Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

With regard to priorities for the coming year, I will go back to the fuel poverty side of things, mainly because it is one of the commitments that is a bit scattered and needs someone to pull it together. Many of the other commitments sit fairly squarely in particular Departments, including many which sit in our own Department of Social Protection. With regard to other priorities, we will be looking towards budget 2022, building up to it and seeing what we can do. With regard to the review in 2022, I do not want to predict the time of year at which it will come but I am eager for it to be completed earlier rather than later.

The Deputy makes a good point on the well-being indicators. While I talk a lot about the 2%, other indicators beyond just income are used within the roadmap. On the education side of things, there is a target in respect of retention rates, particularly in DEIS schools. That is a big factor with regard to social inclusion and poverty as well. We have targets for employment engagement for people with a disability. These are particularly important. Active citizenship rates are also included, as is housing quality. There are other markers included beyond income. These do tally somewhat with the well-being indicators the Deputy has mentioned.

The Deputy mentioned specific targeting and general social welfare payments. We need to do both. We will follow the research and the data but the gap about which we are talking and the target we wish to reach will require something dramatic. We need to target those three groups which are just way above the average level and we need to consider the general base rates as well.

On the civil engagement side of things, it is important to mention that in a few weeks' time, from 12 to 16 April, we are holding the annual social inclusion forum virtually. It is usually held in person. Even as we speak, last week and this week, both the European Anti Poverty Network Ireland and Community Work Ireland have been talking to local community groups across the country about the content and shape of that week. I will certainly listen to and attend as many of the workshops as I can. The civil engagement side of things is really central in how we prioritise. I will take at least some of my lead with regard to prioritisation from what comes out of that forum. I think I have touched on most of the Deputy's points.