Louise O'Reilly
Question:374. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Social Protection the details of the new working group to tackle the issue of food poverty; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36516/21]
View answerTuesday, 6 July 2021
Questions (374)
Written answers
The Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020-2025, which was published in January 2020, includes a commitment to develop a comprehensive programme of work to further explore the drivers of food poverty and to identify mitigating actions (Commitment #61). This commitment is to be delivered by a number of Government Departments working in collaboration.
Following the Social Inclusion Roadmap Steering Group meeting on 30 March 2021, which I chaired, I announced my intention to establish a Working Group to tackle the issue of food poverty in accordance with this Commitment.
This Working Group has since been established. Its membership consists of the Departments of Agriculture, Food and the Marine; Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth; Education; Health; Rural and Community Development; and Social Protection. The Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Crosscare and the Children’s Rights Alliance are also members of this group.
The first meeting of the group took place on 8 June 2021, and a second meeting is scheduled to take place in the coming weeks. Terms of reference were agreed at the first meeting, and it is envisaged that this group will meet regularly this year.
Following that first meeting, my Department is currently coordinating a high-level mapping exercise across Government to identify the range of work undertaken, or funded, by Departments and other State bodies to address food poverty in its various forms.
The future work of this group will include consideration of the drivers of food poverty in the current climate and the development of relevant recommendations, which will contribute to the development of future Roadmap commitments to 2025 following the mid-term review of the Roadmap in 2022.