Planning for a More Inclusive Society - Combat Poverty Agency

An Initial Assesnt of thee Society:A port by the Combat Poverty Agencywith research by Helen Johnston and Tracey O'Brien

Part 1Combat Poverty Agency Overview and RecommendationsPart 2Executive SummarylntroductionEconomic and Social Contextlnstitutional MechanismsNAPS Targets and PrinciplesPoverty-proofingThe Impact of NAPSDepartmental ActionsProfile of NAPSConclusionsChapter 1: lntroduction1. An Initial Assessment of the National Anti-Poverty Strategy2. Methodology Employed3. The Postal Questionnaire4. Response to the Survey5. Structure of the Assessment ReportChapter 2: Economic and Social Context1. Irish Economic and Social Context 292. UN Context 303. European Context 314. Conclusion 33Chapter 3: lnstitutional Mechanisms1. The Institutional Mechanisms Proposed by NAPS 352. The Institutional Mechanisms Established 363. Assessment of Effectiveness of Institutional Mechanisms 424. Conclusions on Institutional Mechanisms 50Chapter 4: NAPS Targets and Principles1. The Original NAPS Targets and Principles2. Progress on the Targets and Principles3. Assessment of the Targets4. Commentaries on NAPS Targets5. Conclusions(19 Combat Poverty Agency 2000ISBN: 1 8 71643 73 2Chapter 5: Poverty-Proofing1. How NAPS Proposed to Include Poverty-proofing2. Issues Aris~ng in the Development of Poverty-proofing3. The Development of Poverty-proof~ng4. The Implementation of Poverty-proof~ng5. Some Applications of Poverty-proof~ng6. An Initial Assessment of Poverty-proofing7. Key Issues for the Future8. ConclusionPlanntrre for a Mote lnch~sjve Society

Chapter 6: The Impact of NAPS1. How NAPS Proposed to Assess its Impact on Poverty 712. Progress on Assessing the Impact of NAPS to Date 713. Assessing the Impact of NAPS - Survey Respondents' Views 744. Conclusion 75Chapter 7: Departmental Actions1. What NAPS set Out to Do 772. Progress to Date 783. An Initial Assessment 804. Conclusion 83Chapter 8: Profile of NAPS1. How NAPS proposed to Publicise the Strategy2. Progress in Publicising NAPS to Date3. An Initial Assessment4. ConclusionChapter 9: Future Issues and Conclusions1. Future Issues - Respondents' Views 9 12. Conclusions 92AppendicesAppendix 1: Questionnaire on the Implementation of the National Anti-Poverty Strategy (NAPS) 95Appendix 2: Summary of Main Findings of the Postal Questionnaire Survey 97Appendix 3: Membership of NAPS Inter-Departmental Policy Committee 100Appendix 4: NAPS Liaison Officers -April 1997 to December 1999 101Appendix 5: Objectives Identified in the NAPS Strategy Statement Compared 102with the Achievements Highlighted in the NAPS Annual ReportAppendix 6: Strategic Result Area (SRA) Networks in New Zealand's Public ServiceManagement System 113Appendix 7: Material Produced on NAPS since April 1997 116Bibliography 119

Combat Poverty Agency Overview and1 Recommendationsbn+roductiarr,The Combat Poverty Agency is a state agency whosemission is to promote a more just and inclusive societyby working for the prevention and elimination ofpoverty. It pursues this through policy advice, projectsupport and innovation, research and public education.One of its key objectives is to ensure that the NationalAnti-Poverty Strategy (NAPS) makes significant progressin preventing, reducing and eliminating poverty.The Combat Poverty Agency has the responsibility ofoverseeing an evaluation of the NAPS process, toinclude consideration of the views and experiences ofthe community and voluntary sector. The Agency hasbeen asked to present the results of this evaluation tothe government's Inter-Departmental Policy Committeeon NAPS.Part 1 of this document briefly overviews recentdevelopments relevant to NAPS and sets out a series ofpolicy recommendations to enhance its further impact.The Assessment 04 MAPSThe Combat Poverty Agency IS pleased to present thlsassessment of the progress of the Natlonal Antl-PovertyStrategy to date Part 2 of the assessment, whlch hasbeen prepared by Helen Johnston and Tracey O'Br~en onbehalf of the Combat Poverty Agency, charts progress todate, assesses key achievements, shortcomings andbarrlers to continued progress On thls basls conclus~onsare drawn on the Impact of the lmplementatlon of NAPSto date To do thls, data available slnce the lntroductlonof NAPS has been analysed along wlth the flndlngs of apostal quest~onna~re survey, undertaken for the purposesof th~s assessmentSlnce the launch of NAPS In 1997 Ireland hasexperienced a perlod of unprecedented economlcgrowth Th~s has led to substantla1 reductlons In thelevels of unemployment and poverty These are verywelcome developmentsIt IS dlfflcult to assess the exactextent to whlch the NAPS process has contributed tothese reductlons, however ~t IS clear that ~t has played anImportant role In ralslng awareness of the need for anti-poverty and soc~alncluslon pollcles wlthln the pollt~caland adrn~nlstratlve systems Th~s has resulted In greaterprlorlty belng glven to such pollcles wlthln the systemExamples of thls Include the Increased focus on tackllngeducational disadvantage In education pollcy and agreater emphasls on Issues of l~teracy and numeracySimilarly, there is a greater focus on tackling poverty andsocial exclusion in the reform of local government andlocal development, in the National Development Plan, inthe new national agreement Programme for Prosperiv andFairness (PPF), in the White Paper on Rural Developmentand in health policy. Other initiatives - anti-drugs work,the integrated services process, homelessness initiativesand the continuing growth in support for communitydevelopment -also reflect the deslre to tackle poverty andsocial exclusion. On .tax and social welfare issues therehave also been changes: social welfare rates have increasedsignificantly in recent years and the move to tax credits hasbeen to the benefit of those on low pay. The work of theEU Programme for Peace and Reconciliation In the bordercounties is also evidence of the Increased emphasls oncombating povertyThe above developments reflect a much more co-ordinated approach to public pollcy in thls area. TheCabinet Sub-committee on Social Inclusion has taken alead role in this regard.However, while much has been achieved, much remalnsto be done. Although levels of cons~stent poverty havefallen significantly, relative Income poverty has increased.NAPS, while making an important contr~bution In manyareas, has been slow to develop in some respects andneeds to be further strengthened if ~t is to ach~eve its fullpotential. Many commentators have argued, and it isnow broadly accepted, that a rislng economic tlde doesnot lift all boats. In the current economlc envlronmentthe nature of poverty IS changlng. NAPS and assoc~atedanti-poverty and soclal lncluslon pollcles need to reflectthese changing circumstancesThls assessment of the f~rst phase of lmplementlng NAPSconcludes that ~t can be further strengthened to respondto thls rapldly changlng economlc envlronmentparticular, ~ts flndlngs reinforce some of the newprlorltles set for NAPS In the new natlonal agrermentProgramme for Prosper~ty and Fairness Learnlng fromth~s assessment can prov~de Important quldance forachlevlng these pr~orltles and for develop~nq a clrarprogrammp of act~on for the next phase of NAPShlhlcrs pne C"?e mvaqvpm*rre'or nxnsyea;*v anr" Tpivng~s,Thls NAPS Assessment rpvlpws the proqrpss of NAPSfrom 1997 to the end of 1999 The new nat~onalIn_An_lnitialLAssessrnsnt of the Nationat An?i-Pavertv Strstegv _part 1

1partnership agreement Programme for Prosperity andFairness was agreed in January 2000. The PPF sets outmeasures to reduce poverty and social exclusion over thenext three years.General Qb"iectivesThe main objectives in relation to NAPS in the PPF are asfollows:to pursue policies which reduce poverty and socialexclusion, build an inclusive society, reducemarginalisation and strengthen recognition ofcitizenship obligations;to create the conditions where people can achieveeconomic independence;to develop the process of poverty-proofing as ameans of mainstreaming poverty issues and tostrengthen the institutional arrangements which arein place to support NAPS;to review the original targets set under NAPS;to promote cross-departmental action andintegration in addressing poverty issuescomprehensively, using the SMI process to developcross-cutting agendas;to provide relevant data and data collection systems forthe monitoring and evaluation of poverty, includingsystems of measuring poverty among groups notcurrently included; and new studies to complement thecurrent Livlng in lreland and Household Budget surveys,and address the gender dimensions of poverty;to promote broader awareness and understanding ofthe issues to be addressed by the proofing process.(Programme for Prosperity and Fairness, 2000,P 78.)By 2003 the Government IS committed to spendlng f 1 5bllllon on soc~alncluslon measures, plus an addltlonalf2OOm on measures other than soclal welfare and ch~ldcare The framework for addressing poverty and soc~alexclus~on will have regard to cltlzenshlp rlghts whlchencompass not only the core c~v~l and polltlcal r~ghts andobllgatlons, but also soc~al, economlc and cultural rlghtsSpecific MAPS ActionsActlons speclfrc to NAPS set out In the Programme forProsperity and Fa~rness areIn consultation wlth the relevant actors, NAPS is to beupdated, the underlying methodology reviewed, theexlstlng targets reused where appropriate, and possiblenew targets considered in consultation wlth the soclalpartners, under the themes of child poverty, women'spoverty health, older people and housing/accommodat~on Thls process IS to be completedw~thln the f~rst e~ghteen months of the agreement;* NAPS' analysis is to be updated to include theemerging causes of poverty;the Employment Action Plan, the NationalDevelopment Plan and other relevant policydocuments are to be made consistent with thestrategies to be pursued in addressing poverty;funding for Anti-Poverty Networks is to be continuedand its level reviewed; andmechanisms for strengthening the involvement ofthe social partners in NAPS are to be considered.In addition, the current, pilot poverty-proofing arrangementsare to be reviewed and poverty-proofing is to be extendedto the local authorities and the health boards. NAPS is to beembedded in local authority actions, policies and initiativesand the Department of the Environment and LocalGovernment, the Department of Social, Community andFamily Affairs and the Combat Poverty Agency will jointlyintroduce the NAPS initiative to local authorities. Socialinclusion units are to be piloted in five local authorities.Other relevant and related measuresinclude:the establishment of a working group to examinethe issue of relative poverty, to look at benchmarkingand indexation issues and to develop a yardstick foradequacy of adult and child welfare payments,;the establishment of an Inter-Departmental committeeto identify and clarify the range of existing andproposed social inclusion measures in the NationalDevelopment Plan from which integrated, targetedintervention measures can be developed;the establishment of a Working Group on developing aNAPS framework within the health sector;to support the community and voluntary sector andto be informed by its views and experiences whenformulating and devising strategies to tackledisadvantage, exclusion and poverty;to poverty-proof Budget tax packages;to advocate an ambitious response to Article 137 ofthe Amsterdam Treaty and to encourage civildialogue at EU level through a more structured rolefor European NGOs with EU institutions;to promote joint North-South consideration ofhuman rights issues and the reinforcement of ahuman rights culture on the island of Ireland. Thiswould be done through educational and awarenessprogrammes in the areas of economic, social andcultural rlghts, involving anti-poverty strategies.Many of these issues are analysed and discussed in thisassessment and should help to inform the developmentof the measures outlined in the Programme forProsperity and Fairness.The Ma+ional Devebomen?PYamA fundamental objective of The Nat~onal Development Plan(NDP) IS the promotion of soclal ~ncluslon, and th~s ISreflected In a ded~cated chapter wlthln the plan The plannotes the substantla1 progress made In poverty reductionrecorded through progress on NAPS targets, yet states that"it is clear that not everyone has benefitedproportionately from this new-foundprosperity - indeed, the disparity betweenhigher income earners and the sociallyBuilding on the experience of NAPS, the Combat PovertyAgency has argued for the development of EU guidelineson social inclusion which could include setting commonobjectives for action on poverty by member states andsetting targets and a clear time scale for the reduction ofpoverty across Europe. At the February 2000 InformalCouncil of Labour and Social Affairs Ministers meeting inLisbon, the Minister for Social, Community and FamilyAffairs, Dermot Ahern T.D. argued for a strategicapproach at European level and supported theestablishment of common objectives for social inclusionprojects and the introduction of a system of socialimpact assessments for EU policies.excluded may even have widened... If theThe European Commission is now in the process offruits Of Ireland" progress are ~uttina in dace an action Droaramme on Dovertv and2 . . -be more widely spread, the promotion of social exclusion under Article 137 of the Treaty. In thissocial inclu~ion as a key obiective of SOC~O- regard, the Social Affairs Commissioner, Annaeconomic development must form a centralcomponent of the Plan ... [it] requires thatall sections of the communitv have a stakein Ireland's future development".(National Development Plan, undated, p188).Social inclusion initiatives include measures on affordablehousing, enhanced access to improved health services,education and training, the promotion of a socialeconomy scheme, equality measures, child careinitiatives, support for community development andfamily support, services for the unemployed, youthservices and measures to prevent crime. Co-ordinatedimplementation of these measures can make asubstantial contribution towards the reduction of povertyIn lreland In llne wlth NAPSEuroloean and Innteraatiaaaa!Qeve"l~men?sThe establishment of NAPS in lreland emerged from acommitment given at the UN Social Summit inCopenhagen in 1995. In June 2000 the UN will meet inGeneva to assess progress on this and othercommitments. Therefore, this NAPS assessment istimely, reflecting on what has happened over the lastfive years with regard to poverty reduction in lreland andlooking forward to the next five years.European developments are also relevant. Under theAmsterdam Treaty there is an increased focus on thereduction of poverty and the promotion of socialinclusion among EU member states. NAPS has attractedconsiderable interest amongst policy makers at Europeanlevel, as has its emphasis on partnership agreementswhich place poverty and soclal exclusion as a centralconcern of national policy making.Diamantopoulou, has proposed a set of targets for thereduction of overall poverty and of child poverty. Shehas called on Heads of State to give a commitment to "afull and comprehensive, integrated strategy to stamp outsocial exclusion" and has called on Member States todevelop common objectives on poverty. In thisincreasingly positive EU context lreland can learn fromEurope and Europe can learn from lreland on how bestto tackle poverty and social exclusion.Issues identified at EU level on which there couldbe mutual learning include:the development of guidelines on social exclusion,setting objectives and targets;the develoDment of a well funded actionprogramme,a malnstreamlng focus through the operation ofpoverty proofing,the development of a Charter of FundamentalRights; andsupport for the role of non governmentalorganisations.Next !WrapsThls NAPS Assessment forms one part of an ongolngprocess of evaluating NAPS To asslst ~t In ~ts contlnulngrole, the Agency will establish a NAPS Evaluat~onAdvlsory Group Thls Group will conslder thls NAPSAssessment and will ldentlfy Issues for furtherevaluation Membersh~p of the Group w~ll Includerepresentat~ves from the communlty and voluntarysector, the statutory sector, the soclal partners, theNatlonal Econom~c and Soclal Forum, the Nat~onal andEconomlc Councll and the research communlty. Planning for a More inclusive Society___-

Yev pscornnnc?nfl~?isnsHavlng carefully considered thls NAPS assessment and onthe basls of ~ts own involvement In NAPS, the CombatPoverty Agency makes a number of recommendat~onsfor the future development of NAPS Theserecommendat~ons take Into account the greatopportunltles offered by the current very rapld rate ofeconomlc progress In Ireland In developing ~tsrecornmendat~ons, the Agency has ldentlfled SIX keyprlorltles for the development of NAPS These areStrengthen the role of NAPS Inter-DepartmentalPolicy Committee.Establish mechanisms for the involvement ofthe community and voluntary sector and peopleliving in poverty in the ongoing implementationand monitoring of NAPS.Extend NAPS to local government.Revise existing targets to take greater accountof the rapidly changing economic environment.Set targets in new areas, for particular groups(children, older people and people withdisabilities) and issues (housing1accommodation, homelessness and health).Develop and strengthen poverty-proofing,ensure it is applied to all key Budgetarybaresa~fl ~es,ommnr~adp*i~ns~1 Review NAPS in the light of the changedeconomic, social and cultural circumstances nowprevailing in Ireland. Such a revlew should takeInto account the model of economlc developmentoperating In Ireland and examlne Issues of wealthcreatlon and redlstrlbutlonTo be led by NAPS IDPC2 Provide additional resources for policies,programmes and actions to reduce poverty.There should be specific resource allocations toimplement NAPS policies, programmes and actions.NAPS has rel~ed to date on the redistribution andreprioritisation of resources within governmentdepartments to deliver on the strategy. Thus, thef 1.5 billion social inclusion package in the PPF is animportant step forward in this regard. To beactioned by the Department of Finance.3 Further embed NAPS into the political andadministrative systems through actlve promotionand tralning and through the extension of NAPS tostate agencies and local government. (Seerecommendations 11 to 18 and 42 to 46). To beactioned by departments, state agencies and localgovernment, led by NAPS IDPC.4 Revise some of the existing NAPS targets andset new ones in key areas. (For further details seerecommendations 19 to 23). To be actioned byNAPS IDPC and agreed by government.9 Raise the profile of NAPS. The Government shouldregularly emphasise that poverty is unacceptable inIreland today and undertake a proactive publicawareness strategy to emphasise the key importanceof NAPS. (For further details, see recommendations47 to 51). To be actioned by the Government andNAPS IDPC.10 In the context of Article 137 of the AmsterdamTreaty, contribute to the development of anoverall EU Strategy to combat poverty andsocial exclusion and promote exchange andlearning between member states on thedevelopment of national anti-povertystrategies. (See recommendation 17). To be led bythe Government.laeccamme~dati~~s QRIhstitna?iona1 Mechanisms11 Maintain a high level of political commitmentto the elimination of poverty and thepromotion of social inclusion through theCabinet Sub-committee on Social Inclusion.The Cablnet Sub-Comm~ttee on Soclal lncluslon hasensured that poverty reduction and soclal lncluslonhave been hlgh on the polltlcal agendaIt ISImportant for thls Commlttee to contlnue toprovlde a political Impetus to NAPS and tochamplon the ellmlnatlon of poverty To beactloned by the Cab~net Sub-Comm~ttee on Soclallncluaoncontrlbutlng to the development of strategies atlocal level;continue to engage in cross-departmental workingon key poverty initiatives. Clearer reportingrelationships between cross-departmental groupsand NAPS IDPC could usefully be established;developing and resourcing a public education andmedia relations function and publishing documentson a regular basis;ensuring that NAPS IDPC members and liaisonofflcers are adequately resourced and supported tofulfil their roles;considering extending the rnembershlp of theCommittee to include the social partners.To be actioned by NAPS IDPC, with the support of theCabinet Sub-committee on Social Inclusion and theSenior Officials Group.14 Enhance the role and raise the profile of theNAPS Unit. This could include the following:the posltion of Head of the NAPS Unit being full-tlme and NAPS-dedicated ;additional staff resources Including the ablllty tobring in staff from other departments to form across-departmental staff team, putting SMI theoryInto practice;the ability to draw in external expertise on aseconded basis e.g. to enable staff to take a moreproactive and supportive role in relatlon to poverty-proofing;additional budgetary resources to provide materialsand support to departments on the irnplementatlondecisions including taxation, and extend it tothe local level.Further embed NAPS in the administrativesystem.Enhance and resource data collection andanalysis to inform the monitoring andevaluation of NAPS.Issues relatlnq to these pr~orltles are further elaboratedupon In the full recommendat~ons set out belowThr vcar 2002 w~ll mark the half-way perlod for NAPSTht. Aqrncv propows that thesr rrcommendat~onc be~iri[~Irnlrrltcd ~1s soon ar posrlhlr and rrv~cwrd In 2001F(rrtlit'r ,is\t.s\nicr)t< iv~ll bc protliicrd, by thc Aqrncy. 111tile ~ rlt~rirl~5 Strengthen the main implementing bodies, theIDPC and NAPS Unit. (For further details seerecommendations 13 and 14). To be actioned by theGovernment.6 lmprove consultation and involve peopleexperiencing poverty and those who representthem in the implementation of NAPS. (Seerecommendations 16, 17, 21, 29 and 40). To beactioned by NAPS IDPC.7 lmprove monitoring of the implementation ofNAPS. (See also recommendations 23, 36 to 41, 52and 53). To be actioned by NAPS IDPC, inconjunction wlth the Combat Poverty Agency andthe NESF8 Further embed poverty proofing into theadministrative system through training andguidance and extend it to state agencies andlocal government. (See recommendat~ons 26 to 35)To be actroned by NAPS IDPC in the first instance.12 Give the Senior Officials Group an official rolein the implementation of NAPS. The SeniorOfficials Group is relatively recently established andprovldes an important link between NAPS IDPC andthe Cabinet Sub-committee. However, the roles andlinks with NAPS IDPC could usefully be clarlfled. Tobe actioned by the Senior Officials Group inconsultation with NAPS IDPC.13 Enhance the role of NAPS IDPC. Thls could bedone through:ralsing the status of the Committee, eg. by theMinister for Social, Community and Famlly Affairsattending some meetings of the Commlttee andensuring attendance by senlor officials from allrelevant departments;the development of a clear annual work plan,tlmetabled with areas of responslb~lity clearly outlined;meeting more regularly than four tlmes a year;inltiatlng strategic work areas for NAPS.engaglng In consultative work, eg. vlsltlng localprojects, regularly meetrng comrnunlty and voluntarysector representat~ves and other soclal partners,of NAPS.To be actioned by NAPS Unit with the support of theDepartment of Soclal, Community and Family Affairs,along with other Government departments, part~cularlythe De~artment of Finance.15 Provide additional support for Liaison Officers.Thls could Includelntegratlng the role of llalson offlcer Into thedeclslon-maklng process In the rel~vant departments,ensurlng that llalson off~cers have dedlcated tlme toundertake NAPS work and that ~t IS expllcltly part ofthelr work plans,lla~son offlcers havlng a dedlcated budget wlthlnthelr departments for NAPS work,a "job role/descr~pt~on" belng drawn up for lldlsonoff~cers, outllnlng thelr maln tasks.reqular tralnlnq on NAPS work,4 network for NAPS l~a~son off~cerr to mPpt andexchange experience and ~riform~ltl~on on NAPS-related workDepartments to act~on, supported hy NAPS Unrt-9I-An.lnitia~~As~essment~o~~~he~Nationa! Anti-Poverty Strategv. part 1

16 Establish appropriate consultative andparticipatory structures for the involvement of thecommunity and voluntary sector, people living inpoverty and the social partners in the planning,implementation and evaluation of NAPS. This couldbe done through:the NESF. The NESF includes representatives from thecommunity and voluntary pillar and its Assembly, inparticular, could play an important role in the ongoingimplementation of NAPS. The NESF, as a whole, has apart~cularole to play in evaluating the effectiveness ofpolicies which are being implemented within theframework of social partnership agreements and ofNAPS. To date it has played an important role bycommenting regularly on social policy issues;greater use of working groups which involve both1I offictals and the community and voluntary sector tooversee the development, co-ordination and1implementation of specific initiatives;iiIithe White Paper on the relationship between thecommunity and voluntary sector and the state;representation of the sector on a Evaluation AdvisoryGroup, to be established by the Combat PovertyAgencygreater involvement of the social partners inparticular initiatives as was the case in the! development of poverty proofing;placing greater emphasis on user participation needs;involvement at local level In the CountyDevelopment Boards;a comm~tmento supporting the involvement ofexcluded people.To be actioned by NESE NAPS IDPC, the Department ofSocial, Community and Family Affairs, the CombatPoverty Agencg the County Development Boards andthe community and voluntary sector.17 The IDPC should consider adopting the learningand guidelines being developed by the EUTransnational Project on lnvolvlng excludedpersons and the organlsat~ons that represent them Inanti-poverty pollcy development and~mplementatlon. To be actioned by NAPS IDPC, inconsultation wlth the Combat Poverty Agencg NAPSUnit and the National Anti-Poverty Networks.18 Put in place and resource a programme ofsupport for local government and stateagencies to assist them in developing andimplementing anti-poverty strategies and toenwre that local people and conimun~ty and voluntarysector representatives are ~nvolved In the des~on anddellvery of antl-poverty proqramrnes at local level Tobe actloned by central and local Government and bythe Combat Poverty Agency~ecomnnrqn4a+inns on MAW4"prpTpts a d mv=n~=omes19 Re-set some of the originallrevised NAPStargets. Thls would Includere-basing the global target regularly, eg. every fiveyears, and assessing a number of componentsunderlying the target - actual income, non-monetaryindicators of deprivation, and income relative to thewhole population. The relevance of the deprivationindicators should be reviewed on a regular basis;considering and re-setting the education target: (i)based on a broader-than-purely-academic view ofeducation; (ii) by measuring literacy and numeracylevels at primary school and (iii) including an adultliteracy component;re-setting the new unemployment target, in the firstinstance in line with the Employment Action Plan -i.e. to reduce unemployment to 5%, and long-termunemployment to 2% by end year 2000 - and inthe longer term, by 2005, to eliminate long-termunemployment. The development of the socialeconomy could play an important role here;re-setting the income adequacy target on the basisof relative income levels. The Working Groupexamining the issue of relative poverty under the PFFshould contribute to the setting of this target;re-setting the urban disadvantage and rural povertytargets based on data, to be collected if necessary, atlocal level through local development or localgovernment sources. This work to be led by theNAPS IDPC, through the use of working groupsinvolving the social partners, the Combat PovertyAgency and other relevant groupslindividuals.20 Set additional targets. Groups and issues which theAgency considers a priority are: children, older people,people with disabilities, housing/accommodation,homelessness and health. The need to to keep theStrategy focused on key poverty issues should beborne in mind. To be led by the NAPS IDPC, throughthe use of working groups involving the socialpartners, the Combat Poverty Agency and otherrelevant groupsl~ndividuals.21 Engage in a consultative process for arriving attargets. Thls should Include inclusive d~scussions,lnvolvlng the soc~al partners, on issues to be taken intocons~derat~on and the broad parameters with~n whlchtargets should b~ framed. It should also take intoaccount approaches to setting targets and lnd~cators Inother EU countries. To be actioned by NAPS IDPC22 Consider the time-frame for which particulartargets should be set, and within which targetsshould be achieved eg. three years, five years, tenyears, as appropriate. To be actioned by NAPS IDPC,through the consultative process.23 Put in place performance indicators and reviewdates to measure progress towards meeting thetargets. Consider how targets might be met andensure appropriate policies and measures are put inplace which will work towards the achievement oftargets. To be actioned by NAPS IDPC.24 Undertake a systematic review of theapplication of the NAPS principles, with a view toproactively encouraging and supporting theimplementation of the principles in the application ofall anti-poverty and social inclusion measures. To beactioned by NAPS IDPC.25 Consider how NAPS can better reflect Ireland'sEuropean and international commitments topromoting human and social rights, in line withobligations under the UN and the Council of Europe.To be actioned by the Government.Plecoonmsndaf ions on~ Q v ~ ~ ? ~ ~ B ' Q Q ~ ~ R R ~26 Consider how poverty-proofing can operate atvarious levels within and across governmentdepartments. For example, at departmental sectlonlevel, at departmental level and betweendepartments Poverty-proof~ng could and shouldtake place at these d~fferent levels, and there needsto be a system to ensure that the ~nformat~on IS fedthrough the system and IS taken into cons~deratlonat all levels of declslon maklng To be considered inthe Poverty-Proofing Review27 Consider introducing a screening mechanism toassess whether a policy or programme shouldbe proofed or not. In the absence of screening alarge number of policies mlght be proofed in detall.unnecessarily, with the risk that policies that havesignificant adverse impacts on poverty may not beadequately considered. In th~s context it will beimportant to ensure that key taxation measures arepoverty-proofed, as proposed in the Programme forProsperity and Fairness. To be considered in thePoverty-Proofing Review.28 Identify information and data gaps required toundertake poverty proofing and put in placeactions to address these. To be cons~dered in thePoverty-Proofing Review29 In the process of poverty-proofing undertakeconsultation with the key poverty groups. Thismay be time consuming if undertaken in isolation,however, if consultation with people living in povertyand the groups which represent them was a keyfeature in the ongoing implementation of NAPS thisinformation could automatically inform povertyproofing. Under such arrangements ~t may be possiblefor the community and voluntary sector to contributeto, or participate in, poverty-proofing. To beundertaken by departments and supported by NAPSIDPC. To be considered in the Poverty-ProofingReview30 Resource departments, state agencies and localauthorities to undertake poverty-proofing. Thiswill require staff resources, training and resources toobtain the required data and to undertakeconsultation. To be actioned by the Governmentthrough the Department of Finance.31 Publish examples of poverty-proofing, and inparticular make publicly available povertyproofs of key policy documents eg. the annualbudget. Making appllcatlons of poverty proofingpubl~cly available will demonstrate the seriousness ofthe initiative and assist in building good practice.While valuable in its own right thls would be verymuch in the spirit of the Freedom of Informationlegislation. To be actioned by the individualdepartments. Alternativelg the information could becollated by the NAPS Unit and published by theNAPS IDPC.32 Set an explicit time-frame for the extension ofpoverty-proofing to state agencies and localgovernment. The Programme for Prosperity andFairness states that poverty proofing will beextended on a phased bas~s to a local level throughthe local authorities and health boards. The revlewof poverty-proofing, to take place early In 2000,should cons~der how this m~ght be done. On theback of thls ~t would be useful to develop poverty-proofing gu~del~nes for the local author~tles andhealth boards. In addlt~on, they w~ll need to beadequately resourced and supported to undertakepoverty proof~ng. To be act~oned by theGovernment.33 Consider how an integrated proofing systemmight be developed to incorporate the variousproofing elements eg poverty, qendcr, equal~ty,environment, and rural elements Wlth~n such dnIntegrated approach ~t will be important to maintdlnthe focus on prooflng pollc~es for poverty To b?cons~dered ln the poverty-proofing revfewD1ann;ng for a More lncfusive SocietvI2~!nitiaCP\ssessrnent.o* the Na?;onalLA~?;-Dover* SCra?pq~partlL_

