Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

The national action plan for social inclusion 2007 to 2016, NAPinclusion, identifies a wide range of targeted actions and interventions to achieve the overall objective of reducing poverty. It was published in February 2007. The plan adopts a life cycle stage approach with goals set for each life cycle group: children, people of working age, older people, people with disabilities and communities. The plan also includes the national social target for poverty reduction.

NAPinclusion was updated in 2015 for the extended period of 2015 to 2017 to reflect new challenges, which are different from when the plan was drawn up in 2007, and to reflect current policy responses to poverty. These include a greater focus on modernising the social protection system, improving effectiveness and efficiency of social transfers and strengthening active inclusion policies to address employment and social challenges. The updated plan sets out 14 high-level goals across the life cycle. In addition to the required updating, the timeframe of NAPinclusion was extended by one year to 2017 to coincide with the timeframe for reporting on the interim national social target for poverty reduction, which is to reduce consistent poverty to 4% by 2016. We will have the statistics on that only in 2017.

My Department plans to undertake an independent review of the structures and delivery of NAPinclusion during the period 2007 to 2017. The review will be carried out during 2017 in accordance with the priorities of the Government. Consultations on a national anti-poverty strategy beyond 2017 will be informed by this review.

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