John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)
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Question 62: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs his plans for the next six months to move towards fulfilling objectives two and three in the Combat Poverty Agency's strategic plan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17138/05]

Richard Bruton (Dublin North Central, Fine Gael)
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Question 92: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the efforts he is making to reduce poverty and social exclusion in rural areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17155/05]

Eamon Ryan (Dublin South, Green Party)
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Question 116: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the way in which he intends to ensure that local anti-poverty plans complement national initiatives; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17140/05]

Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 62, 92 and 116 together.

The current national action plan against poverty and social exclusion, which covers the period 2003 to 2005, sets out in detail the actions being taken by Government to give effect to its strategy to combat poverty and social exclusion. The plan sets out commitments and targets for all relevant Departments to work towards meeting the Lisbon pledge "to make a decisive impact on the eradication of poverty" by 2010. It also reflects the social inclusion commitments agreed in Sustaining Progress. As Minister for Social and Family Affairs, I have lead responsibility for this process, working closely with my ministerial colleagues and through the Cabinet committee on social inclusion. The office for social inclusion, based in my Department, co-ordinates the process.

The national action plan recognises that the causes of poverty and its effects are multi-faceted and require an integrated response for application at national, regional and local levels. The plan contains explicit actions which target each of these levels. Examples of these actions include the following: local authorities are now required to ensure that social inclusion is addressed in their corporate plans and supporting annual operational plans; in 2002, pilot social inclusion units were established for a three year period in seven local authorities and it was decided this year to extend the programme for one more year to enable its future operation to be assessed; county and city development boards, CDBs, were established in 2000 to bring about a more co-ordinated delivery of public and local development services at local level; the local government anti-poverty learning network, representative of elected members and officials, was established in 2000 to provide a forum for sharing information and exchanging different local experiences and best practice on anti-poverty measures; the most disadvantaged rural areas are being targeted through the CLÁR programme, which addresses the issue of access to services in the areas most affected by population decline.

A number of local authorities have published local anti-poverty strategies, including Cork and Dublin City Councils. Ensuring that there are links between these local and national strategies is an essential part of the overall national action plan. The Combat Poverty Agency plays a key role in this process, working closely with the office for social inclusion. The agency's strategic plan sets out goals across three main areas: distribution of income and employment; access to health and education services of high quality; the further development of and local and regional level responses to poverty.

Full account will be taken by the office of social inclusion of the agency's strategy, its views and advice on policy, and of its experience and expertise, in monitoring and evaluating progress in achieving the objectives of the national action plan and in the development of the next plan during 2006.