Brendan Howlin
Question:159 Mr. Howlin asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs when he plans to publish the promised new two year social inclusion action plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37598/06]
View answerTuesday, 14 November 2006
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Written answers
In line with a commitment in the social partnership agreement Towards 2016, a new National Action Plan for Inclusion is currently being prepared by the Office for Social Inclusion in my Department. The Plan is expected to be launched early in the New Year and is being prepared in tandem with and will complement the forthcoming National Development Plan 2007-2013, which will contain a specific chapter on social inclusion. In keeping with the approach taken in the original 1997 National Anti-Poverty Strategy the new plan will adopt a strategic approach reflecting the complex nature of poverty, which is multi-faceted in its causes and effects and, as a consequence, requires a multi-policy response.
These strategies will build on the lifecycle approach in Towards 2016, by assessing the risks which individuals face at each stage of the lifecycle and the supports they need to meet these risks. The groups focussed on using this approach are Children, People of Working Age, Older People and People with Disabilities. This strategic framework is also being designed to create more coherent and integrated structures to achieve more effective implementation. It will also facilitate better and more effective reporting and monitoring across the spectrum of government activity in the area of social inclusion.
In the ten years since the first NAPS, much has been achieved in Ireland towards the EU aim of making a decisive impact on poverty. Much has also been learned, both from our own experience in Ireland and from that of other Member States, on how more effective, coordinated implementation of strategies can be achieved. Full account is being taken of what has been learned in developing the new Plan and the arrangements for its implementation.
The multi-faceted nature of poverty and social inclusion requires action across a range of Government policies on employment, social welfare, education, health, housing, disability, equality and less directly in other policy areas. Achieving satisfactory outcomes requires institutional arrangements encompassing Government, senior Departmental officials, social partners, key State Agencies, local authorities, community and voluntary groups and the general public. The Office for Social Inclusion works closely with these bodies to ensure effective implementation of the National Action Plan targets. Arising from a commitment in Towards 2016, the Office will have wider responsibilities in relation to oversight of social inclusion policies.
My aim and that of the Government is to continue to build not just a prosperous but a fair society in Ireland, which values and supports its people and particularly its most vulnerable. I am determined to ensure that this Plan and its implementation, in full consultation with all the stakeholders at national, regional and local levels, will make a major contribution to building the type of society we aspire to by making a decisive impact on poverty.