Jack Wall (Kildare South, Labour)
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Question 1748: To ask the Minister for Community, Equality and Gaeltacht Affairs his plans in relation to the recently launched report Monitoring Poverty Trends in Ireland 2004-2007: Key Issues for Children, People of Working Age and Older People; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [33326/10]

Pat Carey (Dublin North West, Fianna Fail)
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I launched the ESRI Report Monitoring Poverty Trends in Ireland 2004-2007: Key Issues for Children, People of Working Age and Older People on the 7th September last. The Report was commissioned by my Department as part of its role to monitor progress in tackling poverty and social exclusion in line with government targets.

The findings highlight the significant progress that was made in reducing poverty between 2004 and 2007 for all lifecycle groups. Specifically, the consistent poverty rate fell from 6.6% to 5.1% of the population over three years, a reduction of a quarter. The at-risk-of-poverty rate declined from 19.4% to 16.5%, a fall of 15%. There were significant improvements in the poverty rate for older people, younger children and children in larger households. Among the working age population, there were large decreases in poverty among lone parent families and single people.

The Report makes clear that these reductions in poverty reflect the policies adopted by Government in the mid-2000s, notably in terms of welfare payments. Other developments, such as higher employment and increases in the minimum wage, also contributed to the decrease in poverty. Looking to the future, the report highlights a number of policy issues for consideration.

Combating poverty and building an inclusive society are key priorities for the Government. The overall goal of the National Action Plan for Social Inclusion 2007-2016 introduced in February 2007 is to reduce the number of people experiencing consistent poverty to between 2% and 4% by 2012, with the aim of eliminating consistent poverty by 2016. The latest poverty results for 2008, published in November 2009, indicate that the Government is on track to meet this target.

Despite the altered economic and fiscal circumstances, the Government remains committed to building a socially inclusive and fair society. The overall goal is to restore economic growth, maximise employment and to protect those who are most vulnerable. The ESRI report will make an important input in shaping the policy responses formulated by Government to achieve this goal.