1 34 Identify relevant examples and approaches toipoverty proofing within the EU and promoteexchange and learning between member stateson poverty-proofing. To be lead by the NAPS IDPC.135 Examine the "pros and cons" of puttingIpoverty-proofing on a legislative basis. To be1 considered in the poverty-proofing reviewIII36 Continue to undertake and support regular datacollection and analysis on the extent and natureof poverty in Ireland.(i) the Living in Ireland survey data to:ensure results on the extent and nature ofpoverty are made available annually;undertake longitudinal analyses of the surveydata;undertake detailed analyses of specific povertyissues;(11) to analyse add~t~onal avallable data sources, eg theHousehold Budget survey and to enhance other datasources The new nat~onal soctal sclence dataarchlve be~ng establ~shed jointly by UCD and the ESRIhas the potent~al to provtde a source of soc~alsclence data for w~der analys~s The Census pllotIncome questlonnalre may also make ava~lable anadd~t~onal source of ~nformat~on on the Incomelevels of the populat~on,(111) to ensure that the proposed new national survey onthe well-be~ng of children has a strong focus on childpoverty;to ensure that adequate resources are madeavallable to enable ongolng data collect~onand analys~s on poverty Th~ should Includeresources to ensure that results are produced~n as tlmely a manner as poss~bleTo be actioned by NAPS IDPC, ~n assocratron wrth theCombat Povrrty Agency37 Undertake additional complementary datacollection to ensure that the impact of NAPS onthe most marginalised groups can be assessed,partic~rl,irlv for qroupq not I~v~riq w~tti~ri trcidtt~onaltio~~

lessons of this assessment are taken on board, and if itsrecommendations are implemented, NAPS can play acritical role in ensuring that these resources will be usedto the best effect and that poverty will be eliminated.Combat Poverty AgencyMay 2000aPlanning for a More Inclusive Society

IThis Assessme nt has beer 1 undertaken by Helen Johnston ; 3nd Tracey I 3'Brien. research staff at the Combat PovertyAgency.The researchers would like to thank all those who helped in any way in this assessment. Thanks are due to VeronicaMcNamara who assisted in the compilation and administration of the postal questionnaire. We are indebted to thosewho took time to complete and return questionnaires - their contribution to this assessment has been invaluable. Toall those who read drafts, offered comments ar ~d good ad vice, their c ontribution s were gratefully received. Finally, tothe staff of the Combat Poverty Agency who PI rovided unf ailing advic e and supp ort throughout the duration of thereport - our thanks.Helen Johnston & Tracey O'BrienCombat Poverty Agency1 Executive Summary* r i. Far?roduc?ioaThe publication of the National Anti-Poverty Strategy(NAPS) report Sharing in Progress in April 1997 was acritical landmark in the development of Irish social andeconomic policy. NAPS set a ten-year target for povertyreduction in Ireland and identified five key areas as needingparticular attention in tackling poverty: income adequacy,unemployment, educational disadvantage, urbanconcentrations of poverty and rural poverty.The Combat Poverty Agency has been glven responslbllltyby . the qovernment -for overseelnq an evaluation of theNAPS process, which will include consideration of theviews and experience of the community and voluntarysector. It will present the results of the evaluation to NAPSInter-Departmental Policy Committee (IDPC).This assessment forms part of the Combat PovertyAgency's role in the evaluation of NAPS. It sets out tochart progress to date, to assess key achievements,shortcomings and barriers to progress, and on this basisdraws conclusions on the issues to be addressed in thefuture implementation of NAPS. The assessment draws ondata and material available since the introduction of NAPS:on research reports produced by the ESRI, MonitoringPoverty Trends in particular, and on the Social inclusionStrategy: Annual Report of the Inter-Departmental PolicyCommittee 1998199. The assessment also contalns ananalysis of Dail Debates on NAPS and press coverage ofthe Strategy. Records of meetings and other similardocumentation are also drawn upon.The National Economic and Social Forum (NESF) also has arole in monitoring NAPS. The NESF was re-constituted in1998 and is currently considering the nature of its role inrelation to the Strategy. Given its representative structureand focus on policy analysis and monitoring, ~t would seemto have a key role in assessing major social policy Initiatives,such as NAPS. Its fourth pillar will have an importantcontribution to make in this regard.The development of the National Anti-Poverty Strategyinvolved an extensive consultation exercise. In undertakingthis assessment it was decided that it would be useful togarner the views of a range of people who had beeninvolved in the development of NAPS through a postalquestionnaire survey Questionnaires were Issued to thecommunity and voluntary sector, to the other soclalpartners, to the statutory sector, to researchers andacademics, to polltlcal advisers, to the media and to localgovernment groups. The questlonnalre responses provldeextremely valuable instghts Into the lmplementatlon ofNAPS to date and how it is seen as a tool to tackle povertyand exclusion in Ireland.NAPS is a ten-year strategy, with 2002 marking the midwaypoint. Further evaluatlon of the Strategy should worktowards producing a substantial mid-term report on itsachievements to 2002. The new partnership agreement,the Partnership for Prosperity and Fairness should seek toachieve its objectives by end 2002 -the mid-way perlodfor NAPS and the end of the partnership agreement.I),. Economic and %cia!Cantex?Since 1997, when NAPS was first introduced, Ireland hasexperienced unprecedented economic growth, Theof this economic growth have been a substantial fall inunemployment, including long-term unemployment, whichis known to be a key cause of poverty. Secondly, thenumbers of those in consistent poverty had substantiallyfallen, to under 10% of the population in 1997.Reductions in unemployment and poverty which might onlyhave seemed aspirational In the early 1990s, have nowbeen achieved. So the context In which NAPS is operatinghas changed, bringing with it new issues and challenges.One such challenge is that the nature of poverty ischanging. While consistent poverty is falling, Incomeinequality is increasing as the gap widens between those inwork and those not in work. This increase in relativeincome poverty may have broader lmpl~cat~ons over thelonger term. The challenge for NAPS, in the currentfavourable macro environment, is to tackle both theremaining consistent poverty and to address increasingincome inequalities.The changlng nature of poverty may have other~mpl~cat~ons whlch requlre attention Other emerglngIssues arewhlle many long-term unemployed people have foundwork, there rernalns a group of very long-termunemployed people who have not yet been able toavall of the Increased employment opportun~t~es,the rlsk of poverty for older people, particularly olderwomen, has Increased,whlle stdl relatively small, there 1s an tnrrpaslnq rlsk ofpoverty for low pald employees.large famllles and rhlldren, In partlrular, cont~ni~e tohave a hlgh rlsk of poverty,people wlth dlsabllltles contlnue to have a hlgtl rlsk ofpoverty.vulnerable groups such as Travellers, people who arePlanninc for a Mare Inclusive Society . . -.

homeless and refugees and asylum seekers have a veryhigh risk of poverty.A key issue is the extent to which recent economic andsocial development has left behind a group of householdsthat experience cumulative or multiple disadvantages andexclusion from the rest of society in a way that has nothappened previously. The increased costs of housing, lackof accessible and affordable childcare, and the lack ofavailability and access to primary health services areparticular features of the current economic and socialenvironment for people who are poor.In the present economic climate there is now theopportunity largely to eliminate poverty in Ireland. Theresources are available and the mechanisms are in place,through NAPS, to deliver the policies and programmes.What is now required is the allocation of resources and thepolitical and institutional will to ensure that this aspirationcan become a reality. This assessment highlights some ofthe modifications which might be made to NAPS to enablethis to happen.The United Nations context for NAPS is also important. Itwas at the UN World Summit in Copenhagen in March1995, that the lrish Government agreed to thedevelopment of an lrish National Anti-Poverty Strategy.The UN Committee on Economic, Social and CulturalRights has observed that lreland has made good progresson meeting its commitments and noted with satisfactionthe adoption of the National Anti-Poverty Strategy for1997-2007 and related mechanisms such as the poverty-proofing of policy proposals.However, the UN Committee is concerned that NAPS doesnot explicitly adopt a human rights framework. TheCommittee is also concerned about the persistence ofpoverty among disadvantaged and vulnerable groups, inparticular people with disabilities, the Travelling community,older women, lone parents and children.The UN General Assembly will meet In Geneva in June2000 to assess progress on the commitments made in1995 - referred to as Copenhagen +5. Copenhagen +5presents an opportunity for lreland to further strengthenNAPS, involv~ng cons~derat~on of a greater focus on humanand soc~al rights.NAPS also operates w~th In an European context Eurostatf~qures show that lBOb of the EU populat~on llve Inpoverty The European Soc~al Affalrs M~n~ster has asked theEuropean Heads of Government to agree the follow~ngtargetsto reduce those llvlng below the 60% poverty linefrom 1896 today to 15?6 by 2005 and 10% by 2010;to reduce child poverty throughout Europe by 50% by201 0.lreland has interacted in a very positive way with Europeansocial policy developments and has made many importantcontributions. With the introduction of Article 137 of theAmsterdam Treaty there is now a much stronger basis forthe European Union to give an increased focus to povertyand social exclusion. lreland now has an importantopportunity to advocate that the EU should:promote policy exchange and learning for policymakers, the social partners and all those involved inanti-poverty action;put in place better data and reporting on trends inpoverty and social exclusion;regularly monitor and report on approaches that mayhave been developed in each member state;introduce a system of social-impact assessments for EUpolicies;promote the development of minimum incomestandards in key areas of anti-poverty policy;increase support for the role of non-governmentalorganisations.There is a growing emphasis by the European Union onaddressing issues of social exclusion through enhancinghuman and social rights. Under its preparatory actions tocombat and prevent social exclusion, the EU is funding theCombat Poverty Agency, the NAPS Unit and the NationalAnti-Poverty Networks, along with transnational partners inNorthern Ireland, Finland, the Netherlands and Portugal todevelop guidelines for the involvement of excluded personsand the organisations which represent them in thedevelopment, implementation and evaluation of socialinclusion and anti-poverty strategies.3. Ilnstitutional MechanismsThe first two years of NAPS has seen the establishment ofa number of institutional mechanisms for itsimplementation, as envisaged in the NAPS Strategystatement. These are illustrated in Figure 3.1, Chapter 3.The structures established include the following:a Cabinet Sub-committee on Social Inclusion, chairedby the Taoiseach;a Senior Officials Committee to advise the CabinetSub-committee on Social Inclusion;an Inter-Departmental Policy Committee (IDPC);a NAPS Unit In the Department of Social, Communityand Fam~ly Affairs;NAPS Lia~son Officers;the National Economic and Social Forum (NESF) hasresponsibility for monitoring the social inclusionelement of Partnership 2000;the Combat Poverty Agency has a role in monitoringand evaluating NAPS;the National Anti-Poverty Networks have continued tobe funded, and the community and voluntary sectorhas been involved in monitoring Partnership 2000;preliminary work is in progress on the development oflocal anti-poverty strategies.It is notable that two months after the launch of NAPSthere was a change of government. The FiannaFdil/Progressive Democrat government has progressedNAPS and has consolidated various structures for itsimplementation.This assessment compares the structures which have beenestablished against what was envisaged in NAPS'SStatement of Strategy. The analysis also attempts to assessthe extent to which the institutional structures establishedhave been effective in the implementation of NAPS and toidentify improvements which could be made.Key structural achievements include:the institutional structures envisaged in NAPS'S StrategyStatement have mainly been put in place;a Cabinet Sub-committee has taken on a key role inpromoting social inclusion policies;references --- ~to NAPS have increased in the Ddil;the NAPS IDPC has continued to progress NAPS;the NAPS Unit has progressed a substantial body of1\.S-~L."""I h,the Combat Poverty Agency has progressed theStrategy through its work;poverty proofing has been introduced.However, a number of weaknesses have been identified asfollows:there has been insufficient involvement of keyorganisations and sectors, including the social partnersand organisations working with people who areexperiencing poverty;the over-centralisation of the structures to deliver anti-poverty policies and programmes;inadequate resourcing of the NAPS Unit and anti-poverty work in general;the need for more proactive support from the pollticalsystem;inadequate public-awareness raising and education;lack of ongoing evaluation.This assessment shows that there is a need for a concertedeffort by all involved to ensure that the mechanisms put inplace to implement NAPS can deliver on tts commitmentsin a consistent way. In particular, there is a need forcontinued explicit recognition that anti-poverty policy is akey policy area within the political and administrativesystem. The actions which are undertaken by thesesystems should provide evidence that this is the case.In addition, there are a number of other actions whichwould help to strengthen the institutional mechanisms toimplement NAPS. These include:an enhanced role for the NAPS IDPC;additional resources and supports for the NAPS Unitand Liaison Officers;the establishment of appropriate consultative andparticipatory structures for the involvement of thecommunity and voluntary sector, people living inpoverty and the social partners in the planning,implementation and evaluation of NAPS;acceleration of the National Anti-Poverty Strategy tolocal government and state agencies.4. NAPS Targets andPriracinksOne of the most Important and novel features of theNational Anti-Poverty Strategy is that ~t sets specifictargets for poverty reduction. Indeed lreland is the f~rstEuropean Union member state to adopt a global povertytarget. NAPS contains six targets - a global target and atarget for each of the five themes: unemployment,educational disadvantage, income adequacy, urbandisadvantage and rural poverty. NAPS is also underpinnedby the seven principles outl~ned in Chapter 1 and inChapter 4, Section 1.7The original NAPS global target was a reduction of thenumbers of those who are consistently poor from 9-1 5%to less than 5-10% (based on 1994 data) by 2007. By1997 the numbers in consistent poverty had fallen to7-10% of the populat~on. Based on this ~nformation, InJune 1999 the Government set a new global target thatconsistent poverty be reduced to below 5% by 2004.Substantial progress has also been made In reducingunemployment. The orlginal target was to reduce therate of unemployment from 11.9% to 6% by 2007; andto reduce the rate of long-term unemployment from 7%to 3.5%. In June 1999 the Government set newunemployment targets that unemployment be reduced tobelow 5% and long-term unemployment to be reduced to2.5% by 2002. By September 1999 the unemploymentrate was 5.7% and long-term unemployment rate 2 1 %Thus, the target set by Government In June 1999 toreduce long-term unemployment to 2 5% by 2002 hadalready been met by September 1999. The EmploymentActlon Plan has more ambitlous targets for unemploymentreduction -to reduce unemployment to below 5% andlong-term unemployment to below 2% by end-year 2000.

The new national agreement contains an objective toeffectively eliminate long-term unemployment and to seekthat mass unemployment does not recur.The educational disadvantage target is to eliminate theproblem of early school leaving before the junior certificateand to reduce early school leaving so that the percentageof those completing the senior cycle will increase to atleast 90% by the year 2000 and 98% by the year 2007.The target also states that there should be no studentswith serious literacy and numeracy problems in earlyprimary education within the next five years. Variousissues are arising in attempting to achieve this target inrelation to the educational options available and chosen byyoung people who may not necessarily follow thesetraditional routes. In addition, adult illiteracy is a particularproblem which was not included in NAPS'S educationtarget. A new target has not yet been set, but variouscommentators have suggested that it should be reviewed.The income adequacy target restated the global targetand set out a short-term goal of reaching the minimallyadequate social welfare rates set by the Commission onSocial Welfare. These were reached in 1999. The urbandisadvantage and rural poverty targets were lessspecific, and thus progress on these has been more difficultto measure. These three targets have not been re-set.The seven principles are an important component of NAPS.While there has been some progress on recognising NAPSprinciples and trying to progress aspects of these in aneffort to reduce poverty and inequalitles. much remains tobe done. There is thus the need to reinforce all thepr~nciples of NAPS across the civil service and to put inplace mechanisms to ensure that they underpin all anti-poverty policies and measures.Th~s assessment discusses a number of issues in relation toNAPS targets. A number of points are made in relation tothe review and revislon of NAPS targets. These can besummarised as'the need to re-set some of the or~g~nal NAPS targets,the need to set add~t~onal targets, eg In the areas ofhous~nq/accommodat~on and homelessness, health,and to address poverty amonq ch~ldren, older peopleand people w~th d~sabll~t~es,the need to engaqe In a consultat~ve process forarrlvlnq at tarqets,the need to cons~der how tarqets can beoperat~onal~sed w~th~n government departments,the need to conslder the t~me-frame for whlchpart~cular targets should be set, In both the short-termand the lonq-term.* the need to put In place performance lnd~cators tomeasure progress towards meet~ng the targets Th~sw~ll requlre add~t~onal data collect~on and analys~sThere is also a need for a more systematic review of theapplication of the principles.In relation to the current NAPS targets there is a need to:re-base the global target regularly, say every five yearsand to explicitly assess a number of componentsunderlying it - real income, non-monetary indicators,relative income;re-consider and re-set the education target, based on abroader view of education, measuring literacy andnumeracy levels at primary school and Including anadult literacy component;re-set the new unemployment target - to eliminatelong-term unemployment;re-set the income adequacy target on the basis ofrelative income levels;re-set the urban disadvantage and rural poverty targetsbased on disaggregated national data, and additionallocal information data, to be collected, if necessary,perhaps through local development or localgovernment sources.5. Poverty-prrmbiiareThe introduction of poverty-proofing has been one of themost significant developments under NAPS to date. This isa process by which government departments assesspolicies and programmes at design and review stages inrelat~on to the likely impact that they will have or have hadon poverty and inequalities which are likely to lead topoverty, with a view to poverty reduction.Poverty-proofing is currently being implemented on a pilotbasis in civil service departments only. Following aGovernment decision in July 1998, poverty-proofing hasbeen included as a requirement in the Cabinet Handbookwhich states that Memoranda for Government should,inter alia, "indicate clearly, as appropriate, the impact ofthe proposal for.. .persons in poverty or at risk of fallingInto poverty, in the case of significant policy proposals."What this means in practice is that major economic orsocial pollcy proposals be assessed for their effects onpoverty. The assessment includes the follow~ng questions:a. Does it help to prevent people falling into poverty?b. Does it contribute to the achievement of NAPS targets?c. If the proposal has no effect on the level of poverty,what opt~ons might be identified to produce a positlveeffect?Poverty-proofing should be undertaken in the followtngc~rcumstances:In the preparation of SMI Statements of Strategy andAnnual Busmess Plans;in designing policies and preparing Memoranda to01anw;ng For a More Inclusive Society __I-Government on significant policy proposals;in the preparation of the Estimates and Annual Budgetproposal - this also includes expenditure reviews andprogramme evaluations;in the preparation of the National Development Planand other relevant EU Plans and Programmes; andin the preparation of legislation.This assessment discusses some of the issues which arose inthe development of poverty-proofing and describes some ofits applications in terms of the annual budget, some policyreports, the National Development Plan and racism andpoverty. The important role of poverty audits (assessing theimpact of policies after application, rather than at designstage) is also discussed and some examples are cited.While the theory of poverty-proofing has been welcomed,there have been some concerns in relation to itsapplication in practice. It was felt that it has yet to beadequately developed and employed. The followingstrategies were identified as being central to theimprovement and advancement of poverty-proofing:increase resources allocated to poverty proofing;conduct seminars with key personnel in eachdepartmenvagency on how to poverty-proof policiesand programmes;improve staff tra~ning and education on the applicationof the poverty-proofing guidelines;establish formal poverty-proofing review mechanisms.A number of issues have arisen in the implementation ofpoverty-proofing to date which should be taken intoconsideration in its further development. These include:to consider the levels at which poverty-proofing shouldtake place within and across government departments;to consider the introduction of a screening mechanismwhere certain criteria would be applied as to whethera policy or programme should be proofed or not;to ensure that the relevant data is available toundertake comprehensive poverty-proofing;to consult with people who are living in poverty andthose who represent them to inform the poverty-proofing process;to provide adequate human and financial resources;to give further attention as to how poverty-proof~ngshould be undertaken;to ensure that the process is transparent by makingapplications of poverty-proofing publicly available;to consider the development of a simple Integratedproofing system which integrates poverty- andequality-proofing, and poss~bly rural- and eco-proof~ng;to extend poverty-proofing to the wider public servlceand state agencies;to monitor and assess the implementation of povertyproofing on a regular basis;to consider the "pros and cons" of a move to alegislative base.There are proposals in place for an independent study toreview poverty-proofing. It will be important that thereview identifies how the poverty-proofing procedureshave worked, the extent to which they have made animpact on resource distribution in addressing poverty, andrecommendations for their development and extension.The review should also identify how poverty-proofingmight be monitored and assessed on a regular basis.6. The Amaac* 06 h1AWOne of the key questions in the assessment of NAPS is theimpact it has had on poverty reduction in Ireland. Thisflags the importance of measuring and understandingpoverty trends and the impact of anti-poverty policies. Themain focus in assessing the impact of NAPS has been onthe outcomes achieved, i.e. changes in the level and natureof poverty. However, the processes by which this isachieved are also important. NAPS sets out the process bywhich poverty is to be tackled in Ireland. It is thereforeimportant to assess this process to ensure that it is effectiveand efficient.Some of the main changes in the level and nature ofpoverty between 1994 and 1997 are:the percentage of the population experiencingconsistent poverty (income poverty plus basicdeprivation) has fallen from 9-1 5% to 7-10% of thepopulation;the percentage falling below the relative incomepoverty lines set at 50% and 60% of averagehousehold income increased from 2 1-34% to22-35%. This reflects increasing income inequalitieswhere average incomes have increased at a greaterrate than social welfare incomes;the risk of poverty for households headed by anunemployed person remalned high even though theoverall numbers fell as unemployment fell sharply. Therisk of poverty Increased for households headed bysomeone who was ill or disabled and householdsheaded by someone working in the home (mainlywomen). The proportion of poor households headedby an employee or a retired person increased, wh~le theproportion of poor households headed by farmers fell,the r~sk of poverty Increased for s~ngle-adulthouseholds, for couples w~th three or more chtldrenand for households comprlslng two or three+ adultswlthout ch~ldren. Thus by 1997, a couple w~th four ormore children and stngle-adult households were thegroups at highest risk of poverty;

while the poverty risk for lone parent householdsabout halved between 1994 and 1997, their povertyrisk still remained relatively high at 30%, compared toan average risk of 22% for all households;the risk of poverty rose for older households (from1 M I % in 1994 to 29-59% in 1997);the poverty risk for children fell between 1994 and1997. Nevertheless, the risk of poverty for children stillremained relatively high at 24-38% in 1997;the risk of poverty for women has increased.The main factors which seem to be driving these changesare falling levels of unemployment (reducing the risk ofpoverty for some groups) and increases in social welfarerates that are less in relative terms than increases inaverage household income. This increases the risk ofpoverty for some groups, particularly those dependent onsocial welfare.Good research data is essential to provide us with aknowledge base on levels of poverty, its nature, causes andtrends over time. To date, the assessment of povertytrends in lreland has relied mainly on the Living in lrelandsurvey undertaken by the ESRI. This has shown thatconsistent poverty has fallen while relative income povertyhas increased slightly. These trends need to be set in thecurrent economic and social context, of rapid economicgrowth. People's living standards have increased generallyacross the population, but relative income poverty hasincreased, for the reasons outlined above. Over the longerterm, this may result in an increase in consistent poverty asliving standards stabilise and societal expectations catch upand adjust to higher average incomes. Thus, in the shorterterm - the environment in which NAPS is operating -thefact that real and relative income poverty levels arediverging needs to be addressed. This could be donethrough broadening the scope of the global target toencompass distinct elements, such as real income levels,non-monetary deprivation indicators and relative incomes.Alternatively, a relative-income poverty target could be setas well as a consistent poverty target.Thus, additional work is also required in analysing the natureof poverty, in order to be better able to understand theprocesses at'work in creating and sustaining poverty. Furtheranalysls with~n the Living in lreland survey should include:undertaking longitudinal analysis to monitor changesover tlme;analysing particular groups at high risk of poverty inmore depth;conduct~ng comparative research setting poverty levelsIn lreland in a European and International context.Additional Data Sou~esWhile the Living in lreland survey is an extremely importantsource of information on poverty and in monitoringpoverty trends, it needs to be complemented by additionaldata sources and analyses to provide a complete picture ofpoverty trends. These are outlined as follows:the need to collect data on people who do not live inprivate households, such as people who are homeless,many Traveller families, people living in institutions,and refugees and asylum seekers. People not living inprivate households include those who are the mostvulnerable and disadvantaged in our society. Thecollection and ongoing analysis of data on thesegroups is difficult, particularly in relation to monitoringtheir levels of poverty over time. Additional datacollection systems should be developed in consultationwith the groups affected. This will require a resourcecommitment to ensure the collection of reliable anduseful quality data;the allocation of resources within households needs tobe further examined in order better to understand theneeds of individual members within the household;the turnaround time between data collection andproduction of results needs to be reduced, as far as ispracticable. However, it is necessary to retain dataquality and confidence in the results;local data collection is required to complementnational household data;the establishment of a national data archive shouldensure that data-sets are available to Irish socialscientists. This should facilitate more researchers toundertake poverty research;For the future monitoring of poverty trends, causes andpotential solutions it will be important that the dataenhancements suggested take place. A resourcecommitment will be required to enable this to happen.This is essential to ensure the effective application of antipovertyand social inclusion policies.Further suggestions for assessing the impact of NAPS are:the inclusion in NAPS of a section on "how" theStrategy will be implemented and monitored;the development of performance indicators to monitorthe Impact of the Strategy on poverty levels;regular reviews of NAPS and progress reports todocument the successes and failures of the Strategy.7. Pearartmental AcaianlsThe forrnulatlon and implementatton of the Nat~onal Antl-Poverty Strategy In 1997 colnclded with a perlod of publlcservlce reform, through the Strategic ManagementInitlatlve (SMI) SMI places a part~cular emphas~s on cross-departmental inltlatlves and has poverty reduction as a keystrategic goalNAPS requires each department and agency to identify theindividual and joint contributions it makes to addressingpoverty and to achieving the overall objectives of thestrategy. Each departmenvagency was asked to prepare abaseline document in relation to poverty and socialexclusion, looking in a strategic way at their plans inrelation to poverty and social inclusion, taking account oftheir commitments to NAPS, the social inclusion elementsof the SMI and Partnership 2000. This document was to bepresented to NAPS'S IDPC.Drawing on these baseline documents and work plans,NAPS$ IDPC prepared an Annual Report for 1998199setting out the main achievements and progress for 1998in the field of social inclusion. These issues were presentedunder the five NAPS thematic areas and provide a detailedlist of work related to social inclusion which has beenundertaken or is ongoing in government departments.While the list of activities is comprehensive, it is not alwaysclear how departmental objectives and actions link toNAPS objectives and to meeting its targets.In relation to government spending on social inclusion andanti-poverty measures it is estimated that additionalspending of some £950 million in full-year terms will havetaken place over the 1997-1 999 period on social inclusionmeasures. Furthermore, it is estimated that grossexpenditure on social services generally in 1999, at £1 I .2billion, will be one quarter higher than in 1996.Cross-departmental and integrated approaches to tackllngpoverty and social exclusion have developed since 1998.These include initiatives on: literacy among theunemployed; homelessness; a local off~ce family servicespilot project; and an integrated services process.It is evident from the assessment that in the years slnce theintroduction of NAPS much progress has taken place interms of the establ~shment of institutional structures tounderpin the strategy and the identif~cation anddevelopment of programmes and in~tiat~ves wh~ch promotesocial inclusion. In this context, ~t is worth noting that thewhole environment for social inclusion has changed Inrecent years Departments which had h~therto not seen ~twithln their respective remits to deal w~th soc~al Issues, arenow considering the impact of their pol~cies on peoplewho are poor and socially excluded. There has been asignificant cultural shift In departmental think~ng duringthe lifetime of NAPS. Social inclusion has come muchmore to the fore in public policy and debate.However, more remains to de done to ensure that povertyreduction becomes a strategic objective In eachgovernment department. A number of departments havenot yet adequately assessed the impact of their policiesand programmes in relation to poverty. Moreover, many ofthem have yet to recognise the cross-cutting nature ofpoverty and to identify the arrangements that wouldfacilitate co-ordination of actions across departments.One of the key issues emerging is the difficultydepartments have had in operationalising NAPS objectives,i.e. making them tangible at departmental level, leading tothe achievement of NAPS targets. The theory is fine, butthe practice has been proven to be difficult. Thus, a keyquestion to be addressed in the further development ofNAPS is how the strategy will be implemented, howpolicies will be proofed and how the implementation ofNAPS will be monitored.In this context it may be worthwhile to consider a pilot inone or two departments implementing approaches whlchhave been found to be successful in other public serviceadministrations, with a view to trying to concretise NAPSobjectives.IS. Pr061e 06 MAPSThe development of NAPS was well publ~clsed There wasan emphasis on maklng people aware of NAPS - thegeneral publ~c, groups llvlng In poverty and thelrrepresentat~ves, the soclal partners, government offlclalsand the researchlacademic community through an extensiveconsultat~on exerclse and production of documentat~onThe launch of NAPS was a publ~c event, accompanied bythe publ~cat~on of Sharlng ln Progress -The National Antl-Poverty Strategy statement, a short summary of thestatement In a pamphlet and press coverageNAPS IS committed to ~nforming both the general publ~cand the publ~c service about the extent and nature ofpoverty In lreland and about the strategy ItselfGovernment Departments and the Combat Poverty Agencyhave been ~dentlf~ed as the key promoters of this~nformattonHowever, analys~s of the irnplementat~on of NAPS to dateshows that awareness of NAPS by the general publ~c 1slow. In a public attitudes survey only 8% of the publ~csurveyed had heard of NAPS. Awareness IS also lowamong those who might be expected to be moreinformed, such as soc~al partners, the wtdw commun~tyand voluntary sector and public servantsWh~le the ulttmate alm of NAPS should be to prevent andreduce poverty In lreland the support of the publ~c IS23Planning f or~aMorelnclusi~eSociet~~_Anln~t~alAssessment~f~~he~Mati~naIAnt~-~owe~t~.Sbrata~~~part 2-.

