Martin Cullen (Waterford, Fianna Fail)

The overall goal in the National Action Plan for Social Inclusion, NAPinclusion, is to reduce the proportion of our population experiencing consistent poverty to between 2% and 4% by 2012, with the aim of eliminating consistent poverty by 2016. The goal is based on the trends since 2003 in the EU survey on income and living conditions, EU-SILC, conducted by the Central Statistics Office.

It also involves using an updated set of indicators devised by the Economic and Social Research Institute which are considered more realistic and in keeping with living standards today compared with the indicators used for the earlier national anti-poverty strategy.

The latest results from EU-SILC, released last week, indicate that the rate of consistent poverty in the population in 2006, using the new measure, was 6.5%, down from 8.2% in 2003. The achievement of this goal is dependent on the policies to be pursued over the next ten years.

These are detailed in the NAPinclusion and the NDP which contains 12 high level strategic goals in key priority areas supported by over 150 more detailed targets and actions. It is based on a life cycle approach designed to achieve greater co-ordination of policies and their implementation in relation to children, people of working age, older people and people with disabilities. Increasing participation in employment is at the core of the strategic approach as it remains the main route out of poverty to a decent standard of living. Those most at risk of consistent poverty among those of working age live in households where there is no one in employment, or if they are in employment, they are on a low income.

The majority of children experiencing poverty also live in such households. A key focus of policies in the NAPinclusion is to remove, as far as practicable, remaining disincentives to obtaining employment in the social welfare system and obstacles to entitlement to other services. Proposals to achieve this are being developed in my Department, with reference especially to lone parents and parents in larger families.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House.

A second overall strand is the further development of an activation approach involving case management. This includes ensuring that those not in the workforce have access to appropriate education, training, help with job search and services such as child care. Generous income support is being provided for children and additional education supports are being targeted at children living in disadvantaged areas. Provision is also made in the NAPinclusion to provide income support and to improve access to and the quality of essential services, such as health, education and housing, especially for those for whom employment is not an option.

In the case of older people, the aim is to ensure that they have an adequate income and access to services. In the period since 2003 the proportion of older people below the EU at risk of poverty threshold has more than halved from 29.8% to 13.6% in 2006. A further consequence has been the reduction in the rate of consistent poverty from 3.1% in 2005 to 2.2% in 2006. In effect, therefore, the 2012 goal for reducing consistent poverty has already been achieved for older people.

The causes of consistent poverty are multi-faceted and there is no single answer for the many diverse groups in that position. Achieving the overall goal will require not just effective and well resourced policies but also a significant degree of co-ordination among all service providers. The plans provide for this approach. I am confident that from the strong backing and determination being provided by Government and working with all the relevant stakeholders, this ambitious goal will be met over the next five and ten years.

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