I have read the Combat Poverty Agency's pre-budget, submission, Bridging the Divide, with great interest. I was happy to speak at the launch of the submission on 12 January. The submission is a comprehensive and thoughtful document with recommendations ranging from welfare reform to reform of the taxation system which I found very useful in considering proposals for the 1995 budget.
I arranged for officials in my Department to meet with the agency recently to discuss the recommendations in detail. In addition, I arranged for copies of the submission to be sent to all Government Departments for information and attention in so far as their areas of responsibility are concerned and a number of meetings between the agency and relevant Departments have taken place.