Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)

The Minister's approach to this matter is totally disingenuous and illogical. On the one hand, she talks about the great work done by the Combat Poverty Agency over the last 20 years and heaps praise on it, yet on the other hand she is still going to abolish the agency. That body was doing great work and could have continued to do so, regardless of the Minister's listing of other bodies' reports that have been published in recent years. The Combat Poverty Agency still has a role to play and the fact that the change will bring about little or no cost savings makes the Minister's decision even more illogical. She spoke about the voice the agency gave people, but the EU body she mentioned does not give the same voice to local people here. It will not interact with local community groups, as the Combat Poverty Agency did. While she may not admit it, the Minister must realise that her office for social inclusion will not be able to do so either.

The Minister spoke about integration and how her office will work to the best advantage of those experiencing poverty. Her decision, however, will have the opposite effect because silencing, closing down and subsuming the agency into her Department will not be advantageous to those living in poverty. The notion of the steering review group is that the decision will lead to the mutual strengthening and enhancement of both bodies. I do not doubt that it will be to the enhancement of the Office for Social Inclusion because of the expertise of those who have had the benefit of working with other agencies in the community pillar. Such a move will strengthen the Office for Social Inclusion to some degree, but it will not be sufficient to deal with the scale of the existing problems arising from poverty. Nor will that office have the hands-on ability the Combat Poverty Agency had in working with other groups, including local authorities and the community pillar. Today's seasonally adjusted live register figures show that there are 277,000 people out of work. That in itself should be a reminder to the Minister of the importance of that agency.

In her response, the Minister dealt with research documents that have been published, but one of the most important aspects of the Combat Poverty Agency was that it was not just about reaction. The Government's approach, however, has been reactive rather than proactively examining what needs to be done. The agency had the time and ability to research problems coming down the track and then publish its advice. The Office for Social Inclusion will not have the ability to do that because it will be reacting full time to the political issues of the day, which is what the Minister will tell it to do.

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