Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 26 Feb 2002

Vol. 549 No. 3

Written Answers. - Anti-Poverty Strategy.

Emmet Stagg

Question:

51 Mr. Stagg asked the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs the process of poverty proofing which was carried out across Government Departments to ensure that the full benefit of budget 2002 social welfare increases were enjoyed by all recipients. [6619/02]

Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs (Mr. D. Ahern)

Following the agreement among the social partners in July 1998 on a pilot poverty proofing system to assess all significant policy proposals for their potential impact on the poor, the Government adopted this process in official Cabinet procedures.

With regard to the budget, spending Departments are responsible for, and obliged to, poverty-proof expenditure measures. The National Anti-Poverty Strategy unit of my Department acts as an ongoing resource to assist all Departments to meet their obligations.

The introduction of poverty proofing is a major tool in ensuring that Departments are kept aware of the possible implications of policy on those most in need and it is a system this Government is committed to as part of its social inclusion strategy.

The 2002 social welfare budget package is based on objectives agreed in a number of documents, such as the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness, the Action Programme for the Millennium and the National Anti-Poverty Strategy. The overall aims of the package include: to continue to increase pensions in view of the Govern ment target of €127 for all old age pensioners by 2002; to provide real increases for all social welfare payment recipients, in line with the PPF, to make progress towards the target of €127 per week on lowest payments, as promised in the PPF; and to continue to increase child benefit for all families, with the dual objective of addressing child poverty and facilitating parental choice.

All these are consistent with NAPS objectives. Nevertheless, in the interests of comprehensiveness and in accordance with the poverty proofing guidelines, an explicit poverty proof of the main elements of the package was undertaken by my Department.

The Government has invested record resources designed to address the needs of our disadvantaged citizens and communities. Tomorrow morning, the Taoiseach and I will launch the revised National Anti-Poverty Strategy, Building an Inclusive Society. The primary focus will be on the integration of the various proofing mechanisms and the extension of poverty proofing to health boards and local authorities.