This is a Seanad Bill which has been amended by the Dáil. In accordance with Standing Order No. 82 it is deemed to have passed its First, Second and Third Stages in the Seanad and is placed on the Order Paper for the Report Stage. On the question that the Bill be received for Final Consideration the Minister may explain the purport of the amendments made by the Dáil and this is regarded as the Report of the Dáil Amendments to the Seanad. The only matter, therefore, that may be discussed is the amendments made by the Dáil. For the convenience of Senators I have arranged for the printing and circulation to them of those amendments.
Combat Poverty Agency Bill, 1985 (Seanad Bill Amended by the Dáil): Report and Final Stages.
Question proposed: "That the Bill be received for Final Consideration."
The Combat Poverty Agency Bill, 1985, as passed by Seanad Éireann in July 1985 has been passed by Dáil Éireann with two amendments. The first amendment relates to section 1 — interpretation. In page 3, lines 30 and 31, "31st day of December, 1985" has been deleted and "31st day of December, 1986" substituted. The effect of the amendment is to define the first financial year of the agency as the period from the establishment day to 31 December 1986. It is proposed to establish the agency in 1986 and the amendment was necessary in order that the first financial year will end on the last day of the agency's first year as intended.
The second amendment concerns section 5 (2) in page 5, line 31: "31st day of December 1987" has been deleted and "31st day of December 1989" substituted. Subsection (2) of the section obliges the agency to draw up a strategic plan in respect of each three year period. It is proposed to establish the agency this year but the initial plan is not due to be submitted until six months after the date of the first meeting. The plan will then have to be examined by the Minister and the Minister for Finance must be consulted.
Senators will recall that in the Bill as initiated it was provided that the approval of the Minister for Finance also had to be otained, but on consideration of arguments made in the House I agreed to amend the Bill so that consultation only with the Minister for Finance would be required. Because of the obvious necessity to give careful consideration to the agency's first plan it is inevitable that it will be some way into 1987 before the plan will be approved. The amendment was made, therefore, to provide that the first plan will cover the period of two and a half to three years to the end of 1989 which is in keeping with the general intention that each plan will be for a period of three years.
Before I call on Senator Fallon, Members are aware that they may speak only once on this.
This Combat Poverty Agency Bill is a Bill to advise the Minister for Social Welfare on all aspects of economic and social planning in relation to poverty in the State; to initiate measures aimed at overcoming such poverty and to evaluate such measures. We have had a long debate in this House and similarly in Dáil Éireann. That is right and proper because it is a very serious problem and one that needs to be overcome as quickly as possible. All I can say in dealing with the actual amendments, which I understand is all I can discuss, is that in the knowledge that we have so much poverty in this country, in the knowledge that we have so much unemployment as a result of which we have so many people in receipt of social welfare benefits, we are paying something like £2.6 billion in social welfare. Nearly 40 per cent of the population is in receipt of some form of social welfare benefit. These are staggering figures and indicate a great deal of poverty within the State. I would have thought, therefore, that every effort would be made to speed up all aspects of this Bill. Yet we find from the amendment to section 5 that there will be no strategic plan available until 1990.
Despite all the agencies, and groups that are involved in doing so much for poverty I have to say that I am extremely disappointed that this is the case. I really felt that speed in this area of poverty was so necessary that the Minister and the Government would proceed as quickly as possible with all of the interested groupings. There are many groups in this country who have an interest in poverty and have proven themselves and have a track record. I am talking about groupings like the St. Vincent de Paul Society and all the various groups who are well known to have an interest in this area. They would have their records, the personnel would be available and any plans that are appropriate to deal with this Bill would be quickly on stream and therefore people who are on the poverty line would benefit most. I am somewhat disappointed that this matter has not been dealt with, that we are going to have no plan until the 1990s. I think the losers in this whole situation are the people who need it most.
In my opinion the amendments are necessary to ensure the smooth operation of the Bill when it becomes law.
I welcome the undertaking by the Minister that the agency will be established within the present year of 1986. At the same time I want to register my disappointment at the very long period — almost a year if my memory serves me right — that it has taken the Dáil to process this legislation. The area of poverty is in need of urgent attention and the agency is part and parcel of the machinery to try to tackle that key problem facing Irish society. The legislation as we will pass it today is already overdue. I would like to think, now that it will be passed today, that no effort whatever will be spared to establish the agency as rapidly as possible.
With regard to section 5 I welcome the proposal for a strategic plan. It implies a continuing offensive on poverty and I hope that our plan — the Irish plan — will extend beyond the period of the European Community plan, namely 1989. In other words, I hope that national initiatives in the poverty area will extend beyond the European Community programme in both time and content.
I want to thank the House and the Members who spoke for their contribution on this occasion. We had the Bill in the House almost a year ago as Senator Hillery has said. I want to correct the impression under which Senator Fallon appears to be regarding the dates. He mentioned that the first plan will not be available until 1990. I thought I made it clear in my opening remarks that the agency will be set up this year, as quickly as possible, and that they will be obliged within six months from their first meeting to have the plan and that plan will cover the period from approximately the middle of 1987 up to the end of 1989. That is the first strategic plan. The agency will be getting down to work in the near future. It will be producing its first plan within six months after meeting and I think that having regard to all the circumstances that kind of a timetable is a reasonable one. It has to be balanced between, on the one hand, the obvious urgency of having the plan and, on the other hand, the obvious need to ensure that the plan will be an effective one and that there will be nothing rushed about it, that it will be well thought out and effective. I consider that the timetable which is laid out is one that is reasonable and one that will get the best results. I want to emphasise that the plan will commence about the middle of 1987. I think that explains to the House the amendments which have been made in the Dáil and again I thank the House for the way they have received the Bill and for their valuable contributions.
Question put and agreed to.
Question, "That the Bill do now pass", put and agreed to.