1important for its success. As stated in NAPS StrategyStatement the public needs to continue to be informedabout the extent, depth, trends in, and location of povertyin lreland and of its negative consequences for all of societyMaterial has been produced explaining and promoting theStrategy and actions associated with it. Most of thematerial produced and disseminated has been by theCombat Poverty Agency and some community andvoluntary sector groups. Given that NAPS is a governmentinitiative, the production and dissemination of material onNAPS by the government has been disappointingly low,particularly in terms of press coverage.It is acknowledged that achieving the outcome ofeliminating poverty is ultimately more important than theprofile of the Strategy itself. Nevertheless, awareness ofthe work the government is doing in this area is importantfor garnering public opinion and support. As clearlydemonstrated by the analysis of material produced anddisseminated, the press cuttings and the questionnairesurvey there is a need to raise awareness and improveinformation on the nature and extent of poverty in lrelandand initiatives being undertaken to tackle it. As NAPS is amajor government initiative the government should becentral in promoting this message, through using a "NAPSbrand" message, if necessary.Through the Information and Public Education Strategy for, the National Anti-Poverty Strategy a framework is in place1 through which the profiling of NAPS and increasedawareness of poverty can be developed. What is requiredIS that actions be put in place implement this strategy.There is also a need to promote NAPS within the publicservlce. NAPS should be a key element of inductiontra~ning and should be incorporated as a key trainingmodule In its own right, for example on theimplementation of poverty proofing. Other mechanismsshould be explored for raising awareness of NAPS,~nclud~ng better mechanisms of dissemination of~nformat~on e.g. through use of electronic systems,seminars, newsletters, staff secondments and so on.In summary, key lssues to be addressed In raising theprof~le of NAPS In future include:to Improve c~vll servlce knowledqe,to extend lnformatlon to local author~t~es and stateaqencles,to keep the soclal partners Informed,to qet ~nformatlon to communltles dong anti-povertywork, andto Inform the public, particularly through the mediaa. ~ ~ ~ ~ ' ~ ~ ~ s ~ m m sIn conclus~on, In nat~onal, European and ~nternatlonalterms the lr~sh Nat~onal Antl-Poverty Strategy IS anImportant and ~nnovat~ve approach to puttlng poverty andsoc~al exclusion at the centre of publ~c pol~cy Key featuresIncludethe development of an ambitious national anti-povertystrategy involving extensive consultation;the acceptance of an agreed definition of relativepoverty which also encompasses social exclusion;a shared analysis of the main causes of poverty;a cross-departmental initiative which recognises themulti-dimensional nature of poverty;targets for poverty reduction;structures through which the strategy can be deliveredand which place poverty at the centre of public policy;the implementation of a system of proofing policies fortheir impact on poverty.In recent years lreland has experienced extraordinaryeconomic growth. This has brought about a very welcomereduction in unemployment, including long-termunemployment which is known to be a key cause ofpoverty. Consistent poverty has substantially fallen tounder 10% of the population in 1997.It is important to recognise and acknowledge the greatstr~des which have been made in poverty reduction inlreland in recent years. However, it is also important torecognise that these changes bring with them new issuesand challenges, including the increase in income inequalityand the emergence of new groups within the populationwith a high andlor increasing risk of poverty. NAPS needsto be able identify and rise to these new challenges.The Programme for Prosperiv and Fairness sets out acomprehensive work programme for the revision andrevitalisation of NAPS. If this programme of work isimplemented with energy and imagination, then in thecurrent favourable circumstances, poverty in lreland can beeliminated.Chapter 1: IntroductionFollowing a detailed consultation process, Sharing inProgress, the NAPS Strategy Statement, was launched inApril 1997. With its adoption of a ten-year target forpoverty reduction in Ireland, and identification of fivekey areas needing particular attention in tackling poverty- income adequacy, unemployment, educationaldisadvantage, urban concentrations of poverty and ruralpoverty - NAPS was a watershed in Irish social andeconomlc policy. Furthermore, a number of principleswere adopted to underpin the overall strategy, includingthose of guaranteeing the rights of minorities, focusingon the gender dimensions of poverty, actively involvingthe community and voluntary sector and fostering selfreliance through respecting individual dignity.A more detailed discussion of the targets and principlesunderlying NAPS is undertaken in Chapter 4, but thischapter provides an outline of the methodologyemployed in this assessment, particularly the details of apostal questionnaire survey undertaken for this purpose.The survey's respondents are profiled, and, finally, thestructure of the report is outlined.3. An initial Assessment o@the Na?ioaal Anti-Pover?yAs outlined in the Agency Overview in Part 1, thisassessment sets out to chart progress on NAPS to date',to assess key achievements, shortcomings and barriers toprogress and on this basis draw conclusions on thelssues to be addressed ~n the future ~mplementat~on ofNAPS Further research, analysls and evaluat~on w~ll beundertaken following on from key Issues ra~sed In thlsassessmentThis assessment forms part of the Combat PovertyAgency's role in the evaluation of NAPS. Given thatNAPS is a ten-year strategy it is to be expected that itwill take some time to become embedded and for realresults to be delivered. Nevertheless, in the currentpositive economic climate in lreland there is a realopportunity to reduce poverty substantially. A recentMonitoring Poverty Trends report (Callan et a/, 1999).which forms part of the overall NAPS evaluat~on,monitors how consistent poverty has fallen since 1994,the year on which the NAPS analys~s of poverty wasbased. At the same time, however, levels of povertybased on relative income llnes have increased, primar~lybecause even though soclal welfare rates have Increasedin real terms above inflation they have lagged behlndincreases in average household disposable income. Thishas resulted in a widening gap between those inemployment and those who are dependent on socialwelfare. The most recent data available relates to 1997,the year NAPS was launched, so it is critical that povertytrends are monitored on a regular basis in order tounderstand changing poverty trends.While this assessment forms part of the evaluation ofNAPS, it will primarily form the basis on which tocommission a more substantial evaluation of thestrategy. Thus, as well as commenting on progress todate, this assessment attempts to ident~fy the key lssueswhich should be examined as part of a broader andmore in-depth evaluation. NAPS is a ten-year strategy.2002 is the mid-way point. Further evaluation of theStrategy should work towards producing a substantialmid-term report on achievements to 2002.Commitments in the new partnersh~p agreementProgramme for Prosperity and Fairness should seek toachieve their objectives by end ZOO2 -the mid-wayperiod for NAPS and the end of the partnershipagreement.The Natlonal Econom~c and Soclal Forum (NESF) also hasa role In monltorlna NAPS The NESF was re-const~tuted>in 1998 and is currently considering the nature of its rolein relation to the Strategy. Given its representativestructure and focus on policy analysis and monitoring, itwould seem to have a key role In assessing major soc~alpolicy initiatives, such as NAPS. Its fourth pillar will havean Important contrlbut~on to make In th~s regard2. Me*"l~d~b@ 56anbb~edThis assessment comprises an analysis of data andmaterial available since the introduction of NAPS. Itdraws on research reports produced by the ESRI,Monitoring Poverty Trends in particular, and on theSocial Inclusion Strategy: Annual Report of the Inter-Departmental Policy Committee 1998199. It contains ananalys~s of Dail Debates on NAPS and press coverage ofthe Strategy. Records of meetings and other s~m~lardocumentation are also drawn upon.The development of the Natlonal Anti-Poverty Strategyinvolved an extensive consultation exercise. Inundertaking th~s assessment ~t was dec~ded that ~t wouldbe useful to garner the vlews of a range of people whohad been lnvolved In the development of NAPS througha postal questionna~re survey1 For further ~nformation to date see the Inter-departmental Policy Committee (1999) Socral lnclusron Strat~gy - 1998199 AnnllaI Report of the'Inter-Departmental Polrcy Commrttee Dublin The Stationery Office 25Plannine! for a-More lnclusive Society- -

3. The Pos*~~ Qusst~anna~reThe questlonnalre covered the maln areas of NAPS andthe context In whlch ~t IS operating Questions weregeneral, In order to get a sense of what the malnach~evements and falllngs of NAPS have been from arange of key playersThe questionnaire first sought information on the mainachievements, weaknesses and gaps in the infrastructureof NAPS. By this is meant the institutional andconsultation mechanisms and procedures of the Strategy.These formed an extremely important component of theoriginal development of NAPS and in many ways havebeen the areas where the main focus on theimplementation of the Strategy to date have beenconcentrated, often referred to as "embedding NAPS".The questionnaire also asked for information on themain achievements, weaknesses and gaps in the contentof NAPS. This refers to the thematic areas, principles,targets, objectives, policies and actions of NAPS.Subsequent questions were asked about the profile ofthe Strategy, its the long-term importance and directionand the key issues which should be taken into accountin its evaluation. The questionnaire also soughtinformation on changes in the nature and extent ofpoverty in the current economic climate and asked forsuggestions on alternatives to NAPS. The questionnaireis reproduced in full in Appendix 1.A. Pesaonse to the Survev160 questionnatres were issued to the communrty andvoluntary sector, to the social partners, to the statutorysector, to researchers and academics, to political advisers,to the media and to local government groups. Thed~stributlon of the questionnaires issued is shown inTable 1.1.Table 1.1 Distribution of Questionnaires IssuedSector ' ' ' Number Issued 'Ither Social P.Ietearrherc ar'olitic,~l AdV~sp,leotaocal Gov~rnn'OTALIt 15 acknowldqd that t h cornrnunrty ~ and voluntarysector n also a soc~al partner Howewr, because of rtsstated rrnportant role rn NAPS, for the purposes of thaexercrse it 1s rdent~frd separatelyThe commun~ty and voluntary sector played a key role InReceivedthe development of NAPS in various ways. Communityand voluntary groups sent in submissions, attendedseminars and participated in thematic working groups.Furthermore, the Combat Poverty Agency has aresponsibility to include the views and experience of thecommunity and voluntary sector in the evaluation of NAPS.Therefore, views on the progress of NAPS to date weresought from 58 community and voluntary sector agencies.Questionnaires were issued to community platform groups,Community Development Programme (CDP) AdvisoryGroup members, some church bodies working in the anti-poverty field, some children's groups and some membersof thematic working groups who may not have alreadybeen included in the previous groupings. In threeinstances where questionnaires were sent to more thanone individual within an organisation, an organisationalresponse was returned. Thus, although 58 questionnaireswere issued to the community and voluntary sector, 55returns were subsequently expected.NAPS is a centrally driven initiative and much of itsimplementation to date has involved the establishment ofinstitutional structures, primarily in the statutory sector.Thus, 42 questionnaires were issued to the statutory sector.These included to members of NAPS senior officials group,NAPS Inter-departmental Policy Committee (IDPC), NAPSUnit, NAPS liaison officers, the National Economic andSocial Council (NESC) and the National Economic andSocial Forum (NESF). This meant that in many instancesindividual government departments received up to threequestionnaires - sent to different people, at different levels,with slightly different roles in relation to NAPS. Manydepartments chose to return departmental responsesrather than individual responses, although this was not thecase for all departments. For this reason the number ofreturns expected from the 42 questionnaires issued to thestatutory sector was reduced by 16 to 26.The social partners have a key role in the nationalpartnership process. NAPS formed a key part of the lastpartnership agreement, Partnership 2000, comprisingthe greater part of Chapter 4 'Action for Greater SocialInclusion', of that agreement. Social inclusion is also akey objective of the new partnership agreement. Thethird sectlon of the agreement sets out objectives onsocial inclusion and equality and a list of actions are setout for NAPS and poverty-proofing as well ascommitments under the key NAPS themes. While thesoclal partners participated In the development of NAPSto a l~mited extent, their involvement IS seen asImportant In the implementation and furtherdevelopment of NAPS. 28 questionnaires wered~stributed to soctal partners - the employers'representatives, the farming representatives and thetrade union representatives. Because of the importanceaccorded to education in NAPS, a number of theeducation trade unions were also issued with aquestionnaire. The community and voluntary pillar alsoreceived questionnaires, but as noted above, for thepurposes of this assessment they have been classified ascommunity and voluntary sector.In the development of NAPS a seminar was held forresearchers and academics. Many researchers andacademics work in the field of poverty research and anti-poverty policy analysis. Also, the availability of data,research and policy analysis was critical in thedevelopment of NAPS and is essential to monitoring itsimplementation. All those who attended theresearchers' and academics' seminar were issued withthe questionnaire - 18 in total.A political commitment to the implementation of NAPSis key to its effectiveness. To garner a political viewpointon NAPS, questionnaires were issued to nine politicaladvisers. The media play a key role in informing thepublic about the National Anti-Poverty Strategy and indebating and raising awareness about levels of povertyand initiatives to address poverty and social exclusion.Consequently, three media people were issued withand 40 per cent.* What is reassuring, however, is therelatively close correspondence between the percentageof questionnaires issued to a particular sector and thepercentage of completed questionnaires received, asillustrated in Figure 1.1. The one notable exception isthe political advisers, who as group felt that it was notappropriate for them to complete a writtenquestionnaire. A political viewpoint is thus absent fromthe questionnaire survey responses.The actual distr~bution of completed questionnairesreceived across the various sectors is shown in Table 1.2.The majority of the questionnaires received were fromthe community and voluntary sector. However, therewas also fairly high representation from the statutorysector. The remainder of the questionnaire responsescompr~sed the social partners, researchers and academicsand one response from the media.Table 1.2 Number of Completed QuestionnaireResponses Across Sectors with Response RateQuestionnairesquestionnaires. A key aspiration of NAPS has been to C tor 234extend the strategy to local level and as such, two local S 124government groups received questionnaires. S",", "1 a,Overall, while 160 questionnaires were issued, 141returns were expected, as explained above. 52completed questionnaires were received. Thepercentage spread of completed questionnaires receivedcompared to the percentage spread of questionnairesexpected across the sectors is illustrated in Figure 1.1.Figure 1.1 Completed Questionnaires Receivedcompared to Questionnaires Expected (%)C8V STAT SP RES POL MED LGExpected1 52 completed ~ue~tl~nnalre~ from an expected return of/ 141 g~vesIrate may seem low ~t IS not all that unusual for a postalL,,,,. 3R esearchers & HCdUt.illlC>h Aedia.. ,..Polit~cat Advlserz- L' ocaLGovernwT OTALIn addition to the 52 completed questionnaires received,a further 30 respondents contacted the Agency toexplain why they had not completed the questionnaire.Table 1.3 shows a variety of reasons for non-response.This Information provides an interesting reflection on thelmplementatlon of NAPS to dateTable 1.3 Reasons for Non-ResponsesUot enouqh IrI Uot approprlaI rrelevantStaff changes113 non-respondents (Seven community and voluntarysector, one soc~al partner, two r~searchrrYacadrm~s anda response rate of 37% Whlle thls response three statutory sector) felt that they d~d not havesurvey for whlch the typlcal response rate 1s between 20enough lnformatlon to complete the questlonnatre Th~slnd~cates a detachment from NAPS and a lack of2 See Nachrn~as & Nachrnlas (1992) Research Methods m the Socral Soences 4th Ed~tion. London, Edward Arnold p 2 17Planninq for a More inclusive Society- .__.

information in relation to its implementation. In twoinstances (one in the community and voluntary sectorand one among the social partners) there had been staffchanges since the developmental stage of NAPS and thecurrent post holders were not sufficiently familiar withNAPS to respond. In four cases (one social partner, oneresearcherlacademic and two statutory sector) NAPS,and thus the questionnaire, was felt to be irrelevant tothe non-respondent's work. All of the political advisers(nine) and two civil servants felt that it was notappropriate to respond to the written questionnaire.There was no response from 57 persons to whom thequestionnaire was sent.The questionnaire responses provide extremely valuableinsights into the implementation of NAPS to date andhow it is seen as a tool to tackle poverty and socialexclusion in Ireland. The remainder of this report willdraw heavily on the responses to the questionnaire in itsassessment of the implementation of NAPS. In the mainthe questionnaire responses are integrated into the maintext of the report. However, a summary of the keyfindings is provided in Appendix 2.In relation to the responses it is worth noting thefollowing:the views expressed were, in the main, consistentacross sectors. In particular, the statutory and thecommunity and voluntary sectors tended to Identifysimilar issues, e.g. the need for more consultationand greater involvement of the community andvoluntary sector in NAPS, and the need to enhancethe profile of NAPS;overall, the responses of the statutory sector tendedto be general while the responses of the communityand voluntary sector tended to relate to specificIssues. This reflects the concerns of their work.Assessmen? mebar*Chapter 2 sets out the economlc and soc~al context Inwhlch the lr~sh National Anti-Poverty Strategy ISoperating It examlnes the lr~sh economlc and soc~alcontext and then sets NAPS In a UN framework A thirdsection places NAPS in the context of Europeandevelopmrnts on povcrty and rocial exclusionChapter 3 provld~~ an rfnalysis of t h inst~tut~ondl~n,echanisrns wh~ch have bepn pot In pl,ic~ to del~verNAPSThp drlalys~~ dra~vs on the postr?l q~~esf~onnalresurvev responses and an analvsls of Dad debatesChapter 4 prov~des an assessment of proqress on NAPStarqets and prtnclples, wh~le Chapter 5 considers thedev~lopment and ~mplementation of poverty-proofingChapter 6 assesses the impact of NAPS to date, looking inparticular at poverty trends in Ireland. Chapter 7 sets theimplementation of NAPS within the context of publ~cservice reform and how this has impacted on the role ofgovernment departments in relation to NAPS. Chapter 8examines the profile of NAPS among the general publicand within the public service. It utilises an analysis of presscoverage as well as drawing on the questionnaire surveyresponses and other survey material. Chapter 9 brieflysets out some future issues and draws together theconclusions of the report.Each chapter, by and large, follows a similar format.Firstly, the commitments from the original NAPSdocument Sharing in Progress are set out. Secondly,progress to date is documented, drawing on the IDPC'sAnnual Report and other available material. Thirdly, onthe basis of the questionnaire survey results and otheranalyses, critiques and documentation, this progress isassessed. Finally, each chapter ends with a set ofconclusions.Chapter 2: Economic and SocialContextThis chapter sets out the economic and social context inwhich the lrlsh National Anti-Poverty Strategy isoperating. The flrst section examines the lrish economicand social context, drawing on published statistics andviews from the postal survey. The second section setsNAPS in a UN context, the initial stimulus for thedevelopment of the Strategy. The third places NAPS inthe context of European developments on poverty andsocial exclusion.31. !wish Economic and SocialCon?extIn assessing NAPS ~t IS Important to set itslmplementatlon In the current economlc and soclalcontext Slnce 1997, when NAPS was f~rst Introduced,Ireland has experienced unprecedented economlcgrowth In fact, the country has susta~ned such hlghlevels of economlc growth that ~t IS no longer ranked asone of the poorer EU members Key features of currentlrlsh economlc growth Include the creatlon of new jobs,many of which are high-skill, high-wage and are beingfilled by young educated people; growth rates amongstthe highest In the world; until recently, low Inflation; anda real growth in incomes. Such a prolonged period ofeconomic success is unprecedented in Ireland.Furthermore, forecasts suggest that there is no reasonwhy this growth should come to an abrupt end,although it is expected to slow down.The lrish economy has enjoyed six successive years Inwhich real GNP growth has been at least 6%, andGovernment debt has fallen from 95% of GDP to underof poverty. Secondly, consistent poverty has substantiallyfallen to under 10% of the population in 1997.Reductions in unemployment and poverty which mightonly have seemed aspirational in the early to mid 1990shave now been achieved. At the beginn~ng of the 2lstcentury we find ourselves in a much better economicsituation than we were in even when NAPS waslaunched in 1997. So the context in which NAPS ISoperating has changed and it is important that thischanging context is taken Into account in thedevelopment and implementation of anti-poverty policiesand programmes.It is important to recognise and acknowledge the greatstrides which have been made In poverty reduction InIreland in recent years, but to also recognlse that thesechanges are also bringing with them new issues andchallenges.What are these issues and challenges?1.1 The Mature of Poverty is ChangingIt is noteworthy that over three-quarters of therespondents to the ~ostal survev belleve that the currenteconomlc growth in Ireland is changing the nature andexperience of povertv However, fewer than ten per centof them believe that ~t 1s having a posltlve effect.Although Increased employment and a correspondingdecrease In poverty IS noted, the respondents'experience IS largely one of Increased Income dlsparltlesand a greater sense of soclal exclusion for those l~vlng onlow incomes. As one respondent commented:50% (Baker et al, 1999) Employment has Increased by335,000 between 1994 and 1999 to a level of more"Current growth is obviously having athan 1 5 m~ll~on (NESC, November 1999 3) In thepositive impact in that it is taking someperlod from Apr~l 1997 to late 1999 the unemployment ~eo~le out of Poverty, but it is alsorate dropped from 10 3% to 5 1 % whlle the rate oflong-term unemployment has decreased from 5 6% to2 1 % over the same per~od (CSO, Quarterly Nat~onalHousehold Survey, March 2000). Inflation has remalnedlow since 1997 (under 2.5%). untll recently, when ~tIncreased to 4.3% (CSO, Consumer Price Index Release,February 2000).What are the ~mpl~cat~ons of th~s economlc growth forpoverty reduct~on In Ireland? Firstly, there has been acons~derable fall In unemployment, and part~cularly long-term unemployment, which IS known to be a key causecompoundin< the exclusion andstigmatisation of those still living in~overtv.... There is a sense that ... ir aperson is poor nowadays, it must be theirown fault."Income lnequal~ty 15 lncrraslnq as t h qap ~ wldrnsbetween those in work and those not In workweekly household Incomp rose subst~mtiC?lly, fromf 128 94 In 1994 to £ 156 96 In 1997 Mon~forinqAvc,rdqcPoverty Trends (1999) ~nd~cates that 7°/~-100~ of thepopulat~on are l~ving in consistent poverty (hard on'!annine for a More inclusive Societv. __-... _-_An-Initial Assessment of the-National Anti-Poverty-Straterlypart 2

