Andrew Doyle (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Question 975: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the way she will maintain the independence of the Combat Poverty Agency if it is absorbed into her Department; and the way she will fulfil the mandates of agencies (details supplied) within her Department. [1539/09]

Mary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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The Government announcement in Budget 2009 about the rationalisation of a number of State bodies included proposals that the Combat Poverty Agency which is under the aegis of the Minister for Social and Family Affairs is to be integrated with the Office for Social Inclusion within the Department. The Government's decision was informed by the findings of a review of the Agency which was undertaken on foot of a Government Decision on the 6th of June 2007.

The legislation to give effect to the Government Decision is contained in Part 5 of the Social Welfare (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 2008. The legislative provisions will be brought into effect by way of a Commencement Order and it is envisaged that the integration arrangements will be completed by June 2009. It is not my intention that Combat Poverty Agency will simply be absorbed into the Office for Social Inclusion in its existing form.

Rather 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 provide a stronger voice for those affected by poverty and social inclusion issues. The new division will provide a unified institutional structure to support government, officials and the wider community in addressing issues of poverty and social exclusion. It will play a pivotal role in co-ordinating the ongoing development and implementation of the National Action Plan for Social Inclusion in collaboration with the Senior Officials Group on Social Inclusion, government departments, local authorities and agencies.

The new division will have an enhanced role in high quality research in support of the strategic process and its work will be informed by independent data sources such as the statistics on poverty reported by the CSO, and independent analysis by bodies such as the ESRI and NESC and on the international front by the EU and OECD.

Consultation and collaboration with social partners, including the community and voluntary pillar and a wide range of NGOs who have a strong voice in public debate about poverty and related issues will be a key feature of the way in which the new Division will work. I have asked the new Division to prioritise the development of procedures to ensure that the views of these and other stakeholders, including people experiencing poverty, continue to be available to Government in developing and monitoring social inclusion strategies.