressing the challenges of poverty, social exclusion and inequality I will discuss the role of the organisations that comprise Voices that Matter. The first issue is policy. We see that as a two-way conduit in terms of policy development and policy implementation. The work the organisations do is essentially about translating experiences. The task of these organisations, many of which have networks at local level that work with people who are experiencing poverty, inequality and social exclusion, is to articulate those issues and devise ways of addressing them. The unique role of the national organisations is to represent and present those issues to policy-makers at different times. We believe that leads to richer policy development because it is informed by the participation of people affected by the issue and also because it is evidence based.
In terms of implementation of policy, the national organisations often find themselves in the role of broker where they broker the implementation of policy between Government and State agencies and people on the ground. It is a very important bridging mechanism. Many of the organisations are members of important implementation bodies at national level, such as, for example, my representation on the RAPID national monitoring committee. Other organisations are represented on the national women's strategy implementation body, the National Economic and Social Council, NESC, and so forth. We are there because it is acknowledged that we can bring the experience of people on the ground to those policy making fora.
With regard to building consensus for policy change, sometimes policy change is not immediately seen as positive and national organisations play the role of translating what can be seen as threatening policy change into more understandable language, therefore making it easier to implement. One of the crucial things we do warrants repeating — we ensure the participation of those who are actually experiencing poverty, social exclusion and inequality and, in doing so, strengthen the democratic process. We are talking about people who are furthest from the democratic and political process. Using a variety of approaches and methods, including community development, the organisations ensure that the voice of those who are experiencing these problems is brought to the table.
Most of our policy documents are now based on the Developmental Welfare State by the NESC. Developmental Welfare State looks at the need for innovative measures. It acknowledges there are gaps in terms of policy development and implementation and states there is a role of innovation. We would certainly say national networks and those we represent have a very good track record in regard to national innovation and in having some of that mainstreamed.
In terms of value for money, it has long been acknowledged that the community and voluntary sector does things very well and for very little and we argue that we provide a very good and diverse range of services for very little.
In terms of effective and efficient communication, what we bring to the table is networks and channels that can be used for a variety of things. They have been used in partnerships with different agencies and Departments over the years. At this stage, the national organisations have a range and depth of expertise that is acknowledge not only at national level, but at international level as well.
The main reason we are here and Voices that Matter got together in the first place is that we are all supported by a scheme now administered by the Department Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs. It is called the scheme to support the national organisations in the community and voluntary sector. It was first envisaged as part of the White Paper on a framework to support voluntary activity and to develop the relationship between the State and the community sector. It has been in operation for almost three years and had a three-year cycle. We are coming to the end of that cycle. The overall scheme funds 64 organisations and had a budget of €80 million over the three years, although there was a 10% in reduction in that last year.
There is now an opportunity to refocus the scheme, which provides core funding, to reflect the new priorities of the new Department, including social exclusion, inequality and anti-poverty measures. Sometimes we focus too much on funding; it is about what the funding enables. What the funding enables is an infrastructural capacity to address all the issues mentioned. It is used by many of the organisations to enable the voices of those experiencing poverty, social exclusion and inequality. That is the motivation of all the organisations Voices that Matter represents.
We ask the committee to bring all its influence to bear to ensure the scheme continues and is refocused to reflect the new priorities of the Department, to emphasise the importance of the linkages to those on the ground and to ensure the participation of people who experience poverty, social exclusion and inequality.
Some suggestions as to how to improve it include a statement of recognition of the importance of community and voluntary organisations to a vibrant civil society and a strong democracy, specifically those engaged in anti-poverty, social exclusion and equality work, and a statement that the scheme or similar would be used to provide core funding to enable the work of these organisations. Again, it should not be all about the funding but about what the funding enables and facilitates. In this case, it is about bringing the voices of those experiencing the issues to the table.
A refocusing of the scheme to better reflect the new priorities of the Department on organisations that specifically work in the areas of anti-poverty, social exclusion and inequality and on organisations that have a proven track record in this area would be very welcome. The multi-annual nature of funding should be improved to five years to allow more long-term planning to address the issues which are quite embedded and entrenched and, therefore, need a particular strategic approach.
Without doubt, Irish society faces the biggest challenge it has ever faced and I am sure members are far more familiar with phrases like that than we are. Having a voice at national level which seeks to represent, empower and respond to the needs of groups and communities experiencing poverty, social exclusion and inequality is needed now more than ever. Voices that Matter requests the committee to use all its influence and power to ensure the challenges posed by poverty, social exclusion and inequality are placed and remain at the top of the political agenda and that the role of national organisations working to address poverty, social exclusion and inequality is sustained through an appropriate funding mechanism.