1997 data) and 22%-35% fall below the 50%-60%relative income poverty lines. While consistent poverty(based on income and access to basic necessities) isfalling, relative income poverty (based on income only) isincreasing. Social welfare rates have risen by 10-1 2%since 1994, which is less than the increase in householdincomes, estimated at 22%. This has contributed to anincrease in the numbers experiencing income poverty.The increase in relative income poverty may havebroader implications over the longer term. Thechallenge for NAPS, in the current, benign macroenvironment, is to tackle both the remaining consistentlypoor and to address this broader maldistribution ofincome. Respondents to the postal survey noted thewidening gap between rich and poor and the increasedfeelings of exclusion, alienation and isolation for peopleliving on low incomes.The changing nature of poverty may have otherlmpl~cations which require attention. In the early to mid1990s, reducing unemployment was the most importantpolicy focus, and this is reflected in NAPS. But tacklingthe overall rate of unemployment is no longer such acritical issue. Other emerging issues are:while many unemployed people have found work,there remains a group of very long-term unemployedpeople who have not yet been able to avail of theincreased employment opportunities;the risk of poverty for older people, particularly olderwomen has increased;while still relatively small, there is an increasing riskof poverty for low-paid employees;large families and children In particular continue tohave a high risk of poverty;people with disabilities continue to have a high riskof poverty;vulnerable groups such as Travellers, people who arehomeless and refugees and asylum seekers have avery h~gh r~sk of poverty.It has also been found that cumulat~ve d~sadvantage -the existence of a cornblnat~on of d~sadvantagesuch asch~ldhood poverty, lack of educational quallf~cat~ons andexperlence of unemployment - creates a sltuatlon ofpoverty and exclusion more extreme than that producedby any one dlsadvantaqe on ~ts own (Nolan and Whelan,19991 A key Issue IS the extent to wh~ch recenteconornlc and soc~al development has left behlnd aqroup of households that experlence such c~~rnulat~ve ormult~ple d~sadvantaqe and exclus~on from the rest ofsoc~~ty In a way that has not happened previouslyRespondents felt that In the current econornlc cltmatepoverty experienced by marginalised groups had becomehidden and many poor people were "invisible". Theincreased cost of housing, the lack of accessible andaffordable childcare, and the lack of availability andaccess to primary health services were felt to beparticular features of the current economic and socialenvironment for people who are poor.1.2 Resources Are Now Available toEliminate PovertyIn the current economic environment there is now theopportunity largely to eliminate poverty in Ireland.Respondents thought that there should be a greatercommitment to redistributing resources to ensure thatthey reach the people in greatest need. The issue of lackof resources to implement NAPS was raised in thequestionnaires and was one of the most commonlyidentifled weaknesses of the strategy.Respondents suggested a number of things that could tobe done to address poverty dur~ng the economic growthin Ireland. These included:further investment in education to tackle educationaldisadvantage;a greater focus on addressing income inequalities;investment in social infrastructure.However, there is a need to caution against too muchtargetting as people living in poverty benefit from amore general investment in public services.2. UV Comtext;It was at the UN World Summit in Copenhagen in March1995 that the lrish Government endorsed a programmeof action aimed at not only eliminating absolute povertyin the developing world but also at reducing overallpoverty and inequalities everywhere. Arising from thiscommitment, the Government approved thedevelopment of a National Anti-Poverty Strategy.Following on from this commitment the lrishGovernment has been required to submit progressreports to the UN. The UN Committee on Economic,Social and Cultural Rights has observed that lreland hasmade good progress on meeting its commitments andnoted with satisfaction the adoption of the NationalAntl-Poverty Strategy for 1997-2007 and relatedmechanisms such as the poverty proofing of pol~cyproposals.However, the UN Comrnlttee is concerned that NAPSdoes not adopt a human r~ghts framework. TheComm~ttee is also concerned about the persistence ofpoverty among disadvantaged and vulnerable groups, inparticular people with disabilities, the Travellingcommunity, older women, lone parents and children.Indeed, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Childhas a particular concern about the high levels of childpoverty in Ireland.Amongst its suggestions and recommendations, theCommittee proposed the inclusion of "justiciable"'economic, social and cultural rights into the proposedamendment to the Constitution. In particular it urgedthe expansion of the scope of NAPS, including thepoverty-proofing of policy proposals and the integrationof a human rights approach into NAPS. The Committeealso urged more data on the problem of poverty andurged the Government "to take all remedial measures inorder to combat the problem of poverty in Ireland."(United Nations Economic and Social Council, 1999, p 4)While progress has been made on some of these issuesthere is an identifiable need to redistribute resourcestowards the elimination of poverty in Ireland. There isalso a need to incorporate a stronger rights dimensioninto NAPS.The UN produces an annual Human Development Reportwhich includes a poverty measure, called the HumanPoverty Index (HPI). In 1999, lreland was ranked 16thamona the 17 industrialised countries for which the~ndex was calculated. Sweden was the best performeron this index and the Un~ted States the worst (UNDP,1999). The ~ndex contains four measures:Nolan (1998) has noted that the picture presented forlreland is less favourable than it would be if a widerrange of countries and more recent data had been used.Nevertheless, he suggests that lreland would still fall inthe bottom half, which makes a strong case for agreater concerted effort fully to implement NAPS.The UN General Assembly will meet in Geneva In June2000 to assess progress on the commitments made in1995 - referred to as Copenhagen +5. This presents anopportunity for lreland to further strengthen NAPS,involving consideration of a greater focus on rights.3. European Contextlreland IS part of Europe, a prosperous continent whoseeconomy generates cons~derable wealth and creates jobs(Commun~cat~on from the Comm~ss~on, 2000 5) Yet,accord~ng to current Eurostat data, some 18% of the EUpopulation live on less than 60% of national medianincomes, the EU's low-income threshold of relativepoverty. This represents more than 65 million people4.According to the Commission:"The ever-accelerating changes whichreshape our economies and societies arelikely to exacerbate vulnerability and toincrease the risk of social exclusion,affecting in particular those who have notacquired the skills necessary to succeedin the innovation and knowledge activitiesas well as those who are for various(i) the percentage of people not expected to live to 60reasons not ~articiwating in the labour(10% in Ireland);market."(ii) the adult functional illiteracy rate (more than 20% inIreland)2; (Communication from the Commission, 2000: 5).(ii~) the percentage of people below a relative incomepoverty line, set at half median disposable lncome(1 1 % for Ireland)3: and\ ~- , ,(iv) the long-term unemployment rate (7.1 % for Ireland).1 Just~c~able r~ghts are rtghts sub~ecto jur~sd~ct~on, that IS the admlnlstratlon of justtceWith the introduction of Article 137 of the AmsterdamTreaty there is now a much stronger basis for theEuropean Union to give an Increased focusand social exclusion. Article 137 states that-poverty2 A spec~al Issue of the Economic and Soctal Revtew (July 1999) on educat~on contalns a paper by Denny. Harmon, McMahon and RedmondL~teracy and Educabon fn lreland Thls paper explores Ireland's poor rank~ng In the OECDs ~nternat~onal l~teracy study The authors f~nd thatthe scores In the l~teracy test are s~gn~f~cantly related to years of schooling, and that the low scores recorded In the lr~sh race ar? a product ofthe fact that those In older age groups have less formal educat~on than 18 the case In other countries The fact that the expansion In lrirheducatton 18 more recent than In most other western European economies 18 relevant The authors go on to rhow that a qtven edurationalcredential In lreland 18 assoc~ated w~th a h~gher I~teracy score than In Br~tain or Northern Ireland, for rxampl~ and thus thc Ir~rli rtli~cai~orisystem could be judged to be more productive In thts sense3 The EU use poverty l~nes der~ved as proporttons of medlan Incomes, rather than mean or averaqe lnromrr The mrdian 15 riot dff~~rtrrl hvoutl~ers, particularly at the lop end of t h Income ~ d~str~hut~on In the same way Thus becausp lncome d~rtr~hut~ons arc tkpwcri the n~rrl~,>ri~nvar~ably l~es below the mean4 Eurostat, Statlstlcs In Focus, ll2OOO Soc~alnclus~on In EU Member States The f~gurex relate to the second wave of rh~Europ~dn Cornm~iri~tyHousehold Panel and refer to the lncome sltuatlon In 1994 tn 13 Member States (EU except Sweden and F~nlandi Appllerl to thp 15Member States, the 18% rate would represent more than 65 m~ll~on people3 1

1"The Council ... may adopt measures ... the Informal Counc~l of Labour and Soc~al Affatrsdesigned to encourage co-oaerationM~n~sters (L~sbon, February 2000) There he noted thatbetween Member States throuh Ireland./ initiatives aimed at improvintz knowledge. . ,"...SLID~O~~S the establishment of commondeveloping exchanges of information andobiectives for social inclusion policies.best practices, promoting innovativeRut we also need to ensure that progress/ approaches and evaluating! .* exoeriences . intowards achieving these obiectives can beorder to combat social exclusion."measured by developing indicators ofThe European Soc~al Affa~rs Comm~ss~oner, AnnaD~amantopoulou, has stated that"With 18% of the EU living below thepoverty line, a Europe ofis imperative for reasons of social justicebut also because exclusion brings heavycosts to society. Good social policy isgood economic policy. Europeangovernments can learn from each otherand ca-ordinate their approaches - theyI should develop common objectives,/ agreed indicators and exchange bestI practice. The European Council shouldregularly review Europe's progress andeffectiveness in tackling exclusion."1(European Union Directorate General forEmployment and Social Affairs: IP1001215,1 March 2000).She and the Commlss~on are asklng Heads ofGovernment to agree to the following targetsto reduce those living below the 60% poverty linefrom 18% today to 15% by 2005 and 10% by 2010to reduce child poverty throughout Europe by 50%by 2010.The Comm~ss~on notes that combattng soc~al exclus~onhas not only become an tncreaslng prlor~ty for MemberStates but also a goal whlch they attempt to tackletncreaslnqly through strategic measures and actlons(Cornmun~catron from the Cornrnaslon, 2000 5) In th~sInstance they c~te the example of Ireland's NAPS, notlngthat th~s IS based on a multi-d~mens~onal understandtnqof poverty and soclal exclus~onprogress. In short, we need to make oursocial policy goals visible."These developments provide an important opportunityfor Ireland to advocate that the EU should:promote policy exchange and learning for policymakers, the social partners and all those involved inanti-poverty action;put in place better data and reporting on trends inpoverty and social exclusion;regularly monitor and report on approaches thathave been developed in each member state;introduce a system of social impact assessments forEU policies;promote the development of minimum standards inkey areas of anti-poverty policy;strengthen fundamental rights; andincrease support for the role of non-governmentalorganisationsThe provisions in Article 137 are supported by Article 13of the Treaty which allows for suitable EU measures topreclude discrimination based on sex, racial or ethnicorigin, religion or belief, disability, age or sexualorientation.There is a growing emphasis by the European Union onaddressing issues of social exclusion through enhancinghuman and social rights. This was a key feature of theEU Summit in Cologne in June 1999. At the instigationof the German Presidency it was agreed to start work onconsolidating fundamental rights applicable at Europeanlevel tn a charter of rights. Similarly there have beendemands made by the platform of European Soc~alNGOs for the inclusion of a Bill of fundamental rights,including social rights, in the next revision of Europeantreaties.excluded persons and the organisations which representthem in the development, implementation andevaluation of social inclusion and anti-poverty strategies.4 Concclrarrs~sanThe changing economic and social context is altering thenature of poverty in Ireland. Recent years have seenmassive reductions in unemployment and a substantialdecline in consistent poverty. However, incomeinequalities are increasing and some groups continue tohave a high risk of poverty. This changing context needsto be understood and the implications of it addressedthrough appropriate social policies. The resources arenow available largely to eliminate poverty. It isimportant that this opportunity is taken.The UN provided the stimulus for the initial developmentof NAPS. Copenhagen +5 in June 2000 will provide anopportunity to build on and develop the original NAPS.A key feature here should be the inclusion of a strongerrights focus in the Strategy.Europe is playing an increasingly significant role oftackling poverty and social exclusion. lreland can takeIrclcand has ~ntcr~lctecia very posltlve way wlth It 1s also worth notlnq here that the Combat PovertyEuropean social pol~cy developments and has madeAqency, NAPS Un~t and the Nattonal Anti-Povertymdny important tontr~buttons The lrlsh Pres~dencv 111 Networks, along wlth transnat~onal partners In Northern1996 ~vas vqn~flcant In thts reqard More recently theMtn~ster for Social, Cornrnun~ty and Famlly Affa~rs,Dermot Ahern. TD made an ~mportant ~ntervent~on atIreland, Flnland, the Netherlands and Portugal arecurrently undertaking an EU funded lnlttattve on thedevelopment of gu~deltnes for the involvement ofP1anninE for a More Incfatsive Society- An 1n;)iat Assessment of the National Anti-Davertv StrateE~ pad 2

Chapter 3: Institutional MechanismsThis chapter sets out the institutional structures as theywere proposed in the NAPS Strategy Statement. SectionThe institutional mechanisms proposed by NAPS wereinformed by two research reports' and a consultativeseminar. As stated in NAPS Strategy Statement:"The need for strong institutionalstructures to underpin the development ofthe National Anti-Poverty Strategy wasidentified early on in the formulation ofthe strategy. ... Following deliberations thefo0lowing structures are now being put inbrief included policy areas relevant to tackling poverty,including the Minister for Finance. The Minister for Social,2 describes the structures that were actually established Community and Family Affairs was to have day-to-dayto implement NAPS. Section 3 provides an assessmentof the institutional mechanisms, drawing on the postalquestionnaire survey responses and an analysis of Daildebates. The fourth section draws some conclusions onNAPS institutional rnechanlsms and makes somesuggestions for the future./ .?I. ~h% !ns?i?~*fiom!Mechanisms Pronosed byIhVp(Cplace. These arrangements will be put inplace for three years after which timetheir effectiveness will be reviewed.Adiustments will be made and new1mechanisms introduced as provesnecessarystreneben the impact Of thestrategy."(National Anti-Poverty Strategy Statement,political oversight of the strategy and his role includedupdating the Oireachtas on developments within NAPSIndividual ministers would have responsibility for thedevelopment of areas under their remit.1.2 MAPS Inter-Departmental PolicyCommitteeAt the adm~n~strat~ve level the NAPS Inter-departmentalPollcy Committee was to remaln In place, jointly chalredby the Department of the Tao~seach and the Departmentof Social, Commun~ty and Fam~ly AffalrsMemberswould comprise senior civil servants who were to beresponsible for ensuring that NAPS provisions relevant totheir departments were implemented. The original NAPSIDPC was instrumental in the development of NAPS. Itwas originally established in response to the 1995 WorldSumm~t for Social Development. Its remit, at that tlme,included the preparation of a' statement which set outthe nature and extent of poverty in Ireland, the selectionof key themes and policy areas for action, and therecommendat~on of appropriate institutional mechanismsto underpin a National Anti-Poverty Strategy.6.3 SNl TeamIt was envisaged that an SM12 team would be establishedand would be located in the Department of Social,Communitv and Familv Affa~rs. Th~s team would becomplemented at central level by the then exlstlngsupport structure3 In the Department of the TaolseachThe SMI team was to be provided with core staffing, butwould also include representat~ves from other relevant1997:20). departments. The team would be augmented, asStructures were envisaged at a number of levels: thepolitical and the administrative level, the monitoring andevaluation levels, for including the views of thecommunity and voluntary sector, and at local andregional level.1.1 Cabinet Sub-CommitteeAt the political level ~t was envlsaged that a cablnet sub-comrnlttee to deal w~th the Issues of poverty and soclalexclus~on would be establ~shed Thls cornmlttee would bechalred by the Taolseach and Include all ministers whosenecessary, wlth appropriate external expertise It wouldliase with and complement the role of the CombatPoverty Agency.I.& National Economic and Socialror~rnIn relat~on to monltorlng and evaluation, the NatlonalEconom~c and Soclal Forum (NESF), who already hadresponslblllty for monltortng the soc~al inclusion elementof Partnership 2000, was to be asked to specif~callyreport on the progress of lmplcmenting the NationalAntl-Poverty Strategy1 1 Stutt C In arsoclatlon wlth Murtaqh. B (1996) Nalronal Anfr-Pov~rty Sfr,~tquly Rqlorr on ir~srrt~lfr~~r~,~/ M~rh.?i~~$rnr [Iol~lirl I)rl,,!rlrrlr,r~l r ~ lSoc~al. Communlty and Fam~ly Affa~rc, Harvry. B (1996) A Comrnrrmenr fo Ctlar~qr? Irnplcrn~nfinq ttlc Natiorl,li Anri-Potfvrfv Slrafr~rl) C,

1.5 Combat Poverty AgencyThe Combat Poverty Agency was to oversee anevaluation of NAPS process, wh~ch would includeconsideration of the vlews and experience of thecommunity and voluntary sector. The Agency was topresent the results of the evaluation to the Inter-departmental Committee.The Agency was also to provide information and educationmaterial and to support, in an advisory capacity, individualgovernment departments and local and regional structuresin the development of anti-poverty strategies.1.6 llnvolvement of the Communityand Voluntary SectorThe NAPS Strategy Statement noted the importance of"consultation with and the involvement of the voluntaryand community sector, users of services and those withfirst-hand knowledge of poverty" (1997: 21) in thedevelopment of NAPS. The Strategy emphasised that forthe success of NAPS it was essential for this "partnershipbetween all the relevant actors in the process" to continueand develop. It was suggested that when appropriate ornecessary, the community/voluntary sector and socialpartners would, as in the preparation of the strategy, beinvited to part~cipate in working groups to look atparticular issues during the course of the strategy.It was also envisaged that the community/voluntarysector and the social partners would have an ongoingrole in the context of the arrangements for monitoringPartnership 2000. To facilitate this a commitment wasmade to continue Government funding for the NationalAnti-Poverty Networks. Seminars with the voluntary andcommunity sector and other key actors would beorganised in the future at key intervals to allow for anInformal consultation process.1.7 Local and Regional LevelAt local and regional level ~t was envisaged that socialinclusiveness and equality of opportunity would befostered through a renewed system of local government.In particular, Community and Enterprise Groups would beresponsible for developing plans, including local area actionplans which would focus on social exclusion, which mayinvolve the development of local anti-poverty strategies.2. '%e ~rls+'+n~q?~nnabvBec4an;sms ~s?ah~;sSer]aThe f~rstwo years of NAPS saw the puttlng In place of anumber of tnst~tutlonal mechan~sms to implement NAPS,as env~saged In NAPS Strategy Statement, illustrated InFlgure 3 1 The structures established Include thefollowtnga Cab~net Sub-Committee on Soc~alnclus~on cha~redby the Tao~seach,Wanninc for a More Inclusive Sacietv-___--a Senior Officials Committee to advise the CabinetSub-Committee on Social Inclusion;an Inter-Departmental Policy Committee (IDPC);a NAPS Unit;NAPS Liaison Officers;the National Economic and Social Forum (NESF) hasresponsibility for monitoring the social inclusionelement of Partnership 2000;the Combat Poverty Agency has a role in monitoringand evaluating NAPS;the National Anti-Poverty Networks have continuedto be funded, and the community and voluntarysector has been involved in monitoring Partnership2000;Preliminary work is in progress on the developmentof local anti-poverty strategies.It is notable that two months after the launch of theNAPS Strategy there was a change of government. TheFianna Fail/Progressive Democrat Government has takenNAPS on board and consolidated various structures forits implementation. The remainder of this section willprovide more detail on the structures which have beenestablished to implement NAPS.2.1 Cabinet Sub-Committee on SociallnclusionAt the political level a Cabinet Sub-committee on SocialInclusion was established in July 1997. The Committeeincludes all Ministers and Ministers of State with a remitin these areas, including the Minister for Finance, and ischaired by the Taoiseach. Its purpose is to give politicaldirection to issues and decisions on social exclusion. TheCabinet Sub-committee generally meets on a monthlybasis, and met on nine occasions in 1999. Thecomposition of the Cabinet Sub-committee is as follows:Taoiseach (Chair);Tdnaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade andEmployment;Minister for Finance;Minister for Health and Children;Minister for the Environment and Local Government;Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs;Minister for lustice, Equality and Law Reform;Minister for Education and Science;Minister for Tourlsm, Sport and Recreation;Attorney General;Minister of State at the Department of Health andChildren (with special responsibility for children);Minister of State at the Department of Agricultureand Food (with special re'sponsibility for RuralDevelopment);* Minister of State at the Department of Tourism,Sport and Recreation (with special responsibility forLocal Development).-"--------*-- ----. .

The Minister for Soclal, Community and Family Affairshas day-to-day political responsibility for the Strategy,and for reporting to the Dail on its progress.2.2 Senior Officials Social lnclusionGroupAt the administrative level a number of structures havebeen established to implement NAPS. In late 1998, aSenior Officials Group on Social Inclusion was established tosupport the work of the Cabinet Sub-committee. Itsmeetings coincide with the meetings of the Cabinet Sub-committee, which means that it generally meets aboutonce a month. Its membership mainly includes civil servantsat Assistant Secretary level whose areas of responsibilitycover various aspects of social inclusion. Its role is to:provide a link between the Cabinet Sub-committeeand the policy formulation and operational levels ofrelevant Departments;arrange the agenda and finalise papers forconsideration by the Cabinet Sub-committee;provide leadership at senior official level for effectivestrategic management of social inclusion issues;act as an umbrella group for all cross-departmentalstructures relating to social inclusion, to ensurecohesion of approach; andmalntaln a broad overview of social inclusion issuesin order to ensure that emerging topics are broughtto the attention of the Cabinet Sub-committeetogether with recommendations for action.2.3 MAPS Inter-Departmental PolicyCommitteeFollowing the launch of NAPS in Aprll 1997, the NAPSInter-Departmental Pol~cy Committee remained in placeto oversee the implementation of the Strategy. Themembers of NAPS IDPC comprise senlor officials, mainlyat principal officer level, designated as havingresponsibility for ensurlng that NAPS provisions relevantto thelr Departments are implemented. FAS, AreaDevelopment Ltd., and the Combat Poverty Agency arealso represented on the Commlttee. NAPS IDPC met 11times between the launch of the Strategy In April 1997and December 1999. Membership of the Inter-Departmental Pollcy Commlttee IS Included In Appendix3. It s~eclflc role IS to:monltor the lmplementatlon of pollcles andproqraninies under NAPS Thls will be done throuqtiprepdratlon of an annual report and quarterlyproqress revlews on the achievement of tarqets,dssess workplans of Departments for the comlng year,ldentlfy evaluat~on mechanlsrns for NAPS.revlew and advlse on broad Issues related to povertyand soclal lnclus~on,identify and promote anti-poverty initiatives;consider relevant international developments onsocial inclusion policies and advise thereon;develop the role of and support for NAPS liaisonofficers;make recommendations for the development of localanti-poverty strategies, building on the work of theTask Force on Local Government and LocalDevelopment Systems; andraise ~ublic awareness of NAPS.While NAPS IDPC has undertaken work in most of theseareas, the above constitutes is a more comprehensiveremit than NAPS IDPC has fulfilled to date. However, itprovides a substantive basis on which to manage anddirect implementation of NAPS.2.4 NABS UnitA NAPS Unit (SMI team) has been established in theDepartment of Social, Communlty and Family Affairs.The Unit now has five full-time staff4 and is headed by aprincipal officer, who also has other responsibilities. TheUnit has responsibility for co-ordinating and developingcross-departmental actions on NAPS. It also acts as asecretariat to NAPS IDPC. The NAPS Unit has not beencomplemented at central level in the Department of theTaoiseach by the support structure which existed in thedevelopment of NAPS, in any regular or substantive way,as was envisaged in NAPS Strategy Statement. TheNAPS Unit has liaised regularly with the Combat PovertyAgency, with whom they have developed a goodworking relationship.Some of the maln areas of work in which the NAPS Unithas been lnvolved since its establishment include:the development of poverty-proofing (in conjunctionwith the Combat Poverty Agency and the socialpartners);the subsequent proposed review of poverty-proofingliaising with Departments on a regular basis,particularly NAPS Liaison Officers;the organisation of initial training on NAPS for liaisonofficers (along with the Combat Poverty Agency);the development of pro-formas for departmentalbaseline documents and annual workplans;the collation of these documents and workplans;the preparation of the Department of Soclal,Community and Family Affa~rs basellne document;the preparation of NAPS's Annual Report andIreland's Natlonal Report for the UN, on behalf ofNAPS IDPC.llalslng wlth the community and voluntary sector,lncludlng meetlngs wlth the Natlonal Anti-PovertyNetworks;regular meetings and joint initiatives with theCombat Poverty Agency;along with the Combat Poverty Agency and theNational Anti-Poverty Networks, the preparation of asuccessful application to the EU on Models ofInvolvement, based on a research project undertakenby the Agency;regular meetings with the ESRl with regard to thecollection and analysis of data to assist in NAPSmonitoring;joint publication of the Monitoring Poverty Trendsreport;along with the Combat Poverty Agency, thedevelopment of a public education strategy and theestablishment of a profiling group;supporting the work of NAPS IDPC and the CabinetSub-committee on Social Inclusion;providing representatives to inter-departmentalgroups and initiatives;the preparation of background papers and briefingson NAPS;the preparation of Ministerial Briefings and notes;the preparation of replies to ParliamentaryQuestions;preparation for, and participation in, NationalPartnership negotiations and monitoring;preparation for, and participation in, internationalevents related to the EU, UN and Council of Europe;drafting of speeches;presentations to various officials and groups;responses to Freedom of Information requests.This is an extensive list of work, undertaken despite ahigh staff turnover. Gwen the importance of NAPS andthe limits of the staff resources available to NAPS Unit, itis important that its work is specifically NAPS-orientedand that it does not get drawn into support work at abroader, departmental level.2.5 NAPS Liaison OfficersIt was envisaged in NAPS's Strategy Statement thatNAPS Unlt staffing would include on a full-time or parttimebasis representatives from other relevantdepartments, augmented as necessary with externalexpertise. This has not happened. However, llalsonofficers have been appointed in departments whoseremit includes anti-poverty work. For detalls, seeAppendix 4.1 NAPS llalson off~cers f~ll a communlcatlon and coordlnatlonrole In thelr respectwe departments InI relatlon to NAPS There are no formal llnks betweenIthem and the Unlt but, the Unlt IS In regular contact, wlth the majorlty of llalson off~cers In relatlon to NAPSIssues2.6 Nationall Economic and SocialForumNESF was established by the Government in 1993 tocontribute to the formation of a wider nationalconsensus on economic and social pol~cy, particularly tocombat social exclusion. It produced 16 reports and e~ghtopinions up until the end of 1997. In January 1996 itproduced an opinion on the National Anti-PovertyStrategy (National Economic and Social Forum, 1996).The Forum was reconstituted in 1998 and the new Forumhad its inaugural meeting in November 1998. Under itsnew mandate, it has a particular role to play In evaluat~ngthe effectiveness of policies which are belng Implementedwithin the framework of social partnership agreementsand of the National Anti-Poverty Strategy.Since the launch of NAPS in April 1997 the old NESF hasbeen winding down and the new Forum has beenputting its new structures in place and discussing ~ts role.The new NESF produced its first opinion In September1999 on local development issues. It has not yetproduced anything on NAPS, although ~t IS currentlyconsidering what specific work programme ~t mayundertake in this resDect.2.7 The Combat Poverty AgencyThe Combat Poverty Agency has had an importantongolng role in relatlon to NAPS. The Agency is amember of NAPS IDPC. A key objective In the Agency'scurrent Strateg~c Plan IS to ensure that NAPS makesslgnlficant progress in reducing and preventing poverty.Since NAPS was launched the Agency has allocated asubstantial amount of staff time and resources to thedevelopment and implementation of NAPS work.In relatlon to ~ts evaluation role, wlth the Department ofSoclal, Communlty and Famlly Affalrs, ~t comm~ss~onedand publ~shed a report from the ESRl uslng the Llvlng InIreland survey to monltor poverty trends (See Mon~tonngPoverty Trends, 1999) A further report to update thlsdata and analyse further Issues has now beencomm~ss~oned The Agency has also undertaken andpublished assessments of the 1998 and 1999 annualbudgets In terms of thelr contrlbutlon to thelmplementatlon of NAPS Other relevant researchreports produced slnce 1997 Include Women andPoverty, Where are Poor Households?, LocalPartnersh~ps for Sooal Inclus~on, Load~ng the D~ceAnalys~ng Cumulat~ve D~sadvantage, Pubhc Percept~oncof Povert~ Soc~al Housing ~n Ireland, Hous~nc) lncomcSupport In the Private Rented Sector and Edutat~onalD~sadvantage and Early School Leav~ng All Aqcnrypollcy subm~ss~ons slnce the launch of NAPS h ~ b~cn v ~framed on the bas18 of the Natlonal Antl-PovertyStrategy Key among these are the Agencvs annualTlir NAPS Un~t hdd four staff up to the end of 1999 They have non Ib~en allocated an add~t~onal ~ost39Planning far a More Inc!us;ve~Societv_~--.-4nlnitial~Assessment0f~the~NationalAnti-o~ertyStratey part 2 --

