Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry South, Independent)
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249. To ask the Minister for Social Protection her views on losses in the workforce of the social justice sector (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42192/14]

Joan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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The report the Deputy is referring to is entitled Scoping of need in social justice sphereand published by Philanthropy Ireland. Its purpose is to provide Philanthropy Ireland and its members with insights on possible area of need that might inform their future funding programmes. It is based on desk research and interviews with 14 informants. The report highlights the reduction in social need funding due to the withdrawal of a number of philanthropic foundations from Ireland, as well as reduced state funding for community and voluntary bodies under various social programmes.

The Department of Social Protection is the main provider of funding for social need in Ireland. In 2014, it will spend €19.6 billion on income support schemes for 1,426,000 recipients and 2,197,000 beneficiaries, including children, the unemployed, lone parents, people with a disability, and older people. This expenditure has increased by €1.8 billion on the 2008 figure, an increase of 10 per cent, despite the requirements for fiscal consolidation measures under the Troika programme. In Budget 2015, there is provision for additional expenditure on social protection programmes of €198 million, plus a further €65.5 million on a Christmas Bonus for recipients of long-term welfare schemes.

The Department of Social Protection is not a funder of social programmes delivered by the community and voluntary sector and therefore has not reduced its funding for this sector. The Department engages with a range of community and voluntary groups on the delivery of its services and consults with these groups on budgetary policy through its annual pre-Budget forum. The Department greatly values the contribution of these organisations to its work.

The latest CSO statistics show that in 2012 7.7 per cent of the population was in consistent poverty. The national social target for poverty reduction is to reduce this figure to 4 per cent by 2016 and to 2 per cent or less by 2020. Community and voluntary groups have a vital role to play in helping to achieve this national target.