Ruairí Quinn
Ceist:32 Mr. Quinn asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the steps, if any, he will take to update the national anti-poverty strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6098/00]
Written Answers. - Anti-poverty Strategy.
The national anti-poverty strategy was launched in April 1997 with the overall target of reducing the proportion of households in consistent poverty from 9%-15% to less than 5%-10% by 2007. Targets and objectives were also set in relation to each of the five key themes of unemployment, educational disadvantage, income adequacy, disadvantaged urban areas and rural poverty.
In June 1999, the first annual report of the NAPS interdepartmental policy committee was published. Along with the ESRI's Monitoring Poverty Trends report, it revealed that substantial progress had been made towards the original NAPS poverty and unemployment targets. Crucially, the level of consistent poverty had been reduced from 9%-15% to 7%-10%. The rate of unemployment and long-term unemployment had continued to fall.
In light of these developments, and as part of this Government's social inclusion strategy, I announced a revised target to reduce the numbers in consistent poverty to below 5% by 2004. In addition, the employment action plan contains a target to reduce unemployment to below 5% and long-term unemployment to below 2% by the end of 2000.
The new figures also prompted the Government to consider moving into a new phase with the NAPS, encompassing a broader social inclusion strategy which would rebase the original targets and begin to consider new areas where a strategic response could be used to alleviate exclusion.
I announced in the preface to the IDPC report that the Government had asked the Committee to draw up new targets to reflect the changed environment, for example in relation to education and adult literacy, and to consider action targets in relation to particular groups such as children in poverty. It was also noted that the input of the social partners in target setting would be valuable in this regard.
The NAPS IDPC considered a ‘next steps' approach during the latter quarter of 1999 and was aware of the need to tie in any new direction with the contexts created by, for example, the national development plan and any new national agreement.
While the proposed new agreement, the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness, has yet to be ratified, it has provided a timely opportunity to develop approaches, with the social partners, to important strategic issues that were being considered in the social inclusion area. It is proposed that the NAPS will be updated, the underlying methodology reviewed, and the existing targets reviewed and revised where appropriate. In particular, new targets will be considered under the themes of child poverty, women's poverty, health, older people and housing-accommodation. This process will be completed during the first 18 months of the new programme.
The proposed investment of £1.5 billion in social inclusion during the course of the agreement is testament to this Government's commitment in this area. The comprehensive section on social inclusion in the proposed new national agreement ensures that the policy focus will remain fixed in on this issue in the years ahead.
Michael Bell
Ceist:33 Mr. Bell asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the extent of the operation of the policy of poverty proofing on Government decision making in 1999 and 2000. [6121/00]
Following the agreement among the social partners in July 1998 on a pilot poverty proofing system to assess all significant policy proposals for their potential impact on the poor, the Government adopted this process in official Cabinet procedures. To assist in its implementation, the national anti-poverty strategy unit, based in my Department, produced a set of guidelines on poverty proofing which were distributed to all Departments last year.
The introduction of poverty proofing of significant policy proposals is a major tool in assisting this Government in halting the drift towards a two-tier society by keeping social inclusion to the fore in policy-making at all times. It ensures that Departments are kept aware of the possible implications of policy on those most in need and it is a system to which this Government is committed as part of its strategy on social inclusion. All memoranda for Government and key policy initiatives upon which significant policy decisions have to be made, are required to be poverty proofed and this has been the case since late 1998.
In relation to a review of the process, it was agreed with the social partners during the initial discussions that poverty proofing would be reviewed and revised if necessary after a period of one year. Proposals for an independent study are being pursued and I expect that the review will be started shortly. It is hoped that the outcome of the review will enhance the current process and help address any difficulties that may constrain its effective implementation.
In advance of the review, and to assist in informing it, the NAPS unit in my Department has asked Departments to report on their experience of the process to date and has already received some particularly useful and informative replies which will feed into the above review.
Jack Wall
Ceist:34 Mr. Wall asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if he has satisfied himself that he has provided sufficient funding and resources for research on poverty including access to accommodation, health care and employment. [6128/00]
The proposed programme for prosperity and fairness provides a pathway for an expanded strategy on social inclusion. It allows us to build on the achievements to date and examine new areas from which poverty and exclusion can originate and persist. Housing and health are two of these and the Government's record on employment and unemployment has seen significant movements of people into work and off the dole queues.
It is important that new directions in social policy are founded on a solid basis and research provides the opportunity to provide the data necessary to help ensure that we are targeting the right people with the right policies. In addition, research can lend weight to existing policy, allowing opportunities to improve and refine the detail of Government policy to make it more relevant as our society and economy changes. This Government has committed significant funding in these areas.
In relation to poverty specifically, my Department has committed almost £200,000 to the Economic and Social Research Institute to carry out supplementation of the living in Ireland survey, that is to supplement attrition of the sample survey, and to provide an updated analysis of the 1998 data from a poverty perspective, most recent data relate to 1997. The living in Ireland survey has been a valuable source of poverty data in the past and secondary analysis of this data, as carried out by the Combat Poverty Agency among others, has also been extremely useful. The agency, which is funded by my Department, uses a substantial proportion of its budget of approximately £2 million for research purposes.
In addition, an independent review of the poverty proofing process, introduced in 1998, will be carried out this year, as well as an EU-assisted transnational study – led by the combat poverty agency and including the NAPS unit, based in my Department, as a partner – for the development of guidelines for the involvement of excluded persons and the organisations which represent them in the development, implementation and evaluation of social inclusion and anti-poverty strategies.
The proposed new partnership agreement also contains commitments which show the value which this Government and the social partners attach to research in this area. These include: to provide relevant data and data collection systems for the monitoring and evaluation of poverty, including systems of measuring poverty among groups not currently included, for example, people living in institutions, Travellers and the homeless and to allocate resources to health research as part of a comprehensive approach to ensuring adequate medium and long-term planning and health provision. Data systems will be adapted to enable disaggregation of health access and outcomes across NAPS target groups. This data will be monitored and reported on at national level.
The proposed new agreement also contains many commitments in relation to housing, including the consideration of housing as a NAPS target area. Any decision in relation to this and other areas will be informed by relevant and recent data and the results of appropriate research.