pre-budget submissions and its submissions on thenational agreements.The Agency has developed an evaluation frameworkwhich has been endorsed by NAPS IDPC and this initialassessment has now been produced, drawing on theviews of key players involved in the development andimplementation of NAPS.The Agency has a remit to include consideration of theviews and experience of the community and voluntarysector. The Agency provides core funding and has anongoing relationship with the seven National Anti-Poverty Networks: the lrish National Organisation for theUnemployed (INOU); the Community Workers' Co-operative (CWC); the lrish Rural Link (IRL); the EuropeanAnti-Poverty Network (EAPN); the Forum of People withDisabilities (Forum); the lrish Travellers Movement (ITM)and the One-Parent Exchange Network (OPEN). TheAgency has regular meetings with the National Anti-Poverty Networks. At these meetings NAPS is often akey item on the agenda.The Agency liaises with the broader community andvoluntary sector in a number of ways. These include:its grant scheme;its involvement in the development of the WhitePaper on relations between the community andvoluntary sector and the state;advislng the Department of Soclal, Community andFamily Affa~rs on its Community DevelopmentProgramme;lnfluenclng government policy and practice ond~alogue with, and inclusion of, the community andvoluntary sector In policy making, with particularregard to NAPS;developing programmes on influencing policy;~ts drugs policy programme;supporting representat~on of the community andvoluntary sector on key national fora;~ts local government work;through the Peace and Reconctliation Programme;through the Demonstration Programme onEducational Dlsadvantage;through ~ts work on tackl~ng chtld poverty.To help Inform the development of constructiverelat~onshlps w~th the commun~ty and voluntary sector Inthe ~rnplementatlon of NAPS, research wascommlss~oned by the Agency to explore models of qoodpractlce draw~ng from ~nternatlonal and EuropeanexperienceSeveral useful lessons for anti-povertystrategies can be drawn from the internationale~perience.~ These are:a clear distinction needs to be made at the openingof any consultation between: (i) broad open dialoguewith NGOs in general, (ii) building conditions forconsultations with NGOs on specific issues, and (iii)undertaking more restricted negotiation;differences in treatment of large charitable bodies,foundations and associations, on the one hand, andsmaller voluntary and community groups on theother, should be made transparent to all parties inthe consultation process;confidence-building measures for the voluntary andcommunity sector are useful. This is often related toweak resourcing of the voluntary sector's investmentin explaining policy changes to its members oraffiliates.This research report resulted in a successful applicationto the EU to undertake a project to develop guidelinesfor the involvement of excluded persons and theorganisations which represent them in the development,implementation and evaluation of social inclusion andanti-poverty strategies, as mentioned in Chapter 2 of thisreport. This is a transnational project involving partnersfrom Finland, Northern Ireland, the Netherlands andPortugal. At a national level the project is led by theCombat Poverty Agency, in partnership with NAPS Unitand the National Anti-Poverty Networks.The Agency was also to provide information andeducation material. Material on NAPS for publiceducation and awareness purposes has been publishedregularly by the Agency, indeed it has been one of themain sources of public information on NAPS and NAPScritiques. For further details on this element of theAgency's work, see Chapter 8. The Agency has alsocontributed to the initial training of liaison officers,organised by NAPS Unit.2.R The Community and VotuntarySectorThe voluntary and community sector had a key role toplay In the development of NAPS. It was envisaged thatthis role, for the community and voluntary sector, andother key actors such as the social partners and users ofservices, would continue and develop. Since the launchof NAPS the involvement of the community andvoluntary sector in the ~rnplementation of the Strategyhas been limited. The Nat~onal Anti-Poverty Networkshave had meetlngs with the NAPS Un~t, but these havema~nly taken the form of Information exchange rather5 Ralaheen Ltd and Commun~ty Techn~cal Aid (1998), Models of Con sultaf~on and Ongorng Pamopahon between the Statutory Sector and theCornmcinrty and Voluntary Sector to Inform the Implernentat~on of the Natronal Antf-Poverty Strategy (NAPS) Dublin: Combat Poverty Agency6 Spe Conroy P (19991 "lnrernatlonal Models for Tackl~ng Poverty" IV I Poverty Today AprrllMay 1999, No. 43, Dublin- Combat Poverty Agencythan consultation or joint initiatives. Some groups havehad the opportunity to meet with NAPS IDPC onparticular initiatives, but these opportunities have beenlimited to a few occasions. Members of the communityand voluntary sector, and the social partners have beeninvolved in the development of poverty proofing throughPartnership 2000. In addition, community and voluntarysector representatives have contributed to two NAPS-ledcross-departmental initiatives on Literacy for the Long-Term Unemployed and Homelessness. Further details onthese initiatives are contained in Chapter 7.Over the last two years the Department of Social,Community and Family Affairs has been preparing aWhite Paper on the community and voluntary sector andits relationship with the State. A Green Paper,Supporting Voluntary Activity was published in 1997,followed by a consultation process. A Steering Group,including representatives from the community andvoluntary sector, was set up to advise on the preparationof a White Paper on the basis of the consultations. TheWhite Paper is currently in preparation.' It is envisagedthat the White Paper will outline principles and goodpractice models in relation to consultation between thecommunity and voluntary sector and the state. It is alsohoped that the White Paper will contribute to improvedconsultation mechanisms in the context of NAPS.In the context of the White Paper, and of NAPS, it isimportant to recognise the range and diversity ofcommunity and voluntary sector players who have animportant contribution to make. A number of umbrellabodies and networks have a central role to play in theoverall development of the voluntary and communitysector. They can provide support, training, informationand other developmental services for their affiliatedorganisations as well as a policy formation and liaison role.These umbrella bodies include: the National Anti-PovertyNetworks (see section 2.7) and the Community Platform.The Community Platform represents a wide range ofnational community and voluntary organisations with ananti-poverty focus which have come together as a result oftheir need for representation and a negotiating voice indiscussions on the national agreements. The CommunityPlatform is one of eight groups involved In the CommunityPillar, which itself has been involved in negotiating the lasttwo national agreements. Another recent development ISthe emergence of the "Wheel". This is a movement forgroups and individuals who wish to explore ways andmeans in which the community and voluntary sector m~ghtcome together in a more cohesive and meaningful way. Itis not a volce for the sector but alms to act as a catalystbehind many volces with~n the sector.In undertaking consultation on NAPS Issues it will beImportant to recognise the range of players involved andtheir status, and to use different mechanisms fordifferent consultations. In other words, the focus shouldbe on how to organise consultations and involvementmore effectively within the range of existing structures.This is particularly pertinent in relation to engaging thecommunity and voluntary sector in the process of settingNAPS targets and the review and evaluation of NAPS.2.9 Local and Regional GovernmentReform of local government has been ongoing for anumber of years. One aspect of this reform is that localauthorities are to have an enhanced role in strategiceconomic and social planning and thereby promotinggreater co-ordination in the delivery of public services intheir areas. Key in this development will be theCountylCity Development Boards (CDBs) who will bringtogether local government, local development, the stateagencies active at local level, and the social partners,including the community and voluntary sector.The Boards will have two main functions:(i) to increase co-operation between members,including enhanced information flow;(ii) to work on an agreed countylcity strategy oneconomic, social and cultural development which isto be in place by 2002.The CDBs will be supported by new Directors ofCommunity and Enterprise who have recently beenappointed in the 34 countylcity councils (NESF, 1999).In 1998, a system of policy-focused Strateg~c PolicyCommittees (SPCs) replaced the tradit~onalocalauthority committee structure. They are made up ofelected councillors and other representatlves from thesocial partners and sectoral Interests. A Task Force onthe Integration of Local Government and LocalDevelopment Systems, which was set up in June 1998reported In August 1998. Th~s Task Force report hasbeen adopted as government pol~cy. The Task Force ISnow overseeing the lmplementatlon of the lntegratlon oflocal government and local development and has Issueda gu~dance document ent~tled Preparing the Ground:Guidelines for the Progress from Strategy Groups toCountylCity Development Boards (Department ofEnv~ronment and Local Government, 1999).Guldellnes for preparing cltylcounty d~velopmentstrateg~es have been agreed by the Department of theEnv~ronment and Local Government The Gu~del~nesh~ghllghthe Importance of lnclud~ng an antl-povertydlmens~on In the strategies7 The new partnership agreement Programme for Prosperrty and Farrness states that A Wh~te Paper on Relat~ons betw~en the Cornmunitv andVoluntary Sector and the State will be publ~shed ~n April 2000" 4 1Andnltial Assessment of the-*Ja?iarlai Anti-Poverty_S+ra+egy_ part 2

The Combat Poverty Agency, in collaboration with theDepartment of the Environment and Local Governmentand the NAPS Unit, is currently undertaking a number ofinitiatives to develop models of anti-poverty work withina reformed system of local government. The CommunityWorkers' Co-operative has also undertaken work tostrengthen the poverty focus within local authorities,with funding from the EU.3.1 Postal Questionnaire SurveyResnonsesIn assessing the effectiveness of the institutionalmechan~sms which have been put in place since thelaunch of NAPS, it is useful to draw initially on theflndings of the postal questionnaire survey.The three most commonly identified achievements in theimplementation of NAPS infrastructure were:poverty-proofing;target setting;establishment of institutional structures, such as theCabinet Sub-committee on Soclal Inclusion, NAPSInter-Departmental Policy Committee and NAPS Unit.Also noted as achievements in NAPS infrastructure were:an inter-agencyllnter-departmental approach topoverty;improved coherence of policy-making;national focus on addressing poverty;Increased awareness of poverty;Improved cohesion, co-ordlnatlon and consultationaround poverty Issues.One respondent identifled the rnaln achievement in thelmplementatlon of NAPS slmply as:"the engagement of deoartments in a co-ordinated s*rate

~ -Table 3.1 Summary of Dail Debates on NAPSII 7..- - .--- - < -- -- -- .--- .)ate Repor ted IssueRaised by25 Nover nber 1998 [D, roofing30 September 1997 [Da~l Eireann, Debates, 877-81New Government's commitment to NAPS Opposit~on 1 December 1998 [Da~l fireann, Debates, 556-5891Income inequal~ty15 October 1997 ID611 tireann. Debates. 'Proaress of Cabinet Sub-Comm~ttee on Drugs,< iocial Exclus~o n and Local Coer 1998 [Dd~l cireann, Debates, 1277-91Budget '99 and NAPS targetsGove rnment +OPPC hs~tion15 October 19nn. Debates.'rogress on N, 4PS2 February 1999 [Ddil clreann, Debates, 87691NAPS targets and poverty-proofingufJpu>ltlul I26 November 1997 [Dail tireann. Debates, 10001 Progress of NAPS2 February 1999 [Dail E~reann, Debates, 1005-61Child povertyGovernment iOPPC6 December1997 [Dail cir~ eann. Debate!'rogress of Ci tbinet Sub Co:xclusion - fc )cus on drugshreann, Deb ates, 431 I. ."-...-,3rv IYYY IU~II tlreann. ueoares. 1ua51Progress cProgress cb CommitteedslonOppcrnment,-, . ,., -.-- .4 reoruary I r38 [D611 hreann, ueoares, I ~341C I February 19' 38 [Dail EirearCrlllu povertypromotion of NAPSOppositior IOppos~tionI 1999 ~ D~II E~reann, Debates. 927-950; L-. .-- .,hl'xr, ..-.... NAP .. S targets and NAPS Annual Report,Poverty-p roofingrnment +351tloni February 19' 38 [Da~l hearEducational dl sadvantageOpposition1 I reoruary I' 998 [Dail Eire, mn, veoares, sa 1-4124 February 1' 998 [Ddil Eirec 3nn. Debates, 1253-1291; 1325.551alth Inequalit) IOpposit~onSocial Welfare ) Bill 1998, PC ~verty-proofing and NAPS Government +Opposition21 April ' 1999 [Da~l Elreann, DebatesInter-dep;NAPS IDP!5 February 1' 998 [Ddil Eire, 3nn. Debates.Cabinet Sub-( Iommittee on I Soc~al Exclus ionOppositio n5 May 1999 [Dail cireann. Debates, 293-41 Cab~net Sub-CommitterugsOpposit~on!5 March 19918 ID611 Elrean n. Debates, 1Social Welfarc ? Bill and Cab1 net Sub-corn mittee onSocial Exclus~cGovernm ent999 [Dail c~reann. Debates, Cab~net Sub-committee on Social I nrl~~~~nn GovernmentII23 Apr~l 1998 [DalI Elreann, Debates, 981 Consultat~on with the community and voluntary sector Government ann. Debates. roofing Government ion Supportln~ 3 Voluntary A ctivity),rchOppos~t~on28 April 1998 [DM Eireann. Debates, 127-1271 Cab~net Sub-committee on Soc~al Exclus inn NAP< Governm Pnt +26 May 1999 [Ddll E~reann, Debates, 803.31 NAPS Annual ReportOppos~t~onbasel~ne docuOpposltic28 April 1998 , [Dail hreann , Debates, 28Progress of NGovernmOppositic, ,2 June 15 'S targets and poverty proofingOpposit~on- .,- . A; Ibeanaa tlreann, VeDateS. J~L-41>] UIII Tor uroan Renewal ano NHr>39 [DBil hreann, Debates, 1069-1 1161Ach~evement of social ~nclusionGovernment7 October 1997 [Ddil Elreal in. Debates. 'IAPS, NAPS crntal issues -, and I~teracy ,~ernployed.NAPS targets and poverty ~rooflng the EGovernmOpposit~cnber 1999 [DProgress (NAPS In Fon Soc~alncl uslon and21 October 1998.[Ddil hreann. Debates. 16081 DrugsGovernmento ucrouer 1999 [D611 E~reann, veoares, I L lo] roverry-proof~ng, NAPS targets and chlld poverty Oppos~tionProqress on soc~al inclus~onGovernment4 November 1998 [Seanad. - ..Young people's tacllltles ana beNlCeS tunaGovernrr lent17 November 1998 [Dad $1OS,1LIL-II)UIIEducational cIncreased Incc / Opposltlc17 November 1998 [Seanabates. 157-1921Rural povertyOppositica!mninc a More fnck~sive-Societv-- ~~nnitia~~ssessment~of~the~~a~~ona~nn+i-~ove~+~~~trit+e~vpart 2

The main Dail discussions on NAPS have been inrelatlon to the progress of the Cabinet Sub-committeeon Social Inclusion. One of the main concerns of theOpposition has been the number of meetings thisCommittee has had. Initially it met fairly infrequently,"meeting only once in six months was a window-dressing exercise and was a new level of neglect ofthis area of social exclusion and menace from drugs"(Emmet Stagg, TD, Labour Party, 16 December 1997).In the last year, however, it has met more frequently,on an almost monthly basis. For example, on 5 May1999 the Taoiseach told the Dail that "the Sub-committee has met on 28 January, 22 February and22 April" and that the next meeting was scheduled for20 May. The Committee met nine times in 1998 andnine times in 1999.An interesting aspect of the Cabinet Sub-committee isthe range of names by which it has been called. It hasvariously been referred to as, "The Cabinet Sub-Commlttee on Social Exclusion", the "Cabinet Sub-committee on Social Exclusion and Drugs (includinglocal development)" but more recently andconsistently, "The Cabinet Sub-committee on SocialInclusion", which is ~ts official title.In relation to the content of the Cabinet Sub-Committee's discussions ~t was noted on severaloccasions that these were confidential. For instance,the Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairstold Trevor Sargeant, TD, that "the deputy mustunderstand that matters pertaining to the CabinetSub-committee itself are confidential" (1 6 December1997). Nevertheless, it is clear from the Dail debatesthat much of the discussion has centred on drugswork, the Young People's Facilities and Services Fundand NAPS progress. Initially the main concern was Inrelation to progress in Implementing NAPS, but morerecently the focus has been on poverty proofing,meeting NAPS targets and raising the proflle of NAPS.In late 1997 the Taolseach re-afflrmed h~s commitmentto NAPS under questlonlng from John Bruton, TD, FlneGaelIn 1998 the Taolseach commented that. "Thenatlonal ant!-poverty strategy IS a concerted effort toco-ord~nate the tackllng of the problems and there ISrelevant act~on In all Departments, particularly Inrelatlon to educat~on, poverty and dlsadvantage" (1 7February 1998) However, Prolnslas de Rossa. TD.(Labour) In relatlon to responses he recelved onquestions about the progress of NAPS stated, "If theGovernment IS not serlous about NAPS then ~tshould stop saylnq ~t IS commltted to ~t and drop ~t Itshould not pretend to be dolng something ~t IS not"(24 February 1998) On 2 July 1999 the Mlnlster forPlannine for a More inclusive Society_.___-_Finance stated that "the achievement of socialinclusion is one of the Government's highest priorities,alongside a strong economic performance".The Government emphasised its commitment topoverty-proofing. The Minister for Social, Communityand Family Affairs told the Da11 that the Governmenthad approved poverty-proofing and that the provisionhad now been written into the new Governmentprocedures handbook. On being questioned about hisDepartment's role in this regard the Minister forFinance stated that his department was fully involvedin the strategy (NAPS), supported poverty proofing andNAPS would be taken into consideration in theforthcoming Budget (30 September 1998). However,the 1999 Budget was attacked by the opposition fornot doing enough to tackle social exclusion. DerekMcDowell, TD, (Labour) asked, "how could onedescrlbe this budget as one for social inclusion whenthe rnajorlty of those on social welfare were relativelyworse off as a result? Did deputies think that theMinister had even looked at NAPS?" (2 December1998).Progress on NAPS targets was also a topic for debate.In spring 1999 Jim O'Keefe, TD, (Fine Gael) said thathe was hugely d~sappointed by the delay of theGovernment in making progress in NAPS introduced bythe previous Government. In mid year Dermot Ahern,TD, Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs,told the Dail that the main poverty targets set in 1997had already been met and that the Government hadnow set even more ambitious social inclusion targets -"we will cut consistent poverty in half over the nextfive years" (2 July 1999).Other issues discussed, which were on occasion givena NAPS tag, were child poverty, educationaldisadvantage and rural poverty. Rural poverty was arecurring theme in Dail debates In 1998 and 1999.On child poverty Roisin Shortall, TD (Labour) asked theMlnister for Social, Community and Family Affairs tooutline his approach to child poverty. The Mlnisterre~orted that children had been identified as one of anumber of groups at particular risk and as such wouldbe glven attention. He mentioned Child Benefit,Family Income Supplement (FIS) and employment, forexample, as areas of actlon which impact positively onchlld poverty. On a prevlous occasion he had statedthat "ch~ld poverty is perhaps the greatest slnglejust~f~cat~on for a natlonal antl-poverty strategy,NAPS " (4 February 1998).In late 1998 the Dad debated educationald~sadvantage following a motion from Rlchard Bruton,TD, (Fine Gael) who said that despite the emphas~s ofNAPS on educational disadvantage, the Minister forEducation had not arranged to gather any systematicinformat~on about many of the Issues on which theDepartment set specific targets. Previously, Dr PatUpton, TD, (R.I.P, Labour) had enquired of the Min~sterof Education if his Department would establish a socialexclusion unit. Such a unit has now been establishedin the Department of Education and Science andprocedures are being put in place to gatherinformation on educational progress on a regularbasis.Reference was also made to the role of the communityand voluntary sector, but this was ma~nly in relation toprogress on the White Paper on the relationshipbetween the community and voluntary sector and theState.In summary, NAPS has been discussed fa~rly regularlyin the Dail. While the debate has often been driven bythe opposition enquiring about progress on NAPS, theGovernment has also referred to NAPS on a regularbasis. This has been the case more recently w~th theintroduction of poverty-proofing and the revis~on ofthe targets. Often, reference to NAPS is subsumedinto debates on the Cabinet Sub-committee or socialinclusion issues more generally. The opposition havebeen cr~tical in relat~on to evidence on theimplementation of NAPS, particularly with regard tothe annual Budgets. This analysis would indicate thatthe Government needs to be more proactive in thlsregard.3.3 Effectiveness of NAPS Inter-Departmental Policy CommitteeOver the last two years NAPS IDPC has continued toplay a key role In the development andlmplementatlon of NAPSIts role has been altered bythe establlshment of the Cab~net Sub-Committee onensure that they can fully participate in the work ofNAPS and that anti-poverty work receives a hlghpriority within their departments. It is worth notlnghere that in the postal questionnaire survey a numberof respondents expressed the view that NAPS oftentakes a back seat to other issues. To address this issuesome respondents advocated the appointment ofpeople who are explicitly charged with working onNAPS and can ensure that it remalns to the forefrontof the Government's agenda.As noted In section 2.3, NAPS IDPC has taken oncomprehensive terms of reference. While it hasundertaken most of these tasks, its involvement in someareas has been limited. To be more effective and tocarve out its own particular nlche in implementing NAPS,the following suggestions are made with a view toenhancing its effectiveness:raising the status of the Committee, e.g. by theMinister for Social, Comrnun~ty and Family Affa~rsattending some meetings of the Commlttee andensuring attendance by senior officials from allrelevant departments;the development of a clear annual work plan, time-tabled with areas of responsibility clearly outlined;meeting more than four t~mes a year;initiating strategic work areas for NAPS;engaglng in consultative work, eg. vis~ting localprojects, regularly meetlng community and voluntarysector representatives and other soc~al partners;contributing to the development of strategies atlocal level;continuing to engage In cross-departmental work~ngon key ldent~fled poverty initiatives Clearerreporting relat~onships between cross-departmentalgroups and NAPS IDPC could usefully be established;developing and resourclng a public educat~on andmed~a relations funct~on and publ~shlng documentson a regular basis;Soc~alncluslon and the Senlor Offlclals Group Theensurlng that NAPS IDPC members and l~alsonsenlor groups have prov~ded a route for IDPCofficers are adequately resourced and supported toproposals to be considered by the Government andfulf~l thelr roles;they have facilitated cross-departmental work~ng In the . conslderlng extend~ng the membership of thesp~rlt of SMI However, there IS now less clarlty about Committee to include the soclal partnersdec~slon makrng In relat~on to NAPS The IDPC has amore manager~al role In relatlon to the lmplementatlonof NAPS3.4 Ef+ectiveness OF YAPS UnitIn relat~on to the establ~shment of the NAPS Unlt therewas lnlt~ally some debate about whether ~t should beThe postal questlonna~re survey ev~dence recognlses located ~n the Department of Social, Commun~ty dndthat NAPS IS under-resourced For the future Fam~ly Affa~rs or the Departrnrnt of l h Tdo~s~ach~~mplementat~on of NAPS ~t will be ~mportanthatNAPS IDPC members are adequately resourced toWhlle the varlous ratondles for ~ts opt~mal oration dri.documented elsewhere , many of thr r~~porident< to the8. See for Instance, Stutt C In associat~on with Murtagh, B (1996) Natio!~aIAiitr-Poverty StratrYgy Rriiorl or? lriitrti~lrii~~~il hli~ri~.~ri~:.r~l; I?LII~IIIDepartment of Social. Commun~ty and Fam~ly Affa~rs, Harvey, B (1996) A Co!nm!tm~nl to Chanr~e? Irnplcmentrng lhr Natiorial Aritr-Por'~'r(,Strategy5 Galway: Community Workers Co-operative, Inter-Departmental Pol~cy Commttee (19951 Consulldirori Paper or] Irlrf~rut~orlal

postal questionnalre felt that, regardless of its location,the key features of such a unit should be that it isadequately resourced and supported and has theauthority to fulfil its strategic and cross-departmentalfunctions.Key achievements of the NAPS Unit to date include thedevelopment and introduction of poverty proofing,which was undertaken in association with the CombatPoverty Agency and social partners. The Unit has alsobeen instrumental in facilitating the development ofdepartmental baseline documents, the annual workplans, the training of liaison officers, production of thefirst Annual Report and Ireland's National Report onthe Implementation of the Outcome of the UN WorldSummit for Social Development. The Unit also servicesNAPS IDPC.However, the work of the Unit has been thwarted bylimited staff resources, a limited budget and frequentstaff changes. These limitations were commentedupon by many of the respondents to the questionnairesurvey. For comparative purposes, an assessment ismade between NAPS Unlt and the Family Affairs Unit,which was established in the Department of Social,Community and Family Affairs, upon publication of theReport of the Commission on the Family In 1998.The Family Affairs Unit IS headed by a Principal Officerand has nlne dedicated staff members (two atAssistant Principal level, one at Administrative Officerlevel, two Higher Executive Offlcers, three ExecutiveOfflcers, and one Cler~cal Officer). In comparison, theNAPS Unit is headed by a Princlpal Offlcer and nowhas five dedicated staff members (one at AssistantPrlnclpal Offlcer level, two at Administrative Offlcerlevel, one at Executive Officer level and one at ClericalOfficer level). The Famlly Affalrs Unit also has adedicated research budget and has inittated aprogramme of research Into family issues. Whileacknowledging the importance of the work there is anImbalance in the resourcing of the two Units. NAPS isa major government inlt~atlve reporting to a CabinetSub-committee. The NAPS Unit was set up as an SMIteam wlth a proposed strong cross-departmentalcomponent, llaslng wlth all the maln Governmentdepartments on poverty Issues. Given its currentstaffing levels, the breadth of its remit and theimportance of its work, it is clearly under-resourcedIn the original NAPS Strategy Statement reference wasmade to the ability of the NAPS Unit (SMI team) todraw on representatives from other Governmentdepartments and augment it as necessary withexternal expertise. This has not happened, but wouldclearly strengthen the resources and expertise availableto the Unit.A high staff turnover has also been a problem for theUnit. Since its establishment, there have been twoPrinclpal Officers, three Assistant Principal Officers,three Administrative Officers, one Executive Officerand two Clerical Officers, all in a two-year period. It isacknowledged that it is a feature of the Civil Servicethat staff do not stay in the one area for a lengthyperiod of time. The reasons for staff movement in theNAPS Unit include promotion and transfer, and tosome extent this is unavoidable. However, theimplications of such a high staff turnover rate are aloss of expertise and knowledge, gaps betweenappointments and the time taken for new members ofstaff to become familiar with the work. High staffturnover can also impact negatively on the perceptionof the work of the Unit and on staff morale.In summary, the NAPS Unit has a key role to play inthe implementation of NAPS. However, to date it hasbeen under-resourced to fulfil this role adequately.Opportunities to reinforce its staffing resources shouldbe sought, for example, by seconding staff from otherDepartments and seconding external expertise, asnecessary. An enhanced budget allocation for researchand consultancy purposesgwould add to the resourcesavailable to NAPS Unit. This would enable it toprovide materials and support to departments on theimplementation of NAPS.3.5 Effectiveness of Liaison OfficersThe role of the liaison officer is to co-ordinate anti-poverty issues within departments and they act as afirst point of contact in relation to NAPS issues withindepartments. The NAPS Unit, in conjunction with theMechanlrms to Soppon the Nahonal Anti-Poverty Stratwy Dublin Department of An Tao~seach, Inter-Departmental Policy Comm~ttee(1995) Summary of Submlsslons on the NAPS to the Inter-Departmental Policy Committee Dublln Department of An Taolseach, EAPN Ireland(1999) Irish Natlonal Strateqy to Comh.?t Poverty and Social Exclusion - An NGO Perspective on the Natlonal ~ntl-poverty Strategy (NAPS)(Unp~~bllshed)9 It 18 arknowledqcd that the Combat Poverty Aqency whlch 1s funded by the Departmental of Social, Community and Family Affairs has abudqet allocatton for poverty research Fund~nq 15 also provided by the Department of Soc~al. Community and Family Affairs to the ESR~ fora si~bstantlal poverty research programme The NAPS Unit Possesses a consultancy budget to asslst In carving out particular of workas they arlse Nevertheless add~tlonal resources would provide the Unlt wlth the opportunity to complement this work In a proactive way,as the need arlsesCombat Poverty Agency, provided an initial trainlngprogramme for liaison officers in mid 1998. Thistraining programme was aimed at increasing liaisonofficers' understanding of NAPS and, within thecontext of the Strategic Management Initiative (SMI),enhancing their abilrty to co-ordinate implementationof NAPS both in and between Departments. Thetraining programme ran over three days with inputsfrom people working in the field of anti-poverty workand SMI.NAPS liaison officers made an input into the postalquestionnaire survey. This was enlightening in itself.Some of them were unclear about thelr role and manyfelt that they were not well enough informed aboutNAPS to complete the questionnaire. There has beena high turnover rate of NAPS liaison officers withindepartments, see Appendlx 4. Many of the currentNAPS liaison officers missed the initial training, andfeedback to the NAPS Unit suggests that many ofthem feel isolated within their departments andunclear of their role. Some departments seem to givethe liaison officers very little support and they take onthis role over and above their other duties.Evidence from other research suggests that liaisonofficers need to have dedicated time and resources tofulfil liaison duties, a clear remit in relation to what isexpected of them and be at a senior enough level tobe able to influence the work of their departments, inthis case in relation to anti-poverty policy (Stutt, C. etal, 1996 and Harvey, B., 1996). The NAPS IDPC,whose remit includes support for NAPS liaison officers,needs to take on this issue.3.6 The National Economic andSocial Forum (NESF) and NAPSThe NESF has been given a role In monitoring NAPS.The responses from the postal questionnalre surveyindicated that there was a need to conduct periodicreviews of NAPS. In addition, there was a strongindication from the survey that there was a need toput in place structures to ensure that the communltyand voluntary sector had an input In theimplementation and ongoing monitoring of NAPS.The NESF was formally re-constituted in 1998 and iscurrently considering its role in relation to NAPSGlven its representative structure and focus on policyanalysis and monitoring it would seem to have a keyrole in assessing major social policy init~atlves such asNAPS.3.7 Effectiveness of the CombatPoverty AgencyThe Combat Poverty Agency has been glven a role tooversee an evaluation of the NAPS process, whichwould consider the views and experiences of thecommunlty and voluntary sector. The Agency was alsoto provide information and education material andsupport government departments and localgovernment in developing anti-poverty strategies.Details on what the Agency has done in this regard aredocumented in section 2.7.Some responses to the questionnaire survey indicatedthat there was a lack of ongoing evaluation, and thatthere has been a failure to engage with thecommunity and voluntary sector in the implementationand evaluation of NAPS. It was also suggested bysome of the survey respondents that there was a needfor "a fully independent authority/body" to review thetargets, ensure that they are systematically evaluatedand to comment on progress made withln NAPS.However, it is acknowledged that the Agency hasprovided much background research materlal on theextent and nature of poverty in Ireland, wlth aparticular focus on NAPS. It has endeavoured toinfluence government policy in favour of those livlngin poverty through pollcy submissions. It has poverty-audited the annual budgets since the lntroductlon ofNAPS, and has provided much of the Informationwhich is publlcly available on NAPS. It IS currentlydeveloping a programme of work with local authoritieswlth a view to implementing antl-poverty strategies ata local level.The Agency has worked closely wlth the NAPS Unlt toImplement a programme of work to promote andim~lement NAPS.3.8 Effectiveness of Structures forllnvollvement of the Communitw andVoluntary SectorThe lnvolvement of the communlty and voluntarysector and people llvlng In poverty was a key elementIn the development of NAPSHowever, slnce thelaunch of the Strategy there has been relatively llttlelnvolvement of the communlty and voluntary sector orpeople llvlng In poverty In the dellvery of the strategyA key flndlng from the quest~onnalre survey,articulated by respondents across all sectors, was thelack of lnvolvement of the cornmunlty and voluntarysector and people llvlng ~n poverty In thelrnplernentatlon of NAPSIt was seen as a verycentrallsed "top-down strateqy The ldck oflnvolvement of the soclal partners was also notedA key challenge In the future lrnplernentat~on of NAPSPlanning for a-More Inclusive_SocietyI-

is to ensure greater involvement In the process. Thereare a number of ways this might be achieved, some ofwhich have been suggested in the questionnairesurvey:through NESF. NESF has a representative structureincluding representatives from the community andvoluntary sector. The NESF Assembly," inparticular, could play an important role in theongoing implementation of NAPS. NESF, as awhole, has a particular role to play in evaluatingthe effectiveness of policies which are beingimplemented within the framework of socialpartnership agreements and of the National Anti-Poverty Strategy. To date it has played animportant role by commenting regularly on socialpolicy issues. It could usefully arrange meetingswith NAPS IDPC;greater use of theme working groups involving thecommunity and voluntary sector and state officials;'representation on an Evaluation Advisory Group, tobe established by the Combat Poverty Agency;the White Paper on the relationship between thecommunity and voluntary sector and the stateshould provide opportunities for the establishmentof structures or processes by which thecommunlty and voluntary sector may become morelnvolved in the implementation of NAPS;regular contact with NAPS Unit;more involvement of the social partners inparticular initiatives, as was the case in thedevelopment of poverty-proofing;through placing greater emphasis on userpartlclpation needs;through devolution of anti-poverty strategles tolocal level and ensurlng that local people arelnvolved In the deslgn and dellvery of anti-povertyprogrammes at local level." Thls could take placethrough the County Development Boards;through the state llaslng dlrectly with the NationalAntl-Poverty Networks, the Community Pillar, theCommunity Platform and the broader communityand voluntary sector on antl-poverty Issues;In addltlon to llalslng wlth the cornmunlty andvoluntary sector, the state sector should also talkto and llsten to people who are experlenclngpoverty dlrectly3.9 F*+c+iveness of +heRcvclnnrnent 06 9n*i-"uwertvq*ra+~cir.; a+ Coca! and "~ri~ona!CPVP~Wti~le pldni are In proaress for the development ofantl-poverty strateqles at local level, as discussed Insection 2.9, it is too early to assess the effectiveness ofthese. Nevertheless, it is useful to note thatrespondents to the questionnaire survey identified theneed to decentralise the Strategy to local level, andthat local government structures needed to ensurethat people living in poverty were integrated into theprocess of developing local antl-poverty strategies. Itis useful to note, however, that the importance ofanti-poverty strategles has been recognised in theguidelines for preparing county development plans.4. Conc~usions on~rnstitnrrtiauna~ ~echaniisswrsThis chapter has assessed the effectiveness of theinstitutional structures in the implementation of NAPS,with reference to the initial proposals as set out inNAPS Strategy Statement. The importance ofappropriate structures for its delivery has beenrecognised as a key component of NAPS. Over theinitial two years much progress has been made in thisarea, as NAPS becomes embedded into the politicaland administrative systems. The effectiveness of thestructures in delivering on the objectives of theStrategy, particularly through cross-departmentalworking is assessed in Chapter 7 of this report.Nevertheless:the institutional structures envisaged in NAPSStrategy Statement have been put in place;a Cabinet Sub-committee has taken on a key rolein promoting social inclusion policies;references to NAPS have increased in the Dail;NAPS IDPC has continued to progress NAPS, butnow needs to take on an enhanced role;the NAPS Unit has progressed a substantial bodyof work, but needs to be strengthened;the Combat Poverty Agency has progressed theStrategy through their work;poverty proofing has been introduced (see Chapter5).This assessment has shown that there IS a need for aconcerted effort by all lnvolved to ensure that themechanisms put In place to Implement NAPS candellver on NAPS commitments In a consistent wayThere IS a need for contlnued, expllclt recognltlon ofanti-poverty pollcy as a key pollcy area w~thln thepolltlcal and admlnlstratlve systems The actlons whlcharc undertak~n by these systems should provldeevldence that thls IS the caseIn addttlon, there are a number of other actions whichwould help to strengthen the lnstltutional mechanismsto implement NAPS. These include:an enhanced role for NAPS IDPC;additional resources and supports for NAPS Unitand liaison officers;the establishment of appropriate consultative andparticipatory structures for the involvement of thecommunity and voluntary sector, people living inpoverty and the social partners in the planning,implementation and evaluation of NAPS;acceleration of the National Anti-Poverty Strategyto local government and state agencies.lil T ~

