Vol. 525 No. 4
14 Mr. Hayes asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the reason examples of poverty proofing mechanisms are not provided by the Government; the further reason the mechanisms used are not transparent, open and available to the public; and the way in which the budget in 2000 will be poverty proofed. [25031/00]
62 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if he will publish a comprehensive poverty proofing analysis of budget 2001 on the forthcoming budget day; and his Department's role in 2000 in poverty proofing the work of all Departments. [24953/00]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 14 and 62 together.
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 and which have been published in the two annual reports of the national anti-poverty strategy interdepartmental policy committee. Worked examples of poverty proofing exercises were also distributed to Departments last year and are available on request from my Department.
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. Key principles of the national anti-poverty strategy are built into the development of the social welfare budget package from the start and influence the development throughout.
Documents outlining the proofing of the social welfare budget package will be available to anyone who expresses an interest from budget day, as they were last year. The Minister for Finance has already assured this House that the income tax provisions in the forthcoming budget will be poverty proofed having regard to the official guidelines on the matter. Responsibility for poverty proofing of expenditure measures rests with spending Departments.
All Departments are subject to the Freedom of Information Act. This means that records held by the Departments, including records in relation to poverty proofing, are accessible to members of the public, subject only to certain specific exemptions placed within the Act by the Oireachtas. Poverty proofing records are therefore fully accessible, subject only to these exemptions.
The National Economic and Social Council is currently undertaking an independent study of the poverty proofing process.
I expect that the outcome of the review will enhance the current process and help address any difficulties that may constrain its effective implementation.
15 Mr. M. Higgins asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs if he has received the pre-budget submission by the combat poverty agency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24944/00]
I have recently received a copy of the Combat Poverty Agency's pre-budget submission. This is one of the many budget submissions which I have received from a broad range of representative organisations, community and voluntary organisations and other interested groups.
The agency is recommending that the forthcoming budget should target resources towards low income households, particularly those with children.
It has proposed an overall budget package costing in the region of £1.46 billion, to be divided equally between tax cuts and improved welfare provision. The main proposals include: indexing tax and welfare payments in line with wage increases in 2000; providing additional improvements for households on the lowest welfare payments; targeting surplus resources at low and middle income households with children; providing an equitable system of support for the child care costs of families; and bringing forward welfare increases, including child benefit, to the start of the year.
The establishment of an inclusive society, where all citizens have the opportunity and the incentive to participate fully in the social and economic life of the country, is a fundamental objective of this Government. In formulating proposals for inclusion in the 2001 budget, therefore, the Government will be endeavouring to ensure that the benefits of economic growth are invested in our social infrastructure to bring our social services up to the best standards.
The Government's action programme and the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness contain a wide range of commitments relating to the areas for which I have responsibility, including commitments: to provide for substantial increases in social welfare payment rates, including increasing the old age contributory pension to £100 per week by 2001 and increasing all other old age pensions to £100 by 2002; to make substantial progress over the period to 2003 towards a target rate of £100 per week for the lowest social welfare rates; and to substantially increase child benefit over the period up to 2003, with a priority focus towards £100 a month for the third and subsequent children.
