Seanad debates
Tuesday, 18 November 2008
Departmental Bodies
6:00 pm
Billy Kelleher (Cork North Central, Fianna Fail)
I knew I would bring the Senator good news. Instead, a new strengthened division will be created which will make the best use of the considerable experience and expertise of the staff of both existing bodies and will seek to address the weaknesses identified by the review in both bodies. This new division will provide a stronger voice for those affected by poverty and social inclusion issues.
We are all conscious of the concerns about the need for independent scrutiny of public policy that have been expressed by some interest groups. The Minister absolutely agrees that independent critique is very important and the various budget announcements are in no way intended to reduce the scope for such work. In the case of poverty, the function of independent reporting is no longer as dependent on the Combat Poverty Agency as it was in earlier years. This is due, for example, to the emergence of other independent data sources such as the statistics on poverty reported by the Central Statistics Office, and independent analysis by bodies such as the Economic and Social Research Institute and the National Economic and Social Council in this country and on the international front by the EU and OECD. Ireland is also well served by the social partners and a wide range of non-governmental organisations as well as by both Houses of the Oireachtas, where Deputies and Senators frequently raise social inclusion issues. There are many voices ensuring that those who are socially excluded have a voice. The Senator represents them quite well in this House as well.
The Minister and other members of the Government are keenly aware of the difficulties facing the marginalised and vulnerable in society. For this reason in 2009 the Department will retain funding under the disability Vote and the civil legal aid Vote close to what it was in 2008. The Minister assures the House that the Government is committed to helping all citizens in these difficult times. His officials have met with both the Equality Authority and the Irish Human Rights Commission and he is available to meet with both bodies to discuss issues of concern to them.
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