DEASP has started the process of developing a new Action Plan for social inclusion to tackle inequality and poverty over the period 2018-2021. Inspired by the aims and aspirations of the UN Sustainable Development Goals 2030, the plan will aim to build an inclusive Ireland where no-one is left behind and support is provided to those most in need. The primary focus of the plan will be the reduction of the percentage of the population in consistent poverty, i.e. both on relatively low incomes and experiencing material deprivation.
It will be a ‘whole of Government’ plan incorporating poverty reduction/social inclusion actions from the range of Department and cross-Departmental strategies already in place and any new policies under development. As such, it will include actions from the Departments of Children and Youth Affairs; Education and Skills; Business, Enterprise and Innovation; my own Department and any other Department whose work impacts on the lives of young persons aged 15-24 years, as well as actions that will benefit other societal groups that are in consistent poverty.