Written answers

Tuesday, 19 January 2010

Department of Social and Family Affairs

Anti-Poverty Strategy

9:00 pm

Photo of Aengus Ó SnodaighAengus Ó Snodaigh (Dublin South Central, Sinn Fein)
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Question 790: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the progress being made on her strategy to end poverty by 2016 as set out in the Programme for Government. [1944/10]

Photo of Mary HanafinMary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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Combating poverty and building an inclusive society are key priorities for the Government. The overall goal of the National Action Plan for Social Inclusion (NAPinclusion) introduced in February 2007 is to reduce the number of those experiencing consistent poverty to between 2 per cent and 4 per cent by 2012, with the aim of eliminating consistent poverty by 2016. These commitments and the social inclusion commitments in the National Development Plan have wide ranging support, having been drawn up in consultation with the social partners and other stakeholders.

The latest results from the EU Survey on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC), released in November 2009, which applied to 2008, indicated at that stage that the reductions in poverty were on target to achieve both the 2012 and 2016 goals. It showed that the rate of consistent poverty in the population in 2008 was 4.2 per cent, down from 5.1 per cent in 2007 and 6.5 per cent in 2006.

The position of groups most vulnerable to consistent poverty is as follows. The proportion of children (0-17) experiencing consistent poverty reduced from 7.4 per cent in 2007 to 6.3 per cent in 2008. This significant reduction may be, at least in part, due to the major reduction in the incidence of consistent poverty among lone parents from 20.1 per cent in 2007 to 17.8 per cent in 2008. Other groups with a relatively high level of consistent poverty include the unemployed whose rate reduced from 17.5 per cent to 9.7 per cent and those not at work due to sickness or disability whose rate reduced from 15.8. per cent to 13.2 per cent in 2008.

The major factor determining whether people are vulnerable to consistent poverty, demonstrated by the findings of this and other similar surveys, is employment. The rate of consistent poverty in 2008 for households where no one was at work was 13.2 per cent (although this was down substantially from 16.3 in 2007 and 21.2 per cent in 2006). This rate was more than 4 times the rate for households where one person was at work. Where two people in a household were at work the rate was under 1 per cent.

Our challenge now is to create jobs for those without work. Economic policy is the major basis for creating jobs and reducing unemployment. Employment participation, for example, is currently facilitated and incentivised by a range of education and employment supports made available by the Department of Social and Family Affairs to people in receipt of social welfare payments, particularly the long-term unemployed, lone parents, and sickness related welfare recipients. These include the Back to Education and Back to Work Enterprise Allowance Schemes. The Activation and Family Support Programme and the Second Chance Education Opportunities Scheme offer supports to social welfare customers and others to help them improve their employability and personal and family situations. People with families who are in lower paid employment are eligible to receive the Family Income Supplement which increases household income while enabling recipients to remain in, or take up, employment.

It is more essential than ever in the current economic conditions to ensure that the resources devoted to social inclusion policies are used as effectively and efficiently as possible. The NAPinclusion facilitates this through tackling poverty in a coordinated and 'joined up' way so as to ensure better results in relation to both the people supported and the substantial resources expended. The range of policies subject to the NAPinclusion includes actions on employment, social welfare, education, health, housing, disability and equality. It is also vital however, that economic policies are pursued at this time that will enable better and more secure living standards for the future.

Working to restore economic growth must, therefore, be the overriding priority to achieve the overall goal of eliminating consistent poverty and the goals and targets of the NAPinclusion in the years ahead. I am confident that the Government is pursuing the correct combination of economic and social policies that will greatly increase the likelihood of achieving that goal.

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