JChapter 4: NAPS Targets and PrinciplesIChapter 4 prov~des an assessment of progress to date onNAPS targets and principles. In section 1 the original NAPStargets are set out for reference. Section 2 describesprogress towards achieving the targets and discusses someof the issues arising. Section 3 uses the questionnairesurvey and other written commentaries to assess theextent of NAPS achieving its targets. Section 4 presentsconclusions and proposes areas for further action.A. The OrielnaaR NAPS Tar'ge*~and Priacc%!esOne of the most Important and novel features of theNational Anti-Poverty Strategy is that it sets specifictargets for poverty reduction. Indeed Ireland is the firstEuropean Union member state to adopt such a globalpoverty target. NAPS contains six targets - a globalsocial welfare payments will be Increased to theminimum of the lower range recommended by theCommission on Social Welfare.1.5 Disadvantaged Urban AreasTo reduce the numbers suffering the greatest deprlvatlonin disadvantaged urban areas by Increasing theirstandard of living and providing opportunities forparticipation, thus reducing the measured indicators ofdisadvantage in the area, especially the rate ofunemployment and particularly long-termunemployment by 2007.1.6 Rural PovertyTo ensure that strategies are developed for the provisionof services in rural areas, especially those concerned witheducational disadvantaae, unemplovment,and income,Theseensuring equal access and encouraging participationfor all;1.2 Unemployment auaranteeina the rlahts of minorities. . es~eciallv,To reduce the rate of unemployment, as measured on anthrough anti-discr~minat~on measures;internationally standardised basis (ILO) by the Labourthe reductlon of inequal~ties and in particular,Force Survey, from 11.9% in April, 1996 to 6% by 2007;addressina the aender dtmensions of oovertv.2 2 ,.and to reduce the rate of long-term unemployment fromthe development of the partnership approach7%-3.5%, with a particular focus on reducing thebuildins on national and local oartnershionumber of very long-term unemployed who areapproaches;especially at risk of being consistently poor.actively involving the community and voluntary1.3 Educational DisadvantageTo elim~nate the problem of early school leaving beforethe junior certificate, to and reduce early school leavingsuch that the percentage of those completing the seniorcycle will increase to at least 90% by the year 2000 and98% by the year 2007. Furthermore, hav~ng regard tothe assessment of their intrinsic abilities, that there areno students with serious literacy and numeracy problemsin early primary education within the next five years.sector;encouraging self rellance through respectinglndivldual dlgnity and promotlng empowerment;engaging in appropriate consultative processes,especially with users of services.The NAPS Strategy Statement stated that these prlnclpleswould be applled, In a Strategic Management lnltlatlve(SMI) context, by departments and agencles Inlmplementlng the measures set out In NAPS1.4 lncome AdeauacvPolicy actions in relation to income adequacy will betargeted at contributing to the overall reductlon In thepercentage of the population whom the ERSl hasidentified as belng consistently poor from 9-15 % toless than 5-10% over the period 1997 to 2007. All2. nwoqves~ 4'20 '"avqe41apnd rcl~;ra%b?~crThe 1998199 Annual Report of the Inter-DepartmentalPol~cy Committee on NAPS and lrelands National Reporton the lmplementatlon of the Outcome of the UN World--An.1lnitialAssessmenttofftheNational Anti-~overtv~S+rate",~~pa~t 2

ISummit for Social Development sets out progress on theachievement of the targets to date and issues arising.This progress is summarised in this section, with furtherdetails available in the reports referred to.2.1 Progress on Meeting the GlobalTargetFrom 1994 to 1997 consistent poverty fell from 9-1 5%to 7-10%.With the global target set for a reduction inconsistent poverty to 5-10% by 2007, this means thatthis target has been virtually achieved. It should beborne in mind, however, that the most recentinformation indicates that 10% of the population arestill living in consistent poverty. It should also be notedthat the most recent information relates to 1997, theyear in which the Strategy was launched.In June 1999 the Government decided, in the light ofthe updated ESRl data, to set a new global target. Thenew target IS that:Consistent poverty is to be reduced tobelow 5% by 2004.Thus the global target has become more ambitious,reflecting reductions in the level of consistent povertysince the initial launch of NAPS. The percentage of thepopulation experiencing consistent poverty in 1997 was10% -this is to be reduced by half, to 5%, within 7years (1 997 to 2004).The ESRl has suggested that to remain relevant, a povertytarget needs to be re-based regularly, about every flveyears Based on evldence to date thls seems senslbleMore fundamentally, the ESRl suggests broadening thescope of the poverty target to encompass the dlstlnctelements underplnnlng ~t, namely real Income levels, non-1 monetary deprlvatlon lndlcators and relatlve IncomesHowever, they do recognlse that flndlng the appropriateIIbalance between these elements may be d~ff~cultNevertheless, glven the need to ensure that pollcylnltlatlves are dlrected to tackle the causes of poverty thlswould seem to be an Important factor In the futuremonltorlng of the global target It will be Important thatantl-poverty measures reach those most In need, but alsothat they do not result In a wldenlng gap between the rlchand the poor or accentuate exlstlng lnequalltles Thus,these addltlonal measures could usefully be lncorporatedto better understand the processes underplnnlng changesIn the global poverty target2.2 Progress on the Unem~lovmentTargetProgress In Ireland on reduclng unemployment has beenexceptional In recent years NAPS targets onunemployment have already been met and exceeded -the current unemployment rate (Quarterly NationalHousehold Survey, Fourth Quarter 1999) is 5.1 % (NAPStarget was to reach 6% by 2007) and long-termunemployment is 2.1 %, exceeding the 2007 NAPStarget of 3.5%.The unemployment target was re-set by the Governmentin mid 1999:Unemployment is to be reduced to below5% by 2002 and long-term unemploymentis to be reduced to 2.5% by 2002.The Government subsequently announced newunemployment targets as part of the Employment ActionPlan: to reduce unemployment below 5% by end-year2000; and long-term unemployment below 2% by endyear2000.A 5% unemployment rate is currently asserted to be"full employment" by many economic commentators.However, this understanding has changed over time. Forexample, in 1967 the then National Economic Councildefined 2% unemployment as full employment, and by1975 they gave a figure of 4%. A full-employmentsociety can be understood to be one in which everyadult who wishes to can find employment withacceptable conditions within a reasonable time.While it may be the case that there will always be somelevel of frictional unemployment consistent with fullemployment, the existence of long-term unemploymentcan only be viewed as a structural problem. The NAPStarget set by Government in June 1999 to reduce longtermunemployment to 2.5% by 2002 had already beenmet by September 1999. The Employment Action Planhas a more ambitious target for long-termunemployment reduction - to reduce long-termunemployment to below 2% by end-year 2000. Thenew national agreement Programme for Prosperity andFairness contains the objective of effectively eliminatinglong-term unemployment and seeks that massunemployment will not recur (2000: 116).People who are long-term unemployed have a high riskof poverty. For the 36,000 people who are officiallylong-term unemployed (Quarterly National HouseholdSurvey, Fourth Quarter 1999), in that they are activelyseeking work, it may be particularly demoralising to beunemployed In a buoyant economy. In addition, theseflgures do not Include people who may be "discouragedworkers" and others who may be "marginally attached"to the labour force. To get as complete a picture asposslble it is important to examine a number of sourcesof statistics on unemployment, such as the QuarterlyHousehold Survey and the Live Register. Given thatthere are also unemployment blackspots, unemploymentshould be tracked at local level, where possible, as wellas at national level.The nature of policies to address the unemploymentproblem may have to change in a low unemploymenteconomy, with a focus on quality rather than quantity ofjob opportunities. Programmes tailored to individuals'particular needs may be required. In th~s case, thedevelopment of appropriate performance indicatorswould be helpful in monitoring progress in a qualitativeway, e.g. quality of training, nature of the job, rate ofpay, terms and conditions, community context, as well asquantitatively, towards reaching the targets.2.3 Progress on the EducationalDisadvantage TargetProblems have arlsen In attempting to achleve theeducation target as presented. Essentially, the maincomponent of the target relates to completion of theJunior Certificate and the Leaving Certificate. While thenumber leaving without any qualification continues tofall (3% in 199516, cited in NAPS's Annual Report,1999:52) the number completing the Leaving Certificatehas levelled out in recent years (81 % in 199516). Asdocumented in NAPS's Annual Report, one of theproblems is that the figure is confined specifically to thecompletion of senior cycle. It does not take into accountstudents who leave the second-level system and pursueeducation and training programmes leading tocertification through apprenticeships, Youthreach coursesand through Senior Traveller Training Centres. Retentionrates have been shown to improve when account istaken of participants in these programmes.Another factor making it difficult to achieve higherretention rates is that some school-goers choose to leaveschool early to take up jobs in the current labour market.In this context it would be useful to reconsider theeducation target. In terms of poverty reduction, ideallyevery young person should leave the education systemwith an adequate standard of education and somequalificat~on or certified skill/achievement. It is clear thatthis will not always be met through academic qualificationalone, although a certain level of academic achievementwill be required. As stated in NAPS's Annual Report, whileit may unrealistic to expect that the education system willbe suitable for as many as 98% of students it may beappropriate to restructure ~t to glve due regard to other,less formal, education and trainlng opportunities and toInterventions outside the mainstream setting.Thus, a number of considerations have to be taken Intoaccount in reviewing the educational disadvantagetarget and the following questions have to be answered:What is an adequate level of academic achievementfor everyone?What additional achievements and skills can berewarded?Are the routes and mechanisms in place by whichthese can be achieved?Are the data available by which to measure progresstowards a target framed in this way?What mechanisms are in place to ensure that thoseyoung people who leave school early can beencouraged and supported to avail of education andtraining through the workplace?The second element of the education target is to ensurethat there are no children in early primary educationwith serious literacy and numeracy problems. Thiselement of,the target has recelved less attention thanthe retention rates component. However, it is just asimportant. A recent government survey has found thatone in ten children still leave primary school with literacyproblems (Irish Times, 22/01/00). On the back of thisthe Minister for Education and Science announceddetails of a f2.5m national reading campaign aimed atimproving literacy standards. It will be Important thatthe impact of this is systematically assessed, and alongwith numeracy testing, contributes to monitoringprogress towards meeting NAPS target.A new target has not been set for tackling educatlonaldisadvantage. However, the Government has indicatedthat a new target should be set on education and adultliteracy (NAPS Annual Report, 1999).Adult literacy is a particular problem in Ireland. A recentOECD study (1997) showed that nearly one quarter of allIrish adults had only basic llteracy levels (See footnote InChapter 2, sectlon 2). As the llnk between educatlonalattainment and Income levels is well established this is anarea of obvlous concern (NAPS Annual Report, 1999).While efforts are belng made to address thls, a target forimprovement In adult llteracy could usefully be lncorporatedinto NAPS target on tackllng educatlonal disadvantage.The Programme for Prosperity and Fairness contalns acomprehensive list of objectives on Ilfe-long learnlng Itwill be important that the actlons outllned there areacted upon and adequately resourced.2.a progress on ?he Income AdeauacvTargetThe Income adequacy target essentially re-states the globaltarget and also sets out to achleve the mlnlmum soclal. Planninefor-a-More inclusive Society-

welfare rates recommended by the Commission on SocialWelfare (1986). These were achieved in the 1999 Budget,based on uprating the Commission's rates by inflation.A key issue in relation to social welfare rates is that whilethey are increasing in real terms above inflation they arefalling behind increases in average income. This isleading to widening income inequalities and peopledependent on social welfare are benefiting much lessfrom the growing economy than those in employment.A number of commentators, including the ESRl and theCombat Poverty Agency, have highlighted this issue inrecent years and have called for social welfare rates tobe increased in line with earnings and for theestablishment of a mechanism through which theuprating of social welfare rates can be consideredannually.NAPS's Annual Report (1999) indicates that theDepartment of Social, Community and Family Affairs willbe considering the issue of the future of social welfarerates. Under the new national programme, there is acommltment to establish a Working Group, with anindependent Chairperson, to examine the issues indeveloplng a benchmark for adequacy of adult and childsocial welfare payments, Including the implications ofadopting a specific approach to the ongoing up-rating orindexation of payments.An issue of increasing concern is that of low pay. Thereport Monitoring Poverty Trends (1 999) showed that therisk of poverty increased for employees from 3% in 1994to 7% in 1997 and that the proportion of low-paidemployees among the poor grew from 6% of the total to13% over this tlme period. While the risk and incidenceof poverty for employees remains relatively low, it hassubstantially Increased between 1994 and 1997. Addedto thls, the fact that these flgures are for "heads ofhousehold" ~t does not show low-paid employees whomay be w~thln households. It is known for example, thatwomen, young people, and part-time workers, who areless likely to be heads of households, have the lowestrates of pay (Nolan, 1999: 139). Whlle the introduction ofthe Natlonal Mln~mum Wage should have a posltiveImpact on low rates of pay, its implementation and impactwill need to be closely monltored.2.5 rJrsPlrass on the UrbanQisarlvantaqe TargetThe target on urban disadvantage IS unspeclflc andtherefore ~t IS dlfftcult to measure progress Thenumbers sufferinq the greatest deprtvatlon Indisadvantaged urban areas have never be~nspec~f~callyenumeratedResearch (Nolan, Whelan and W~ll~ams.1998) has found that poverty and exclusion are spatiallypervasive and not concentrated In a small number ofareas. This makes it more difficult to measure.However, it is noteworthy that in 1994 (the latest datefor which this information is available) seven out of tenhouseholds renting local authority houslng in Dublinwere on low incomes and experiencing basicdeprivation. To date, there are no plans to update thesefigures, but this is something which could beundertaken.No monitoring mechanism has been put in place tomeasure increased standards of living or participationrates in disadvantaged urban areas, although someinformation may be available through the monitoringand evaluation reports of the Local Urban and RuralDevelopment Programme. The urban disadvantagetarget could be presented in more specific terms andindicators put in place to monitor it, at local level,through the local partnership structures and/or local andregional government structures. The Combat PovertyAgency IS working with a small number of localauthorities in developlng a model for drawing up "localpoverty profiles" at local authority level. This work couldhelp to inform the construction of a more specific urbandisadvantage target.While specific measures are not available, a number ofinitiatives have taken place to reduce disadvantage inurban areas since the launch of NAPS. A particularinitiative to tackle disadvantage in urban areas is theIntegrated Services Process (ISPI', which aims to developnew procedures to ensure a more focused and better coordlnatedresponse by statutory authorities to the needsof urban communities with the greatest level ofdisadvantage in four pilot areas. This project is overseenby the Inter-departmental Policy Committee on LocalDevelopment rather than NAPS IDPC. It IS notable thatthis inter-departmental committee is chaired by aMinister of State compared to NAPS IDPC whlch ischaired by senior civil servants. The ISP, however, doesadapt NAPS approach of looklng for solutions under anumber of Identified themes albeit at the local level.Through this process early school leaving has emerged asan important issue and illustrates the strong linkbetween educational disadvantage and other forms ofpoverty and exclus~on.Other Initiatives targeted at reducing disadvantage inurban areas are the Community DevelopmentProgramme, the National Drugs Strategy, the OperationalProgramme for Local Urban and Rural Development andthe URBAN Initiative.A more speclflc target, wlth associated performancemeasures attributable to NAPS, would be useful inassessing the reduction in urban disadvantage.2.6 Pr~flress on fhe mm.~ra! D~VBI+V*,ar

IIOne way in which this work is being followed up isthrough a joint research project between the EqualltyAuthority and the Combat Poverty Agency on examininginequalities which lead to poverty.Implementation of key anti-poverty elements of thereport of the Commission on the Status of People withDisabilities, the report of the Task Force of the TravellerCommunity and the report of the Second Commissionon the Status of Women also contribute to meetingNAPS principles. While many of the recommendations inthese reports are now being implemented, muchremains to be done. The research report by the CombatPoverty Agency on Women and Poverty, highlightedsome of the key Issues to be addressed in reducingpoverty among women.NAPS formed an integral part of the last nationalagreement Partnership 2000 for Inclusion,Employment and Competitiveness. The newagreement contains a full framework section on socialinclusion and equality. In this section there are a rangeof objectives and actions in relation to promoting NAPSand social inclusion measures. It is noteworthy that theframework for addressing poverty and social ~ncluslonwill have regard to the NESC strategy report in relationto citizenship rights. Specifically it states that:"Citizenshia rights encomoass not on!v+he core civir and political rights andobli

* the deprivation indicators need to be updated on aregular basis;the target needs to be re-based regularly, e.g. everyfive years;the global target needs to be complemented byadditional complementary analysis to understand thechanging nature of poverty as well as monitoringlevels of poverty;the poverty risk of those people who do not live inprlvate households e.g. people who are homeless,some members of the Travelling community andpeople who live in institutions also needs to bemonitored on a regular basis.4.2 Commen+aries on *)re Educationalr)isadvan+age TaredThe educatlonal dlsadvantage target focuses on thereductlon of early school leavlng wlth a vlew to ~tspractical ellmlnatlonNolan (1997) has noted thatwhlle a good deal of progress has been made Incuttlng the numbers leavlng school early, theremalnlng core leavlng before the Junlor Certlflcate 1sl~kely to prove more dlfflcult to tackleMcCormackand Archer (1997) argue that simply retalnlng youngpeople from dlsadvantaged backgrounds will not, InItself, remove lnequallty In educatlonal outcome, andsuggest that the target should be set In terms ofaltering the relationship between educatlonal outcomeand soclal background Both Nolan and McCormackand Archer agree that monitoring progress towardsmeeting the elements of the target IS Important andshould be part of natlonal or cross-natlonal surveys ofschool performanceMcCormack and Archer alsonote that it IS regrettable that there IS no speclflctarget for "l~fe-long learning, second-chance educatlonand commun~ty-based educatlon and tralnlng"Ev~dence from the lntegrated Servlces Process (ISP)suggests that an educatlonal target advocating a 95%retention rate for the Leavlng Certificate will notnecessarily prov~de the solutlon for tackllngeducatlonal dlsadvantage. The ISP recognises thataddress~ng educatlonal dlsadvantage 1s a very complexproblem and requlres listening to young people at rlskat an early stage. It requlres a major cultural shlftaway from the notlon that only academlc qual~f~cat~onsare of merlt. Further ev~dence on the vlews ofdlsadvantaged young people themselves can be foundIn the forthcoming report evaluating the CombatPoverty Agency's Dernonstratlon Programme onEdi~~dtl~nal Disadvantage Ev~dence from thesesources strongly supports an Integrated approach totackling educatlonal d~sadvantage and the need todevelop and promote alternative tralnlng such asapprent~ceshlps. Thus, these Issues need to bereflected in the target to tackle educationaldisadvantage.The NAPS Annual Report (1999) recognises the need forthis target to be re-set. It is clearly an important issue tobe addressed in the next stage of NAPS.4.3 Comrnenrtaries on *heUmemnlsvnen*At the tlme the unemployment target was set there wascons~derable dlscusslon on what measure ofunemployment should be used -the Labour ForceSurvey, uslng the ILO defln~tlon or the PES deflnltlon, orthe Llve Reglster There has been conslderable debateon these Issues generally In Ireland, particularly slncethere was an lncreaslng varlatlon between the differentmeasures This has now been addressed to some extentby uslng data collected from the Quarterly NatlonalHousehold Survey (CSO) and more expltcltly statlng thatthe Live Reglster Includes people who may be worklngpart-tlme Importantly though, the Llve Reglster Includes"discouraged workers" and people who may be onlymarginally attached to the labour force These peopleare essentially unemployed even though they may notappear In the offlclal unemployment statlstlcs where thecriterion for class~f~cat~on IS unemployed and actlvelyseeklng workAt the time the target was set commentators felt that theunemployment target was very modest given forecasts foreconomic growth. This has proved to be the case. Thetarget set In 1997 for a ten year perlod has already beenexceeded in just over two years for both unemploymentand long-term unemployment. The new target set in1999 to reduce long-term unemployment to 2.5% byZOO2 has already been met in the autumn of 1999 aridthe target to reduce unemployment to below 5% lookslhkely to be reached sooner than 2002 (at 5.1 % at the endof 1999). It is worth recording that the national targets toreduce unemployment have been driven by Europeanpollcy, through the Natlonal Action Plan on Employment(lronlcally also referred to as NAPS), rather than by theNatlonal Anti-Poverty Strategy. The substantial reductlonin unemployment is very welcome, whatever ~ts drivingforce.Given the l~nk between long-term unemployment andpoverty, this is where the Natlonal Anti-Poverty Strategyshould now focus its attention. The questions posed byMary Murphy (1997) at the launch of NAPS are stillrelevant, even though the numbers may have changed:*'1tfho w;!! he +%a remainin< 3'6 long-termr~nmmn~avod 'II 20073 \Alilf +he!, he thosew%o are afreadv Five years unemalovedfar"av9 For how long will +he 9% he Ion$term trnemalovsd - one year or fwcn+wyears" will + ~PV he concis3en+h poor3".NAPS should seek to focus its efforts on eliminatinglong-term unemployment.A.4 Commentaries an AncsmeAdeamacy, Urban nisadvsn+age andPuraP Poverty Tars(cl*sAs noted by Nolan at the time of the launch of NAPSthese three targets are much less concrete andcontribute little to the strategy. The income adequacytarget is essentially a restatement of the global targetwith a short-term commitment on social welfare rates."The crucial issue of what happens to rates over thenext decade is left open" (Nolan, 1997). This hasbecome an increasingly important debate as incomeinequalities have been widening in a time of acceleratedeconomic growth. In order to ensure that incomeinequalities and relative income poverty does notincrease, the National Anti-Poverty Strategy needs toaddress the issue of wldening income inequalitiesthrough ensuring that those on low incomes do nothave a relative worsening in their standard of Ilving. Thlswould suggest the need for a stand alone relativeincome poverty target In addition to the global target.As stated earlier, the urban disadvantage and ruralpoverty targets are "so unspecific and anodyne as toscarcely merit the name" (Nolan, 1997). The difficulty Insetting more specific targets for urban disadvantage andrural poverty at the tlme related to the dearth of speciflcinformation in these areas and the analysis of it in aform suitable for specific target setting. For example, forbetter monitoring of rural poverty up to dateinformation on the numbers who are consistently poor isneeded for rural (farm and non-farm) households. Thisremains a challenge for these NAPS targets. However,this challenge should be taken as these are importantareas for poverty reduction.4.5 Points Made in Relation to Tar

and long-term view are be particularly usefulThere is a need to monitor progress in meeting targetson a regular basis. For this purpose it would be usefulto consider putting in place a system of indicators bywhich such progress could be assessed. To someextent thls has happened in the case of the globalpoverty target, through analysis of the annual Living inIreland survey. However, all of the targets should haveappropriate performance indicators in place.This monitoring will require good quality datacollection and analysis on an ongoing basis. Existingdata sources should be further exploited andcomplementary sources established and analysed,where necessary. Models which could be exploredInclude the reports produced by the New PolicyInstitute in Britain on monitoring poverty and socialexclusion, and work done by the UN and the EU.However, a strength of the lrlsh NAPS is the focus onthe global target, with subsidiary targets, rather thanhaving a myriad of unconnected poverty indicators.Atkinson (1997), in calling for the introduct~on of anofficial poverty target in the UK, advocates an annualpoverty report presenting a range of Information aswell as an informed commentary.There IS a need to ensure that the achievement oftargets will lead to poverty reduction. This arguesfor subsidiary targets to be linked to the globaltarget In some way.There needs to be a more systematic review of theapplication of the principles; the extent to whichthey are st111 relevant, eg. should there be additionsor deletions; and how they can better Inform thelmplementatlon of anti-poverty programmes andpractice.'i. Conc1usionsThls chapter has assessed the orlglnal and the new NAPStargets and has discussed Issues arlslng It IS clear thatthe targets are seen as one of the most Importantelements of NAPS, even though at settlng, they wereseen by some to be unarnb~tlous, whlch has slnceproved, wlth the benef~t of hlndslght, to be the caseSome commentators have noted, however, that thesettlnq of an offlclal poverty reduction target was ancinib~t~ous move In itselfNevertheless, some of thetarqets were ilnspeclf~c dnd ~t has therefore been d~fflcultto measure progress In rneetlnq themA number of polnts have been made In relatlon toreview and revision of NAPS targets. These can besummarlsed as* the need to re-set some of the original NAPS targets;* the need to set additional targets, e.g. in the areasof housing/accommodation and homelessness,health, and to address poverty among children, olderpeople and people with disabilitiesthe need to engage in a consultative process forarriving at targets;the need to consider how targets can beoperationalised within government departments;the need to consider the time-frame for whichparticular targets should beset, in both the short-term and the long-term;the need to put in place performance indicators tomeasure progress towards meeting the targets. Thiswill require additional data collection and analysis.There is also a need for a more systematic review of theapplication of the principles.In relation to the current NAPS targets there is a needto:re-base the global target regularly, say every fiveyears and to explicitly assess a number ofcomponents underlying it - real income, non-monetary indicators, relative income;re-consider and re-set the education target, based ona broader view of education, measuring literacy andnumeracy levels at primary school and including anadult llteracy component;re-set the new unemployment target - to eliminatelong-term unemployment;re-set the income adequacy target on the basis ofrelative income levels;re-set the urban disadvantage and rural povertytargets based on disaggregated national data, andadditional local information data, to becollected, if necessary, perhaps through localdevelopment or local government sources.IChapter 5: Poverty-ProofingChapter 5 describes the development of poverty-proofing. The first section identifies how NAPSproposed to include the process of poverty-proofing andSection 2 discusses issues which arose in itsdevelopment. Sections 3 and 4 look at theimplementation of the process, and some examples ofapplications of poverty-proofing are provided in section5. Section 6 presents an initial assessment of poverty-proofing based on the questionnaire survey responsesand Section 7 identifies key issues for the future.The NAPS strategy statement states that:wit! also he a ~ P W considcr;r+ina whendecisions are hein< madm a%nrc* c;newfinc?~ricnr;*i~s EQ * b cnn+~x+~ n* +he qxa+inqalh~dde*a*v ~VQCPPG pnd "40 ;rClocp+ign 0.FErJ s?r~sc+~ral "mnfls."(National Anti-Poverty Strategy Statement, 1997: 20).whlch should take place as a matter of course.Thus a key decislon at the outset was whether the processshould be ongoing, assessing policy at design andimplementation stage - i.e. proofing - or whether it shouldbe a "snapshot", assessing in retrospect the impact a policyhas had on society - i.e. auditing. While both are clearlyimportant it was agreed by the social partners that the focusof this initiative should be on proofing policies. An impactassessment or audit could be carried out Independently aspart of the evaluation. This IS also important.of policy on poverty. Partnership 2000 contains a"... in +%P ~~n+ex+ 04 +he rU2*innp"~*i.P~ver+v 4+rp+orrv !~lRDq), +hi, [kpvrlevelonm~n+s in 4 % ~ntqa~:~~~ ayeal vri"~omn~emf?n+~r' hv +he s+ren@*hpninTa@nirlis*r;l+;ve bnaar~~dqrr~sCnr ~nml~li*~proas6in.s. hawto< reqarrrl +rr *heAt thelr flrst meetlng after the launch of NAPS, the Interre~~mmenfl,a+innsnC +5e h'rqy''Departmental Pol~cy Committee (IDPC) responslble for ~tsfor Inclusionl Employment andlmplementatlon agreed that a system of prooflng pollcles Competitiveness, 1996: 29).for thelr Impact on poverty be developedNESF had recommended that poverty-proof~ng be2. "qpyac; Aw:r,:md :sr Aa*m expanded to Include equal~ty-proof~ng The appllcatlonof formal prooflng mechanisms In relatlon to the full~lpw*~P~lnrnmm~ ef mn\rmv.*.qr,range of equallty Issues (gender, d~sabrllty, age, ethnlcnv~+~"

