Vol. 540 No. 2
31 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the standing his Department's proposals have on the issue of social exclusion and anti-poverty measures, recently sent to the European Commission, given the recent rejection of the Nice Treaty by the electorate; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19756/01]
The national action plan sets out the Government's strategy to combat poverty and social exclusion in Ireland for the period 2001 to 2003. The plan covers all the relevant policy areas, including the areas for which I have responsibility. Preparation of the plan was co-ordinated by the poverty unit of my Department. It was approved by the Government and submitted to the European Commission by the 1 June deadline.
The legal basis in the treaty for this process of co-operation among member states is already provided for in Article 137.2, resulting from a proposal for a treaty amendment made by Ireland during the negotiations on the Treaty of Amsterdam. At the European Council in Nice, all member states, including Ireland, agreed to specific objectives to combat poverty and social exclusion which now form the basis for the national action plans. These objectives, however, are separate from the treaty, which was also agreed at the same European Council.
The national action plans, including that of Ireland, will undergo a co-ordinated process of joint review with other states and the European Commission. This is designed to assist member states in learning from the best practice of other states and, in the light of this, improving their strategy on combating poverty and social exclusion on an ongoing basis. This will be done through the existing Social Protection Committee which comprises representatives of the Social Affairs Ministers of each member state.
Regardless of the ultimate outcome of the Nice Treaty ratification process, the Social Protection Committee will continue on the existing basis to work closely with both the Employment and Economic Policy Committees to ensure issues such as social exclusion are examined from an economic and social perspective in a balanced and integrated manner.
At the Stockholm European Council in March this year, the Taoiseach, together with the other Heads of State and Government, affirmed that "the fight against social exclusion is of the utmost importance for the Union". It is the Government's intention that Ireland will be in the forefront of these developments. The national action plans, which will be reviewed every two years, set down strategies for an assault on exclusion which will be a key priority for member states for the foreseeable future.
Will the Minister accept the criticism from the Opposition and many groups that they did not have any consultative role in the formulation of this national action plan? Does he agree the decision on the Nice Treaty by the people allows us the opportunity to emphasise the importance of Parliament and its committees in the consultative process?
At no stage was this plan debated in the House or at the Joint Committee on Family, Community and Social Affairs. When we brought this to the Minister's attention, he refused to provide for an hour's debate on it. Is this not a further example of the erosion of Parliament in debating important matters which will come to the attention of the European Commission?
Does the Minister say conclusively that the result of the Nice Treaty does not have any impact on the status of his action plan which he sent to the Commission on 1 June given that, when he mentioned the establishment of the plan some months ago, he referred to the treaty negotiations in Nice last December as being the brainchild for this action plan?
I do not accept there was no consultation because there was.
Not in the Dáil.
This action plan is a statement about what we are doing and the work done so far. The reality is we are ahead of our EU partners.
Our definition of poverty is way behind.
Any objective examination of our position as a state, the formulation of which began before we came to office—
Correct.
—and continued while we were in office, will show that we are to the forefront in progressing the issues of poverty and social exclusion at EU level.
The Minister may believe that but the European Commission does not.
The Minister is in possession. Deputy Hayes should cease interrupting.
He is always interrupting, but he does not like to hear the answer from the Minister. He just likes to hear his own voice.
The Minister is getting very tetchy in his old age.
Our national action plan is and will continue to be used by member states. It is one of the reasons my door has been knocked upon on many occasions by Ministers from other countries wishing to see exactly what we are doing and how we are progressing. The targets we set in our previous plan have been met, by and large, and we are moving to a new phase.
We have pioneered poverty proofing. To the best of my knowledge, no other Government has introduced it, but they have all come to this country to see how we poverty proof Government decisions and how we will extend it to local authorities.
Is it not extraordinary that the Minister has submitted this plan to Brussels when all the main organisations which fight poverty have lambasted it? Fr. Seán Healy called the plan an insult to poor people. Robin Hannan, the national anti-poverty network co-ordinator, said there was no coherent strategy holding it together, no new actions planned, no new spending commitments, hardly any effective targets and not even new ways to make promises happen.
It is not in order to quote at Question Time.
Is it not an extraordinary indictment of the Minister that senior representative people such as Mr. Hannan and Fr. Healy have excoriated him for not doing his job and not delivering? They mentioned that we are still ranked 17th out of 18 industrialised countries with the bottom 5% of the population—
I ask the Minister to deal with Question No. 32.
The Deputy is full of old rhetoric.
We have moved on to Question No. 32.
The people he quotes would not be doing their job if they did not criticise. That is what they are there for.
They are knocking on the Minister's door every week.
Perhaps the Deputy should have a look at and quote what is in the Irish Independent.
Perhaps the Minister would abide by the rules. I have called Question No. 32.
It stated we have less poverty in this country than in many European states.
Will the Minister, please, address himself to Question No. 32?
That is not referred to by the people the Deputy mentioned.
What about the Dundalk Democrat or the Dundalk Argus?
