Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I believe that significant advancements can be made through my Department's co-ordination of the EU child guarantee. It is an important initiative which aims to combat social exclusion by guaranteeing access for children who are in need of a range of key services.

I will publish our national action plan for the child guarantee by March of this year. The commitments under the guarantee address critical matters such as free access to early childhood education; education; healthcare for children in need; healthy nutrition, including a healthy meal each school day; and adequate housing.

Tackling child poverty and effectively implementing the child guarantee will require the commitment and active, sustained participation of my colleagues across the Government to make sure it is ultimately impactful. As part of the child guarantee process, and in developing the successor national policy framework to Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures, I will engage with my Cabinet colleagues to consider the most appropriate and effective structures to pursue the reforms necessary to improve outcomes for our most disadvantaged children and young people. The child guarantee will form one element of the broader body of work supported by the new national policy framework for children and young people and its implementation structures.

On a related note, addressing child poverty was identified as a priority action under Better Outcomes, Brighter Futures and will remain a priority for its successor framework. Then there is the work being undertaken by the Department of Social Protection. It leads on the road map for social inclusion. Under that road map, a new child poverty reduction target will be introduced, and I will meet the Minister, Deputy Darragh O'Brien, later this month in respect of that.

Finally, we will continue to look at those mechanisms to make sure we have a whole-of-government approach. I met with the Ombudsman for Children and we had a good debate about his "new normal" report just before Christmas in this House. There is also the position paper of the national advisory council on child poverty, which is a really useful document. I also wish to make better use of the Cabinet committee on social affairs, particularly pre-budget, allowing a discussion specifically on how our next budget will address child poverty each year.

See this speech in context