'would be required. It was suggested that officialsshould consult with relevant bodies as appropriate,further trainlng developments will take place followingthe poverty-proofing review.independent study to review poverty-prooflng werebeing pursued. The find~ngs of the poverty-proofing2.4 How Should Povertv-nrooqing heIntroducePOriginal discussions considered whether poverty-proofingshould initially be introduced as a pilot process or2.9 Worked FxamnlesThe inclusion of worked examples of policy-proofing wasseen as important to assist officials through the process.An initial example on revisions to the Family Incomea

equality, the environment and on rural areas. This impactassessment is based on data and information gathered,and on consultations undertaken in the development ofthe Plan. The emphasis on social inclusion in the NDP.and the applicatlon of a poverty-proofing framework, isa welcome one. However, the implementation of socialinclusion measures and the emphasis given to them willbe crltical. In this context, the Horizontal Co-ordinatingCommittee on equal opportunities and social inclusionwill be important.Appendix 4 of the NDP contains a pilot eco-audit,however, it would have raised the profile of the poverty-prooflng element of the NDP if it had included an1 overall poverty proof as an Appendix, following the1 poverty-proofing guidelines.5.4 Wacism and PoverewThe National Consultative Committee on Racism andInterculturalism (Developing an Anti-Racism Dimensionto the National Anti-Poverty Strategy PovertyproofingGuidelines: Case Studies to Inform Implementation,1999) has developed an anti-racism dimension to theNAPS poverty-proofing guidelines through the use ofcase studies. The Department of the Environment andLocal Government's policy on housing management andthe new curriculum for soclal, personal and healtheducation developed by the National Council forCurriculum and Assessment have both been analyseduslng the poverty-proofing process, from an anti-racismperspective. These are helpful examples of theapplication of the poverty-proofing guidellnes and issuesarising, with respect to minority ethnlc groups.3.q mover?w Arl@i*in

7.2 ScreemineConsideration could be given to introducing a screeningmechanism where certain criteria would be applied as towhether a policy or programme should be proofed ornot. A concern is that in the absence of screening alarge number of policies might be assessed unnecessarily,with the risk that policies that have significant adverseimpacts would not be adequately considered.7.3 Data "eauirernentsThe availability of data is essential to undertakecomprehensive poverty-proofing. Data which areavailable need to be analysed and made available todepartments and others involved in the process. Groupsmost at risk of poverty need to be identified and theimpact of policies on them assessed. Gaps in povertyrnformatlon need to be Identified and addressed.?.A Can,t~f+,+;onIt is important that the views of those who are living inpoverty and those who represent them rnform thepoverty-proofing process in line with NAPS principles.Developing mechanisms for doing this is a keyconsideration. The White Paper on relationshipsbetween the community and voluntary sector and thestate may have a contrrbution to make in this regard.Consultation In relatron to poverty-proofing should beconsidered wrthin the wider parameters of consultationand particrpation In relation to the implementatron ofNAPS. There is a need for improvement in this area, asexperience to date has shown thls aspect of NAPS andpoverty-proofrng to have been rnadequate.-.T;noqnll*tyc,Effectrve poverty-prooflng requrres human and flnanclalresources The fallure to allocate adequate resources haslhmlted ~ts effectiveness to date-.'? Qn%*l 4n *~mflmr*p~,e nn\,ev*v-r>-por=n@Further attentron needs to be pald as to how poverty-prooflnq should be undertaken Thls should be IntegratedInto trarnrng and development work The Poverty-proof~ngrevlew stlould expllcltly address this aspect of poverty-prooflnq Further worked examples should be provlded ona11 onqolnq b,is~s The publlcatlon of examples of poverty-proof~nq would also asstst'.' Tranq-+-+rencvTllc r,xt~on,llr for povcrty-proofinq 1s to rrducr povrrtvdntl to rnsurr fhdt pollclrs and proqranirnrs do notIrit rrdw aovcrtv Hoivcvfr, trnirltrnded outcomes

1 Chapter 6: The Impact of NAPSChapter 6 examlnes lnformatlon on changlng levels ofpoverty In lreland and looks at the Impact of NAPS to2. ns~rrlre~~ on Assass;nC4he ~annhact 06 MADS ?O ?n*edate In thls reqard Sectlon 1 sets out how NAPSproposed to assess its impact on poverty. Section 2A key issue in assessing the impact of NAPS 1s theimportance of measuring and understanding povertyexamines progress in assessing NAPS, looking intrends and the impact of anti-poverty polic~es. Thus, theparticular at data sources, . ~rovidin , a brief overview ofamain focus In assessing the impact of NAPS has been onthe nature and extent of poverty in Ireland, highlightingthe outcomes achieved, i.e. changes in the level and natureI poverty trends, notinq some data enhancements that arerequired and giving the postal survey respondents' views of poverty and the impact on people who are poor1of the impact of NAPS. Section 3 draws someMost of the Impact assessment work In thls area to dateconclusions.has been on assessing poverty levels and that IS the maln9". Pow MADS ~romsssd *sAssess F4s Pmnlrac": on"auer?~A commitment to assessing the Impact of NAPS ISlmpllclt In the Strategy The NAPS Strategy Statementstates that the challenge of NAPS IS to(i) Analyse and understand the scale of the povertyproblem;(ii) Identify the key areas in whlch action is needed ifpoverty is to be reduced;(ili) Establish key objectives, targets and a series ofconcrete actions for tackling poverty; and(iv) Ensure appropriate mechanisms are in place tomonitor and review the objectives and targets.(National Anti-Poverty Strategy Statement, 1997:4). ,The Importance of having up-to-date, reliable data toinform the development of the strategy is identified asan essentlal component of NAPS. In particular thestrategy highlights the need for governmentdepartments and agencies to strengthen the process ofcollection, analysis and discussion of core data onpoverty and to identify gaps in the process.In terms of monitoring and evaluating the performanceof the strategy, the National Economic and Social Forum(NESF) and the Combat Poverty Agency (CPA) arecharged with specific responsibilities. In the context ofnational soclal partnership agreements, the NESF ISrequired to report on the progress of lmplementlngNAPS. The CPA, on the other hand, is requ~red toundertake an evaluation of NAPS whlch takes Intoaccount the vlews and experience of the voluntary andcommun~ty sector.focus of this chapter. However, the process by wh~chsuch outcomes are achleved IS also important, andtherefore, it, too, should be assessed to ensure that ~t ISeffective and efficient. The Strategy should be perceivedto be tackling poverty In order to gain support for thlsapproach.2.1 Data Sources and Key Pole o?PesearchThe development of NAPS was Informed by a number ofdata sources, In particular the 1994 L~vlng In lrelandsurvey Good research data 18 essentlal to provlde aknowledge base on the levels of poverty, ~ts nature andcauses and trends over tlme and the Llv~ng In lrelandsurvey has been the basls on whlch current knowledgeof poverty trends In lreland In the 1990s has been bulltAlong w~th other documentary research, the survey wasused to prepare an Overvlew Statement for the Inter-Departmental Pollcy Comm~ttee entltled Poverty Soc~alExcluaon and Inequalfty In lreland The OvervlewStatement made use of the Llv~ng In lreland survey toprovlde an overvlew of the extent, nature, causes,experiences and consequences of poverty In lrelandThe Llvlng In lreland survey forms part of the EuropeanCommunity Household Panel Survey (ECHP) and thuscomparisons can be made across Europe It 1s also along~tud~nal survey whlch means that the samehouseholds are Interwewed each year, and there IS thepotentlal to track changes over tlme The Living Inlreland survey has now been runnlng every year slnce1994 so that ~t will be posslble to track ctianqet Inhousehold circumstances slnce thls tlme In Ireland, over4,000 households were lnltlally surveyed and wlth~nthese households almost 10,000 propip wrrp~ntervlewedAn Ini+ial Assessmen+ 06 *be Na4innal A(l+i.e~ver+v Str~+eev part 2The survpy covers moit of 1t-i~ pol,~~l,?t~on oil ,r c,>inpli-bails, and has bccn ~nvali~ahle In rnahlinq trcncli Inpoverty for the populat~on and proqrcii v ~

causes and consequences of poverty and in framingpolicy to address these.Data sources, other than the Living in lreland survey,which have been used to inform NAPS include: theHousehold Budget survey (undertaken by the CSO aboutevery seven years), the National Quarterly Householdsurvey (undertaken by the CSO), the Census,administrative statistics and issue-based and locally basedsurveys and case studies. Preparations for the nextCensus include piloting a question on income andcollecting information on ethnic background. If thesequestions are retained for the next Census, this1Information could potenttally add to our knowledge on1poverty and social exclusion and enable more detailedspatial analysls of poverty.2.2 The Nature and Extent oi P~vertyin IrelanfiThe publlcatlon of the report Monttonng Poverty Trends(1999) provldes the most up-to-date, comprehenslveaccount available of the extent and nature of poverty Inlreland between 1994 and 1997 Further work has beencomm~ss~oned from the ESRI, by the Department ofSoclal, Community and Famlly Affalrs and the CombatPoverty Agency to update thls plcture, lnltlally for 19981 The main changes in the level of poverty between 1994II and 1997 have been:The percentage of the populatlon experlenclng bothconslstent poverty (falllng below the 50 to 60% povertyllne and experlenclng bas~c deprlvatloni) has fallen from9%-15% of the populatlon to 7%-10% Thls fall,wh~ch 1s malnly due to fewer households experlenclngbas~c deprlvatlon,' IS to be welcomedThe percentage of the population falling below the relatlveIncome poverty llnes set at 50% and 60% of averagehousehold Income Increased slightly from 21-34% of thepopulatlon to 22-35%. This reflects lncreaslng Incomelnequalltles where average Incomes have Increased at agreater rate than soclal welfare ~ncomes'. Thls has alsoresulted In a greater depth of poverty i.e people fallingfurther below the lncome I~nes.In relation to labour force status, the risk of poverty forhouseholds headed by an unemployed person remainedhigh, even though the overall numbers fell, asunemployment fell sharply. The risk of poverty increasedfor households headed by someone who was ill ordisabled and households headed by someone worklng inthe home (mainly women). The proportion of poorhouseholds headed by an employee or a retired personincreased, while the proportion of poor householdsheaded by farmers fell.In terms of household composition, the risk of povertyincreased for single-adult households, for couples withthree or more children and for households comprisingtwo or three+ adults without ~hildren.~ It fell, however,for 'others with children' (comprising either one adult, ormore commonly three or more adults, living withchildren) and was fairly stable for two adults with one ortwo children. Thus by 1997, couples with four or morechildren and single-adult households were the groups athighest risk of poverty.The poverty risk for single-parent households abouthalved between 1994 and 1997, from 57% to 32% atthe 50% income poverty line and from 70% to 34% atthe 60% line5. While this fall in poverty risk iswelcomed the risk is still relatively high at just over 30%.compared to an average risk for all households of 22%at the 50% income poverty Ilne.1 For det,?115 on tioiv these poverty nierliures are der~ved see the Monrtoring Poverty Trends reportThe age profile in poverty risk changed between 1994and 1997. The risk of poverty rose for older householdswhere the household head was aged 65 and over. Atthe 50% line the poverty rlsk for households headed byan older person increased from 10% to 29% between1994 and 1997 and at the 60% Income poverty linefrom 41 % to 59% over the same period. This high andincreasing risk of poverty for older people reflects theimpact of the rapld increase in average householdsIncomes since 1994 on the relative position of thoseliving on state pensions. Although soclal welfarepensions have increased by 10-1 2% since 1994, marketIncomes have increased by much more.The poverty risk for children fell between 1994 and.' RJ\IC drpr~v~~t~on 15 bclirrl or1 i'~qtit 1ndlccltor\ of tleprivat~on It means an enforced lack of at least one of the following soclally p~rcelvedrii~~,~\\it~i~\ ic~rifor

IFirstly, as a household survey, the Livlng in lrelandsurvey interviews only people living in privatehouseholds. This means that marginalised groups notliving in private households, such as people who arehomeless, many Traveller families, people living ininstitutions and refugees and asylum seekers areexcluded from the survey. While the numbers of peoplenot living In households are relatively small as apercentage of the total population, their absence fromthe survey is unlikely to affect the overall level of povertyin any substantla1 way.The key point is that people who do not live in privatehouseholds include those who are the most vulnerableand disadvantaged in our society. It is thereforepertinent that anti-poverty policies should seek toaddress thelr needs and the lrnpact of public policy in sodolng should be monitored. Social inclusion policies canonly be said to be effective when the situation of thepoorest in our soclety has been improved.The Programme for Prosperity and Fairnessrecognlses this as an issue to be addressed and includesamong its social lncluslon objectives the need:"To provide relevant data and datacollection systems for the monitoring andevaluation of poverty, including systemsof measuring poverty among groups notcurrently included (e.g. people living ininstitutions, Traveflers and the homeless."(2000: 78).The collection of data on people not livlng In prlvatehouseholds IS dlfflcult, particularly In relation tomonltorlng thelr levels of poverty over tlme. However,there IS exlstlng data and research which could beenhanced and utlllsed. As suggested by the Programmefor Prosperity and Fairness additional data collectionsystems should be developed and the co-operation ofthose ~nvolved should be sought. Adequate resourceswill be requlred to ensure the collect~on of rellable and~lseful quallty data.Secondly, household surveys, such as the Lung Inlreland survey tell us llttle about the allocation ofresources w~tti~n households Thls IS part~cularly relevantIn the analys~s of the f~m~nlsat~on of poverty Somework has attempted to explore ttils Issue In Ireland, forruarnple. Rottrnan (1993). Incom~ D~str~but~on w~thlnIrish Hot~s~holds Aliocat~ng Resources Wlthln InshFC2rn~l~es Cant~llon 11997) Women and PovertyDlffermces ~n Llv~ng Standards Wlth~n Households,Cantillon and Nolan (1998) Are Married Women MoreDeprived than their Husbands?; and Nolan and Watson(1 999) Women and Poverty in lreland. The CombatPoverty Agency has comm~ssioned work from the ESRI tofurther examine the allocation of resources withinhouseholds and the needs of individual family memberswithin the household. A report on this work will beavailable at the end of 2000. The Programme forProsperity and Fairness also contains a commitment toaddress the gender dimension of poverty.A third issue in using large-scale quantitative data setsfor monitoring poverty trends is the turnaround timebetween the collection of the data and the publicationof results. At the moment, on the Living in lrelandsurvey, it takes about one and a half years from thecompletion of data collection to the production of surveyresults. This information includes an analysis of the riskand composition of poverty groups and the identificationof current Issues as well as overall poverty levels. Whilethis tlme lag could be reduced to some extent throughthe allocation of additional resources, time is required fordata preparation, construct~on and analysis.Fourthly, local data collection is required to complementnational household data. National data has limitations inrelation to its disaggregation to local level and forparticular sub-groups of the population, eg. lone parents.Fifthly, to date the Living in lreland survey data hasbeen held In the ESRI and has mainly been available onlyto the lnsitute for analysis. However, a data archive isbelng established jointly by the Institute for the Study ofSocial Change, University College Dublin and the ESRI.The objective of the data archive is to acquire, processand make available datasets of all kinds to Irish socialsclentlsts. This opens up the possibility of enhancing thepoverty research infrastructure and facilitating moreresearchers to undertake poverty research, therebyadding to our knowledge in this area.For future monitoring of poverty trends, causes andpotential solutions it will be important that the dataenhancements suggested take place. A resourcecommitment will be required to enable this to happen.Thls IS essential to ensure the effective application ofanti-poverty and soclal inclusion policies.Respondents In the postal questlonnalre survey vlewedthe content of NAPS as posltlve In terms of the support8 Tti? Conlbat Po.t,rtv Aqericv tias ~ornrnl

@commitment to ensure the collection of reliable anduseful quality data.The need to examine further the allocation ofresources within households in order to understandbetter the needs of individual members within thehousehold.The need to reduce, as far as is possible givenI resource and technical restraints, the turnaroundtime between data collection and production of1results. However, it is necessary to retain dataquallty and confidence in the results.Local data collection is required to complementnational household data.; The establishment of a national data archive shouldIensure that data-sets are available to Irish socialscientists. This should facilitate more researchers toundertake poverty research.1 For future monitoring of poverty trends, causes andpotential solutions it will be important that the dataenhancements suggested take place. A resourcecommitment will be requlred to enable this to happenTh~s is essential to ensure the effective application ofanti-poverty and social inclusion policies.In assessing the Impact of NAPS, survey respondents feltthat while NAPS was posltive In terms of the support itprovldes to people in poverty, the Strategy failed to bringthe range of needs of the most marginalised groups tothe centre of the policy-making process. For this reasonthe Strategy was viewed by a number of respondents ashaving failed to Impact In a slgnlficant and meaningfulway on people l~vlng In poverty. This was seen to beexacerbated by the absence of a formal reviewmechanism to evaluate the success, or otherwise, of theStrategy on people livlng In poverty.Suggestions made for Improvement Included:* the ~ncluslon In NAPS of a section on "how" theStrategy will be Implemented and monitored;the development of performance lndlcators tomon~tor the Impact of the Strategy on poverty levels,regrllar revlews of NAPS be conducted and progressreports produced that wo~ll document thesuccesses and f,allures of the StrateqyIn summary, th~section has assessed the outcomes ofNAPS, In terms of trends In the level and changtngnature of poverty in Ireland. This has shown thatconsistent poverty has been falling, which is to bewelcomed. However, it has also shown that incomegaps are widening whlch is an issue which needsattention, if poverty rates are not to increase in thelonger term.Enhancements to data collection and analysis weresuggested which would improve our knowledge inmonitoring the changing levels and nature of poverty.Additional resources will be required to undertake thiswork.Further work is required on assessing how NAPS isoperating to work towards poverty reduction in Ireland.This is also an important issue and is further addressed inthe next chapter.iChapter 7: Departmental Actions/ IThe formulation and implementation of the National operation between government departments In keyAnti-Poverty Strategy In 1997 coincided with a period of priority areas, such as crime, unemployment and povertypublic service reform. This has impacted on the role ofdepartments in relation to NAPS. The first section of thlschapter places NAPS in the context of this reform andoutlines departments' responsibilities in terms of theStrategy. Section 2 describes the progress ofdepartments In fulfilling their obligations to NAPS whilethe third section provides an initial assessment of thedevelopments that have taken place in this area to date,making some suggestions for ways in which NAPS mightbecome more integrated into departmental systems.1 ?. W'r~$ p'ADS "v? n@? w~th~nIn thls context, the government specifically referred tothe use of SMI to reflect its cornmltment to NAPS andto ensure that tackling poverty IS glven a posltton ofpriority across all departments and programmes.The Second Report of the co-ord~nating Group ofSecretaries, entitled Delivering Better Government,identified poverty as a strateglc result area andacknowledged that poverty-related Issues can be mosteffectively addressed by using a cross-departmentalI IThe final section draws some conclusions. approach. Thus, when preparing thelr strategy statements,each department was requlred to ldentlfy the pollcy areasINAPS challenges government departments and agenciesto develop more open and inclusive ways of addressingpoverty. The successful outcome of the strategydepends upon a strategic approach which involves alldepartments and agencies in addressing all aspects ofpoverty and social exclusion. Thus NAPS requires eachdepartment and agency to Identify the individual andjoint contributions they make to addressing poverty andto achieving the overall objectives of the strategy. This isset within the context of a Strategic ManagementInitiative (SMI) approach to tackling poverty and socialexclusion.The SMI, which was launched in 1994, represents aI1 comprehensive programme of change for the lrlsh publ~cservice. It provides government departments wlth aIiIframework to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency ofthelr operations with a view to delivering quallty servlces, to customers, maximising contribution to nat~onalI development and making effective use of resources.thelr sect~ons wh~ch mpact on poverty as well asthe specific cross-departmental relationships that arenecessary to address them. In accordance with therequirements of the SMI, the approach taken to theseissues should be consistent with the NAPSrecommendat~ons and hlghl~ghted In the departmental SMIstrategy statements. Thls requirement IS reiterated In theNAPS Strategy Statement whlch states that11i A co-ordlnatlng Group of Secretar~es, whlch wasnVPr *%e mrpvi~)~clyep* iq y n ! = * i ~ q +g +s-i"appointed to oversee the lmplernentat~on of the SMI and~*r;.+e*\r."to suggest management changes and methods of co- (Sharing in Progress, 1997: 20).ordlnatlng departmental strategies, recommended that~ndlvldual departments and agencles take ownership ofthe process of strategic management by drawlng upstrategy statements These statements should representa three-year work plan of departments' object~ves, theway ~n whlch it IS proposed to meet these object~vesover t~me, and how the resources will be usedThe co-ordlnatlng Group of Secretaries alsorecommended that strateglc result areas. I c k~y prlorltyareas of government actlv~ty, be developed for t h lr~sh ~publ~c service The Importance of ~dent~fying strateg~cresult areas rests ~n the cross-departmental element ofthe SMI wh~ch includes a commltment to greater co-Under the SMI, departments are also reqolr~d to translatethe goals and objectives outlined 11- the~r stratpgystatements lnto bus~ness plans for use at lndl~ldl~al andteam level to lnform thelr day to-day work In addition toldent~fylng the busmess object~ves of the various b~~r~nt,iiunits and matrtiinq c~nlt oblectivcs wltli t~lqh lcvcl cjo itrdtoc~v \t,>t~~r otitc~ Aprovlslon 1s also rn,~tJc~ for ttrr, prod111 t~ori of ,rrliil~~rl rclport,on proqrrss niarlc ~n rcq,>rd to ~rr~plc~r~li~rit~rit] itif' ,I,r~frsr~vstatemprlt5 Wtier~ dpprc~r~r~dt(,, fv~tli of tt?c,ic> rlo(111111>1if,should indlcdtp the ways In whltl~ NAPS I: c~nibc~ricic.rl I,the SMI process77

