Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 26 September 2007
121 Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the percentage of the population regarded as being in consistent poverty; when he expects that the 2% target which was set for 2007 in the ten year anti-poverty strategy launched in 1997 will be reached; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20725/07]
Amharc ar fhreagra124 Deputy Bernard Allen asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the percentage of the population regarded as being in consistent poverty; his efforts to combat consistent poverty; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20776/07]
Amharc ar fhreagra128 Deputy Richard Bruton asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the details of his plan to assist the 290,000 people who, according to The Combat Poverty 2006 Annual Report, are deprived of one or more basic necessities such as adequate food, clothes or heating; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20771/07]
Amharc ar fhreagra156 Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs his views on the recent statement from the Irish Human Rights Commission that the persistence of poverty and deprivation among economic success was contributing to the denial of basic human rights to thousands of people here; the steps he will take to deal with the concerns raised by the IHRC; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20710/07]
Amharc ar fhreagra161 Deputy Dinny McGinley asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the reason the consistent poverty target in the NAP/Incl 2007 to 2016 is less ambitious than that of the National Anti-Poverty Strategy and Agreed Programme for Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20790/07]
Amharc ar fhreagra165 Deputy Eamon Gilmore asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs his views on the recent statement from the acting director of the Combat Poverty Agency that the provision of quality public services is crucial to the tackling of poverty; the steps he will take in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20709/07]
Amharc ar fhreagra179 Deputy Olivia Mitchell asked the Minister for Social and Family Affairs his views on the fact that 7% of the population, nearly 300,000 people, remain in consistent poverty (details supplied); the action he will take to tackle same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20787/07]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 121, 124, 128, 156, 161, 165 and 179 together.
Combating poverty and building an inclusive society are key priorities for the Government. The National Action Plan for Social Inclusion (NAPinclusion) and the social inclusion commitments in the National Development Plan were drawn up in consultation with the social partners and after a wide ranging consultation process with other stakeholders. The NAPinclusion adopts a lifecycle stage approach, in line with Towards 2016, with specific, measurable goals set for each group: children; people of working age; older people and people with disabilities; and their communities. It sets out a demanding and detailed programme of action to meet these goals and targets during the period 2007-2016.
The NAPinclusion builds on the considerable progress achieved in the past decade in tackling poverty and in reducing the number of people experiencing material deprivation in Ireland. The new goal in the NAPinclusion is to reduce the number of those experiencing consistent poverty to between 2 per cent and 4 per cent by 2012, with the aim of eliminating consistent poverty by 2016.
The goal has been set using an updated set of indicators devised by the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), which is more realistic and in keeping with living standards today than the indicators considered appropriate for the earlier national anti poverty plans. The new target reflects experience and advice that it may be difficult to bring consistent poverty down to zero, due in part to the subjective and sensitive nature of the survey questions used to identify deprivation. The current rate of consistent poverty in the population using the new measure is 7.0 per cent.
The 2002 National Anti-Poverty Strategy target was to reduce the numbers of those who are consistently poor to 2 per cent by 2007 and, if possible, to eliminate consistent poverty, as then defined. The consistent poverty measure used at that time had been developed by the ESRI in 1987. It identified the proportion of people, from those with less than 60 per cent of median income, who were deprived of one or more goods or services considered essential for a basic standard of living as then defined. A major discontinuity between the Living in Ireland Survey (LIIS), previously used for monitoring progress against the target and the new EU Survey on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC), introduced from 2003, means that it is not possible to compare trends in consistent poverty between the two surveys. However, continuing low levels of unemployment and the substantial resources devoted to social welfare and other social services, support the view that the downward trend in consistent poverty, from 8.3 per cent in 1994 to 4.1 per cent in 2001, would have continued and the target would have been reached by 2007 using the LIIS survey method. Furthermore, the first three years of EU-SILC data indicate that the overall consistent poverty rate reduced from 8.8 per cent in 2003 to 7.0 per cent in 2005.
The NAPinclusion sets out a wide-ranging and comprehensive programme of actions over the period to 2016 to continue to reduce poverty, achieve the overall consistent poverty goal to ensure that every person has access to income and resources (material, cultural and social) that are regarded as acceptable by Irish society. To this end, the NAPinclusion contains 12 high level strategic goals in key priority areas supported by over 150 more detailed targets and actions. The Plan has a particular focus on the effective delivery and implementation of quality public services for each stage of the lifecycle. Detailed action targets cover the broad spectrum of services including education, health and long-term care, housing, income support, employment supports, early childhood development and care, transport, and sport and culture.
The Government is determined to build on the progress achieved over the past ten years in reducing poverty. The social welfare commitments in the Programme for Government prioritise the objectives of the NAPinclusion. They include; improvements in support for Lone Parents; in the State Pension and the Carers Allowance, in Child Benefit and in the Back to School Clothing and Footwear Allowance and the School Meals Programme. Support for the Office for Social Inclusion is a key commitment, in particular, for its work to progress the use of poverty impact assessments by government departments, local authorities and statutory agencies in the development of policies and programmes and the delivery of public services to ensure that the Government's social inclusion agenda is achieved.
The concern expressed by the Irish Human Rights Commission on the impact of poverty on human rights is one that the Government and I share. Ireland, together with many other Member States of the Council of Europe, ratified the European Social Charter which is designed to secure to their populations the social rights specified in the Charter in order to improve their standard of living and their social well being. In 1991 the Council of Europe adopted a Revised Social Charter in order to take account in particular of the fundamental social changes which have occurred since the original text was adopted in 1961. The Revised Social Charter was ratified by Ireland on 4th November 2000 and came into force on 1 January, 2000. One of the main changes included in the Revised Social Charter was the inclusion of a new Article 30 which provides for the right to protection against poverty and exclusion. I am confident that the strategies to combat poverty and social exclusion, including the current NAPinclusion, meet the undertaking required by Article 30 These include taking measures within the framework of an overall and coordinated approach to promote effective access by people experiencing poverty and social exclusion to employment and a range of other key services. Ireland's compliance with these and other obligations under the revised Charter will be monitored on a regular basis by the appropriate Council of Europe institutions.
My plan, in working with Government to deliver the programme over the coming years, is to build on the significant and visible progress already made in reducing poverty and material deprivation and to deliver real improvements in living standards and well-being for the most vulnerable in our society.
