Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 335: To ask the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the progress made in his Department on the roll out of the poverty impact assessment to ensure that all policies are evaluated in terms of their potential impact on poverty and social inclusion; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24110/07]

Brian Lenihan Jnr (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy is aware, poverty proofing was introduced in 1998 on foot of a commitment in the first National Anti-Poverty Strategy. It was defined as "the process whereby Government policies and programmes are assessed at design, implementation and review stages in relation to their impact on poverty and on inequalities which are likely to lead to poverty, with a view to poverty reduction". My Department , since 1998 has indicated in policy proposals brought before Government any potential impacts of a proposal on persons in poverty or at risk of falling into poverty.

Following a review of the poverty proofing process, the Office for Social Inclusion produced a revised set of guidelines for what is now termed Poverty Impact Assessment, underlying that the emphasis in the process should focus on outcomes and that poverty impact assessment should form an integral part of the policy making process.

Policy proposals in my Department are assessed having regard to a number of factors, including quality regulation, employment, poverty impact, industry costs, Gender Equality, and Rural Communities. In particular, within my Department, policy proposals which have an impact on the most vulnerable sectors, including policies aimed at people with disabilities, women, members of the travelling community, and immigrants and ethnic minorities are assessed in the context of the Poverty Impact Assessment process.