Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 559: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs her views on the advantages of involving people who experience poverty and the organisations that work with them in developing, finalising and implementing the forthcoming National Action Plan on Social Inclusion 2008 to 2010. [22667/08]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Under the EU's Open Method of Co-ordination on Social Protection and Social Inclusion, each member state is required to prepare a National Report on Strategies for Social Protection and Social Inclusion (NSSPI). This report sets out strategic priorities in the policy areas of social inclusion, pensions and health and long term care. My department is currently preparing Ireland's NSSPI for the period 2008 to 2010 which will be submitted to the European Commission in September.

The NSSPI brings together actions and policy priorities already agreed in the individual government strategies such as the National Action Plan for Social Inclusion and the Pensions Green Paper. The Government recognises the benefits of involving people directly experiencing poverty or social exclusion and the organisations which work closely with them, in such strategies.

The consultation process for the various strategies on social inclusion being prepared in the period 2005-2007, commenced in September 2005. Written submissions were sought and a series of seminars were organised to facilitate the participation within the strategic social inclusion process of people with direct experience of poverty and social exclusion and those who work with them. Many health issues impacting on social inclusion were also covered by this process. The outcome of the consultation process was available for the Social Partnership talks that informed the development of the social inclusion provision of Towards 2016, published in June 2006, the NAPinclusion 2007-2016, published in February 2007, and the social inclusion chapter of the National Development Plan, published in January 2007.

In line with the commitment in Towards 2016, the First Annual Report on Social Inclusion was published in November 2007. This new approach required that monitoring and reporting on progress within the social partnership be coordinated and streamlined across key national strategies, including Towards 2016, the NAPinclusion, and the social inclusion commitments of the NDP. The report covers the period from June 2006 (when Towards 2016 was agreed) up to June 2007.

The report was prepared by the Office for Social Inclusion in consultation with relevant Government Departments and representatives of the social partners. The report formed the basis for discussions at the 4th Social Inclusion Forum held in November 2007. This forum is convened annually by the National Economic and Social Forum in collaboration with the Office for Social Inclusion and provides an opportunity for individuals and organisations not directly involved in the social partnership process to input their views on key policy and implementation issues. Some 300 persons attended and the discussions and issues raised at the forum will further inform the preparation of the NSSPI 2008-2010.

My Department also published a Green Paper on Pensions on the 17th October 2007 and immediately began a major consultation process on the issues and challenges raised in the Green Paper. A national awareness campaign was launched where all citizens were invited to make submissions on the Green Paper either in writing or via the Green Paper website. In addition the Department held seminars in Dublin, Cork, Waterford, Tullamore and Sligo in March 2008. The consultation process was concluded with a conference in Dublin castle on the 29th May 2008. In excess of 330 submissions were received and these will inform the framework for future pension policy which will be developed by the end of 2008.

Given the relatively short period since the preparation of these strategies and the extensive consultation involved in these processes, it was decided that a further wide consultation process for the next NSSPI for the period 2008-2010 would only duplicate recent consultation exercises.

A wide and more detailed consultation on Social Inclusion is being planned in the context of 2010, which is expected to be designated shortly by the EU as the European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion.

The implementation of National Strategies in these and other areas is of course subject to systematic ongoing monitoring under well established procedures involving all of the social partners.