IDepartments were also asked to undertake a number ofkey tasks in relation to the NAPS. As is indicated above.the NAPS strategy statement commits departments toreport on an annual basis to the NAPS IDPC. In order tofacilitate this, a reporting mechanism was put in placespecifically for the NAPS whereby departments report tothe IDPC through the NAPS Unit on work undertakenand achieved in relation to the Strategy.Each department was asked to prepare a baselinedocument in relation to poverty and social exclusionwithin its own area of responsibility and present it to theIDPC. When constructing these documents, departmentswere encouraged to look in a strategic way at their plansIn relation to poverty and social inclusion, taking accountof their commitments to the NAPS, the social inclusionelements of the SMI and the national partnershipagreement at that time, Partnership 2000.A number of parameters were laid down for thepreparation of baseline documents. These were to setout:the key issues relat~ng to poverty and disadvantagein each area of responsibility;the object~ves and effectiveness of the policies andthe programmesrelevant to poverty and disadvantage;the constraints on achieving the objectives;the cross-cutting inrtiatives which might usefullyaddress problems ofpoverty and disadvantage;the key action points arising from the review.Uslng these gu~delines, it was expected that baselinedocuments would detall departments' commltments inrelat~on to poverty and soclal lnclus~on and act as thebaseline agalnst wh~ch anti-poverty targets would be setand revlewed perlodlcally.Departments were also requrred to prepare work plansto del~ver on the commltments la~ down in thewbaselrne documents and to set specif~c pr~orlties, targetsand deadlines agalnst wh~ch progress could be measuredon an annual bas~s Thus. lust as SMI strategy statementswere to be accompan~ed by bus~ness plans, baselmedocuments were to be accompanied by work plans.Accord~ng to the NAPS Un~t, the s~mllarrty of these taskswould mlmm\se the amount of add~t~onal work requ~redto prepare each documentThe deadline of end December 1997 was set for thedevelopment of NAPS work plans Th~s colnclded withthe conclus~on of NAPS basel~ne documents and therevlew of SMI strategy statements w~thln departments2.1 De~aartrnental S+ra+efpSfa?em~o+ls and Rusinczss "lamsIn m ~d 1998, the f~rst strategy statements to be preparedunder the SMI were publ~shed Strategy statementscoverlng the years 1998-200'1 now exlst for eachdepartment and are publ~cly availableThe process of developing business plans involveddetailed discussions and the development of objectivesfor each section and subsection of departments. Anumber of departments prepared sectional businessplans wh~ch are only available in, and applicable to,particular departmental divisions. Thus, business plansare publicly available in only a small number of cases.In accordance with the SMI, annual reports have alsobeen prepared by all departments and when comparedwith the appropriate strategy statements, it is possible toassess progress made in relation to the key objectivesand goals identified. Cons~derable progress in terms ofthe development of programmes and initiatives whichpromote socral ~nclusion was noted for 1998.2.2 NAnS Raseline Oocaements, WorkPlans and Annua! RenortsNAPS baselme documents were subm~tted In the earlypart of 1998 These documents provrde a broad strategicstatement on soc~al ~nclus~on pol~cy relevant to eachdepartment The Department of Soclal, Communlty andFam~ly Affa~rs publ~shed ~ts basel~ne document, ent~tledSoc~al Incluaon Strategy of the Department of Soaal,Cornmunlty and Famlly Affa~rs, In August 1998 All otherbaselme documents remaln unpubl~shed but can beaccessed from the NAPS Un~tDepartments also submitted work plans for 1998deta~ling their immediate and future plans in relation toprogramme development as well as new initiativesprogressed In the area of poverty and social exclusion.Departments were asked for Annual Reports for 1998and these formed the basis for the NAPS Inter-Departmental Policy Committee Annual Report for1998199. This Annual Report set out the mainachlevements and progress for 1998 in the field of socialrnclusion These Issues are presented under the flveNAPS themat~c areas and prov~de a detailed list of workrelated to soc~al rnclusion wh~c has been undertaken orIS ongolng In government departments.A comparison has been made between the objectlvesldent~fled In the NAPS Strategy Statement and theach~evements hlghllghted In the NAPS Annual Report,documented in Appendix 5. This comparison showsthat, by and large, the institutional structures have beenput in place at a political and adm~nlstrative levelthrough which to deliver the Strategy, including theintroduction of poverty-proofing. It illustrates thatsubstantial progress has been made towards achievingsome of the NAPS targets and rdentifies some initiativeswhich have taken place under NAPS. While the list ofunemployed people as being most at rlsk of literacydifficulties, with participation in adult education andtraining being least likely for those w~th the poorest skills.The Group has now reported to the Cabinet Sub-Comm~ttee on Soc~al Inclus~on. One of the key issuesidentrfled by the Group was the need for targets. TheGroup was of the view that targets should centre on:actlv~t~es IS comprehens~ve, ~t IS not always clear howdepartmental objectives and act~ons link to the NAPSnumber of clrents to be reached,objectives and to meetrng the NAPS targets Thls Issuetarget level of rnvestment,w~ll be further d~scussed ~n sect~on 3 more effectlve referral and lntegrat~on of bas~c sklllsInto educat~on and traln~ng programmes for those In2.3 Government Spending on Social need,inclusion and Anti-movertv Measuresgreater orlentat~on of educat~on and tralnlng for thePartnersh~p 2000 comm~tted the Government to add~t~onalspending of £525 million in full-year terms on socialinclusion measures during the period of the programmeunemployed towards more bas~c levels of sklll,prior~tisation of those with the lowest literacy levels(1997-1999). As a result of various soc~al inclusion The Group made a number of recommendations ~nmeasures announced in the three annual budgets over thisperiod, additional spending of some £950 million In fullyear terms will have taken place over th~s period. It ISestimated that gross expenditure on socral servlcesgenerally in 1999, at £1 1.2 billion, will be one quarterhigher than in 1996 (NAPS Annual Report, 1999).relation to provision and addressing flnanc~al barr~ers and~ncentives. In part~cular, the Group recommended thatpr~ority access to literacy provision be glven to those w~ththe lowest l~teracy levels. Th~s w~ll Include the long-termunemployed and those at r~sk of unemployment or w~thacute difficulty in maintaining employment.2.4 Cross-denartmentaI and (b) HomelessnessIm?ealra$ed A~nraacbeesA Cross-Departmental Team on Homelessness wasCross-departmental and rntegrated approaches totacklrng poverty and socral exclusron have also developedslnce 1998 The follow~ng IS a br~ef descr~pt~on of someof the ~nltlatrves currently ~n progress(a) L~teracy for the UnemployedA cross-departmental group focuslng on l~teracy for theunemployed was set up by the Cab~net Sub-Committeeon Soclal lncluslon Its flrst meet~ng was held InDecember 1998 and was cha~red by the Department ofEducatlon and Sc~ence The Group Includesrepresentat~ves from the Departments of Educat~on andSc~ence, Soclal, Communlty and Fam~ly Affa~rs,Enterpr~se, Trade and Employment. FAS, VECs, theNatlonal Adult L~teracy Agency and the LocalEmployment Serv~ceThe Group was establ~shed to develop an Integratedresponse to address~ng the l~teracy needs of theunemployed, "to jo~ntly develop measures In consultationw~th the appropriate statutory agencles and expert groups,and report back to the Cab~net Comm~ttee ~nclud~ngest~mated costs and ava~lable fund~nq"The lnternat~onal Adult L~teracy Survey con(jucte(j ~n 1995,and publ~shed In 1997, Influenced the work of the GroupThe survey showed early school leavers, older adults andestablrshed In June 1998 under the aegls of theDepartment of the Env~ronment and Local Government,under the ausplces of the Cabrnet Sub-Comm~ttee onSoc~alnclus~on The Departments of F~nance, Healthand Ch~ldren, Social, Commun~ty and Fam~ly Affa~rs,Just~ce, Equal~ty and Law Reform, Education and Sc~ence,Tourlsm, Sport and Recreat~on and FAS are alsorepresented on the teamThe terms of reference for the Team are"To fl~velon ;rn in+eP*;r+pd CP~,I)OIICP +a + h ~wanv isques \rraic% a+&s=c+ bomo'~r,qne~n!o iqctklflinq rmor.'~ncv. 'r;.n.;i'ipnp!anfl Jc'l9-4e~m ~PSO~~SP'S a

For one or more of these reasons, a number ofgovernment departments did not explicitly identify therole they play in relation to NAPS. Although this wasprimarily the case for departments who have aperipheral role in relation to Strategy, it was also thecase for a number of departments who have beenidentified as having a central role in relation to ~t.Much of the informatlon contained in many of thebaseline documents merely h~nted at policies andprogrammes to address poverty and social exclusion. Inits baseline document, for example, the Department ofArts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands highlighted ~tswork to improve arts and cultural institutions,waterways, work to off-shore islands and gaeltachtareas. It d ~d not, however, highlight the specific ways inwhich this work inputs into NAPS. As a consequence,the contribution this department makes to addressingpoverty and social exclusion can only be inferred from itsbaseline document. This was also the case with regard tosome of the information contained In the baselinedocuments produced by the Departments of PublicEnterprise, Agriculture and Food and Marine and NaturalResources.The baselme document produced by the Department ofSoc)al, Commun~ty and Fam~ly Affalrs represents a goodmodel The document follows the speclflc parameters, laid down for baselme documents and ~t IS constructedI In a manner that facllltates an lnslght Into exactly howthe varlous programmes and actlvltles of the departmentaddress Issues of central mportance to poverty and1 socal exclus~on Another good example was producedby the Department of Environment and LocalGovernment In accordance wlth the guldellnes forconstructing baselme documents, thls department clearlyoutllned ~ts contrlbutlon to NAPS In the areas of houslngpol~cy, local development and urban renewalBecause the NAPS work plans were derived from thestrategy statements, they are subject to the sameweaknesses ldentlf~ed above. In summary, therefore,there IS clearly a great need for both the baselmedocuments and the work plans to be revisited wlth aview to developing stronger and more direct llnks withthe NAPS In the absence of these Ilnks, ~t IS d~fflcultoascertain the degree to whlch anti-poverty actlons havebeen re-pr~orltlsed wlthln departments.3.3 nesaonses From the QuestionnairecitrrwevDepartmental basel~ne documents, work plans and cross-departmental worklng were not speclflcally ldentlfled bypostal questlonnalre respondents, although thls 1s hardlysurprising glven that most of thts work has been Internalto the civil service. It is notable, however, that theseissues were not specifically raised by statutory-sectorres~ondents.Positive responses which alluded to departmental plansand cross-departmental working included:an Inter-agencyllnter-departmental approach topoverty;improved coherence of policy-making;making poverty an important component of policy-making.Some shortcomings were noted, however, encapsulatedin the following quotes:"[NAPS is] not sufficientiy embedded inthe cutture of individual departments.""In my experience, many governmentdepartments have not been ade~uatelyresourced to implement the [povertyproofing] guidelines. If they were takenseriously, then structures would need tobe developed in each department (forexample, inter-sectional working groups)to conceptualise the effects of theirpolicies in terms of their effect on povertyand then to develop appropriate strategiesfor addressing the negative effects, andenhancing the positive."Elements of this idea are further developed in the nextsection.3.4 Lessons from a Review of NewZealand's Bvhfic Sector ManagementSystemOne of the key Issues emerglng from the analysls so farIS how dlfflcult ~t has been to operatlonallse the NAPSobjectlves Into tanglble actlons at departmental level,whlch will lead to achievement of the NAPS targets Thetheory IS flne, but the practlce has been proven to bedlfflcult Slmllar Issues have come up In other publlcsector management programmes One whlch IS notdlsslmllar to the lrlsh lnltlatlve, and whlch has been fa~rlyextensively revlewed, IS the New Zealand Publ~c SectorManagement System (State Servlces Cornm~ss~on, 1998)Key findings emerglng from the reviews of the NewZealand system are:the system IS more geared to the short-termproduction of outputs rather than to plannlng forthe long-term, and to accounting for what ISproduced rather than to evaluating progress inachieving major policy objectives;the Identification of problems in relatlon to howgovernments set strategic priorities and in how thepublic service helps them meet those goals;clearer specification and better achievement ofoutputs is effective only if there is certainty that theproduction of outputs leads to the achievement ofoutcomes, and only if outcomes can be brokendown into measurable parts and distributed amongthe varlous departments as outputs.To address some of these weaknesses the creation ofStrategic Result Area networks has been proposed tobetter focus on outcomes, (for further informat~on onstrategic result area networks see Appendix 6).This approach would seem to address some of theweaknesses identifled In the analysis of the NAPS withlnthe Irish civil service. It may be useful to pilot some ofthe concepts identified in the review of the New Zealandpublic management system, and in other systems, in thelrlsh civil service with a view to trying to operationalise1 the NAPS objectives in a tangible way.I'I4, Clbnc~usia~It IS evident that In the years since the introduction ofNAPS much progress has taken place in terms of theestablishment of institutional structures to underpin thestrategy and the identification and development ofprogrammes and initiatives which promote soclalinclusion. In this context, it is worth noting that thewhole environment for social inclusion has changed Inrecent years. Departments, which had hitherto not seenit within their respective remits to deal wlth social Issues,are now conslderlng the impact of thelr policies onpeople who are poor and soclally excluded. There hasbeen a tremendous cultural shift In Departmentalthinking during the lifetlme of the NAPS. Soclalinclusion has come much more to the fore In publ~cpolicy and debate./ However, as thls chapter has shown, more remalns to dedone to ensure that poverty reduction becomes astrategic object~ve In each government departmentdemonstrated by this assessment of SMI strategystatements and NAPS basellne documents, a number ofdepartments have not yet adequat~ly assessed theImpact of the~r pollcles and programmes In relatlon topoverty Moreover, many of them have yet to recognlsethe cross-cuttlng nature of poverty and to ldent~fy theAsarrangements that would facilitate co-ordination ofactions across de~artments.Nevertheless, an Important start has been made andthere are some good models to draw on. In thls contextit may be worthwhile to consider a pilot in one or twodepartments where approaches which have been foundto be successful in other slmllar public servlceadministrations might be modeled here, wlth a view totrying to operationalise the NAPS objectlves In a moretangible way.Plannine for a Mare~lncllusive Sacietv---.-Initial Assessment of_t%e h.r;l+i~~at &+?+;.~~v~r~,~ Ctr+e

to Irish speakers, especially theGaeltacht Communities."(Sharing in Progress, 1997: 22).Thus, NAPS was committed to informing both thegeneral public and the public servlce about the extentand nature of poverty in lreland and about NAPS.Government departments and the Combat PovertyAgency were identifled as the key promoters of thisinformation. The informatlon was to be made availablein lrish as well as English.The next section examines the information produced onpoverty in lreland and on NAPS in particular.6,. a mr~

Figure 8.3: Emphasis placed on NAPS in articlesacross the three years (%)ICenrral theme Secondaty themeIn the majority of articles where NAPS was a secondarytheme, mention of NAPS was confined to one or twobrief sentences that highlighted the significance of anti-poverty strategies. Close examination of the content ofthe articles revealed that NAPS tended to be submergedby other information which in turn rendered it lessvisible to the readers. While the importance ofmentioning NAPS In articles, albeit as a secondary themeIS acknowledged, its contribution to raising publicawareness of NAPS appears to be limited.To explore this further the origins of all references to'1NAPS were identified. Figure 8.4 shows that referencesto NAPS came from three main sources: theGovernment, the Combat Poverty Agency (CPA) and1'Other' organisatlons ~ncludlng, amongst others, theESRI, St Vincent de Paul, the European Anti-PovertyNetwork (EAPN), and the Irish National Organisation ofthe Unemployed (INOU). In a small percentage (5%) of1 cases references to NAPS could not be attributed to anyorgan~sation in particular and as such, they were: classlfled as 'general'.Figure 8.4: Source of references to NAPS (%)Other 30%CPA tor 8 Orher 2%CPA & Ocher P, Gor 9%Gon 8 CPA I I*CPA 36%In vlew of the tmportance of the natlonal antl-povertystrateqy as a major Government ~riltlatlve ~t IS lnterestlngthat only g06 of the artlcles contatnlng references toNAPS were mad? solely by the Government, whlle 11 %of references made by the Government wereaccompanied bv references from the CPAThepercentage of references to NAPS by the Governmenttotals 2 2O0 In contrast to 56% for the CPAIn thtscontext, however, it is important to note that it is notpossible to dictate what appears in the newspapers.Also, in relation to promotion by the Government, thismay have taken the form of promotion of theGovernment's social inclusion strategy, rather than NAPSspecifically.Nevertheless, as demonstrated by Figure 8.4, the highestpercentage of references to NAPS has been made by theCPA which, along with organisations in the 'Other'category, has promoted NAPS in its press work. In manyinstances these organisations highlighted the benefits ofhaving an anti-poverty strategy and pointed to theimportance of setting and achieving sufficientlyambitious poverty reduction targets. These commentsare generally situated in articles concerned with theeffects of economic prosperity and the results of recentlypublished reports on poverty in Ireland. In a number ofarticles, the CPA was critical of annual governmentbudgetary measures which it felt were not in keepingwith the strategy.Analysis of press coverage on a chronological basisreveals that after the initial launch of NAPS there was asignificant decrease in Government commentary from50% in 1997 to 17% in 1999. It is interesting to notethat the Government was quoted in none of the articlespublished in 1998 while the CPA and other organisationswere quoted in 92% and 25%, respectively.Closer examination of the articles indicates that themajority of references made to NAPS by the Governmenthave arisen in response to two major events, namely thelaunch of the strategy in 1997 and the launch of theflrst Annual Report of NAPS in 1999. In all but a fewother instances, the Government is scarcely evident.When the Government does receive press coverage inrelation to NAPS ~t is in relation to NAPS specific work,whereas the Combat Poverty Agency and otherorganisations tend to take any opportunity to mentionNAPS In their press releases.The lack of evldence of the Government's publ~cpromotion of NAPS may be attributable In part to threefactors The flrst IS that materlal may have beenprepared In press releases but may not have been carrledIn the press or may have been severely edlted Forexample, efforts were made by Government to publlclsethe poverty-proof~ng lnltlatlve at ~ts lntroductlon In 1998,but tt recelved relatively llttle coverage Thls may bebecause as a technical exerctse ~t IS not particularly"news-fr~endly" In contrast, pollcy made as a result ofpoverty-proofing, provtdlng evldence of the Impact ofproofing, would be more "news-frtendly", but to-datehas rarely been put Into the publlc domalnSecondly, the current government has been promoting asocial-inclusion strategy of which NAPS is part. Much ofits press coverage relates to initiatives withln the broaderambit of social inclusion, for example, the integratedservices process, and measures to tackle educationaldisadvantage and as such may not carry a "NAPS tag".Related to this, there is little evldence of tangible discreteinitiatives that have arisen directly as a result of NAPSwhich could be "NAPS-branded" and promoted as suchon a regular basis.Thirdly, this analysis has focused on the examination ofoutcomes, such as newspaper reports. The analysls doesnot include an examination of the speeches, addressesmade at public fora (e.g. family fora, pre- and post-budget fora), appearances at day to day events, mediabriefings etc., where members of the Government makereference to NAPS and social inclusion initiatives ingeneral. In most cases this information does not makeits way into the media.However, notwithstanding these three factors it ISdisappointing that NAPS, as a major governmentstrategy to considerably reduce poverty in Ireland, IS notmore evident in the public domain, particularly throughthe Government's own medla channels. Analysis of thepress coverage shows that the frequency with whichNAPS has been mentioned in national, regional and localnewspapers and the manner in which it has beenbrought to people's attention has mainly been throughthe CPA and other organisations concerned withreduclng poverty.3.2 Views of Reseondents in thePostal QuestionnaireThe questlonnalre survey hlghllghted the lack of a publtcproflle for NAPS, expressed by one respondent as follows"There has been very poor publiccommunica+ion of NAPS. As tbm Strateevdocument points out 'public ooinian iqextremelv immrtant for the SVCCP~~oC +heN#iona! An+!-PovsrW StrMegv. The nrrhlicnee@s to con+inua to he inqrrrrn-d concernin

produced and disseminated has been by the CombatPoverty Agency and some community and voluntarysector groups. Given that NAPS is a Governmentinitiative, the production and dissemination of materialon NAPS by the Government has been disappointinglylow, particularly press coverage.It is acknowledged that achieving the outcome ofpoverty alleviation is ultimately more important than theprofile of the Strategy itself. Nevertheless, awareness ofthe work the government is doing in this area isimportant for garnering public opinion and support. Asclearly demonstrated by the analysis of materialproduced and disseminated, press cuttings and thequestlonnalre survey there is a need to raise awarenessand improve information on the nature and extent ofpoverty in lreland and initiatives being undertaken totackle it. As NAPS is a major government initiative thegovernment should be central in promoting thismessage, through using a "NAPS brand" message, ifnecessary.Through the C PA's Information and Public EducationStrategy for the National Anti-Poverty Strategy aframework is in place through which the profiling ofNAPS and increased awareness of poverty can bedeveloped. What is required is that actions be put inplace to implement the strategy.There is also a need to promote NAPS wlthin the publicservice. NAPS should be a key element of inductiontralning and should be incorporated as a key trainingmodule In ~ts own right, for example on theimplementatlon of poverty proofing. Other mechanismsshould be explored for raising awareness of NAPS,Including better mechanisms of dissemination ofinformation eg. through use of electronic systems,seminars, newsletters, staff secondments and so on.In summary, key Issues to be addressed In ralslng the~rofile of NAPS in future include:* to Improve civil service knowledge;" to extend Information to local authorities and stateaagencies;to keep the social partners Informed;to get lnformatlon to communities dolng antipovertywork; andto Inform the publlc, particularly through the med~aChapter 9: Future Issues and ConclusionsThe first section of this chapter discusses responses fromthe questionnaire survey in relation to whether possiblealternatives to NAPS should be considered, the longtermimportance and direction of NAPS and issues to beaddressed in the further evaluation of NAPS. Thesecond section draws together some conclusions on thisoverall assessment.1.1 Altsrna+iues To Wn\R%"The majorlty of respondents consldered NAPS to be thebest approach to reducing poverty in Ireland.Consequently, rather than suggesting alternatives to thestrategy, the respondents proposed ways of improving it.The suggestions made related to the main gaps andweaknesses in NAPS. Illustrative responses were asfollows:"I he'ieve P4DS is verw imnor+an+.However, re5ofnrces are neefled +Oinnnll~ment *be Strategv, *he aacavs.+vproorinsf glnidefinns need *o bn aus;heramore firmhf apll +he )wee+ ?ime-Framesneed +o he se+ over *hree-ve;sr ne~iods."And,One of the primary cr~ticisms of NAPS was seen to be alack of strong political will. For thls reason, strongerpolitical and institutional will was a frequently ~dentlfledrequirement for the future implementatlon of NAPS. Inaddltlon, respondents expressed the need for moreambltlous poverty reduct~on targets, Improved resourcesand Increased publlc awareness ralslng and education.These were ~dentlf~ed as major weaknesses In t h ~Strategy and were rased tlme and agaln by r~spondrntsfrom across all of the sectorsNAPS was also seen to need more lnclus~ve strateq~~s Anumber of respondents expressed the need to pol~tlcallyempower the poor with a view to ensuring that thelrvoices are heard. It was expressed throughout the surveythat NAPS was a top-down decision-making body thatexcluded the voluntary and community sector as well aspeople living in poverty. As one respondent commented-Respondents also referred to the need to develop amonitoring mechanism to oversee the implementation ofthe strategy as well as to identify, and address, ~ts malnstrengths and weaknesses.For NAPS to become a more effective approach toreducing poverty and social exclus~on in lreland thefollowing goals were specifically identified.a stronger political and institutional will to"champion" the Strategy must exlst;* there must be a greater refinement of the Strategyand measures to enforce ~ts implementatlon;aadditional resources must be allocated;" set more ambitious targets;its consultative processes;" increase public awareness and education,a polltically empower the poor.NAPS was consldered by the respondents to have anumber of long-term beneflts These benef~ts emanatedfrom the offlclal recognltlon of poverty, the adopt~on ofspeclflc poverty reduct~on targets, the use of a relatlvedeflnltlon of poverty and the creatlon of rnstit~~t~onalstructures On the strength of these Issues, therespondents ~dentrfled a number of Issues as be~ngcentral to the long-term Importance and d~rectlon ofNAPS These Included^plac~ng poverty at the heart of the ooI~cy-m,~l.~r~qprocess.Intreaslnq p~~blir Awarrnris of i,ovc,rty" workinq towards rcd~~c 1r1q ptrvvrty r~r~(l ,o(ex( lusion." consoltdat~nq siipport or1 tatkl~riri povc~rly" acldr~ssing the rn~ilt~-d~m~n~~oriaIrycltllrc, of povr,vtv

creating an institutional mechanism for monitoringpoverty;decentralising NAPS to local level;providing training, education and resources;strengthening poverty-proofing;improving the targets.i.3 The Evaluaaisn 0.F NAPSIn response to the question "What, in your view, are thethree main areas on which the evaluation of NAPSshould focus?" the most frequently stated responserelated to the validity, achievements and methods ofimplementation of the various programmes andmeasures in alleviating poverty. In this context,respondents highlighted NAPS targets and institutionalstructures in particular and pointed to the need toensure that they are adequately monitored and assessed.According to one respondent the evaluation of NAPSshould focus on:"... the institutional mechanisms and thebarriers which have existed within themwith regard to the im~lementation ofNAPS [and] ... target setting, i.e. theoslality of target setting, the processesused and related ways o* measuringprogress."The following issues in particular were identified forconsideration In the further evaluation of NAPS.the process, or lack thereof, of involvingpeople/organisations In NAPS;resources for NAPS;poverty-proofing;public perception and understanding of NAPS;* the disparity between the rich and the poor.Respondentsalso suggested that a number of specificareas should be central to the evaluation of NAPS, andIncluded the following:* long-term unemployment,* educational disadvantage, and In part~cular earlyschool leav~ng,* rural poverty,* urban poverty,' homelessness,* ch~ldren,* t h elderly ~These Issues w~ll be followed up through theestabl~stiment, by the Combat Poverty Agency, of anEvaluat~on Advlsory Group2. Can~flansiomg;in national, European and lnternatlonal terms the lrlshNat~onal Antl-Poverty Strategy IS an Important andlnnovatlve approach to puttlng poverty and soclalexclusion at the centre of publlc pollcy Key featuresIncludethe development of an ambitious national antipovertystrategy involving extensive consultation;the acceptance of an agreed definition of relativepoverty which also encompasses social exclusion;a shared analysis of the main causes of poverty;a cross-departmental initiative which recognises themulti-dimensional nature of poverty;targets for poverty reduction;structures through which the strategy can bedelivered and which place poverty at the centre ofpublic policy;the implementation of a system of proofing policiesfor their impact on poverty.In recent years lreland has experienced extraordinaryeconomic growth. This has brought about a verywelcome reduction in unemployment. In 1997,Consistent poverty had substantially fallen to under 10%of the population.It is important to acknowledge the great strides whichhave been made in poverty reduction in lreland in recentyears. However, ~t IS Important also to recognise thatthese changes bring with th~m nPw issues andchallenges. NAPS needs to be able identlfy and rise tothese new challenges which include increasing incomeInequalities and the emergence of groups within thepopulation with a high and/or increasing risk of poverty.We are in the fortunate position that we now have theresources available to essentially eliminate poverty inIreland. To do so will require the right policies and theresources and will effectively to implement them. Goodquality data and research is required to ensure thatchanges are monitored on an ongoing basis and policiesare adjusted accordingly.A key questlon IS the extent to wh~ch NAPS hascontributed to the reduction In cons~stent poverty Thlsquestlon IS d~fflculto answer on the basls of th~sassessment Some might argue that as the outcome ofpoverty reduct~on IS belng ach~eved, the process bywhlch thls IS ach~eved IS less Important However, ~t ISessential that the process for tackllng poverty IS effectweand effluent It IS also vltal that the Strategy IS perce~vedto be tackl~ng poverty In terms of galnlng support forthls approachThere is evidence to suggest that NAPS has made somedifference:It has strengthened a political and societal consensusthat there is a need to reduce levels of poverty inIreland.It has raised awareness, particularly within theadministrative system, of the need to addresspoverty, e.g. the introduction of poverty- proofing.The Cabinet Sub-committee on Social Inclusion hasthe promotion of social inclusion as its key focus.NAPS targets create a focal point for povertyreduction.At a European and international level lreland is seenas a model in terms of economic growth. It is alsoseen as a model in terms of the development of anational anti-poverty strategy.In conclusion NAPS is an important mechanism throughwhich poverty reduction/elimination can be achieved.Even those who are critical of elements of NAPS or thespeed of its implementation see it as a very importantdevelopment in the struggle against poverty and socialexclusion. However, it also has its weaknesses. Keyamong these is the difficulty in translating objectives Intooperational measures which can work towards theachievement of NAPS targets ie. how to implementNAPS. The failure to ~nvolve the community andvoluntary sector in the implementation of NAPS has alsobeen a key weakness.The Programme for Prosperity and Falrness sets out acomprehensive work programme for the revision andrevitalisation of NAPS. If this programme of work isimplemented with energy and Imagination, then in thecurrent favourable economic circumstances, poverty inlreland can be eliminated.

Appendix 1The National Anti-Poverty Strategy (NAPS) was launched in April 1997, following a commitment to develop an anti-poverty strategy and consultation with people living in poverty and organisations representing them.NAPS set a ten-year target for poverty reduction in Ireland and Identified 5 key areas as needlng particular attention intackling poverty: income adequacy, unemployment, educational disadvantage, urban concentrations of disadvantageand rural poverty. It identified a number of institutional mechanisms to implement NAPS.The Combat Poverty Agency has responsibility for overseeing an evaluation of NAPS process. As part of thls evaluationwe are undertaking a review of progress on the implementation of NAPS to date and to identify key evaluationquestions for NAPS.It is in this context we are interested in getting your views on the following questions and any other comments youmay wish to make. Views will be presented collectively under thematic headlngs so that your contribution or yourorganisation will not be personally identified in the subsequent report. You may wlsh to note that the Combat PovertyAgency will become subject to the Freedom of Information Act within the next 12 months.Please complete and return the questionnaire by Thursday 9 September 1999. Your views will be veryimportant in assessing progress on NAPS to date and the key issues on which to focus over the next few years. Theresults will help us to develop a longer-term In-depth evaluation.If you have any queries please do not hesitate to contact Helen Johnston (Tel. 01 6026612; e-mail johnstonh@cpa.~e) orVeronica McNamara (Tel. 01 6026622; e-mail mcnamaraQcpa.ie). If you wish to recelve the questionnaire by e-mallplease contact Veronica.1. What, in your view, are the three main achievements in the implementation of the NAPS infrastructure?2. What, in your view, are the three main weaknesses in the implementation of the NAPS infrastructure?3. Are there any gaps in the infrastructural arrangements of NAPS? If yes, what are they and how shouldthey be addressed?a. Gaps in infrastructural arrangements of NAPS - yeslno (Please circle answer)b. If yes, what are the gaps?c. If yes, how should these gaps be addressed?4. What, in your view, are the three main achievements in relation to the content of NAPS?5. What, in your view, are the three main weaknesses in relation to the content of NAPS?6. In your experience, have any significant poverty priorities been missed? If yes, what are they and inwhat way should they be included?95

! a. Have poverty priorities been missed? - yedno (Please circle answer)b. If yes, what poverty priorit~es have been missed?cIf yes, in what way should these poverty priorities be included?/ 7. Should the profile of NAPS be further enhanced? If so, with whom and how?Ia. Further enhance profile of NAPS? - yedno (Please circle answer)b. If yes, with whom?c. If yes, how?1 8. What, in your view. are the three main areas on which the evaluation of NAPS should focus?9a. What is your view of the long-term importance and direction of NAPS?9b. How could the long-term importance and significance of NAPS be enhanced?10a. Do you think the current economic growth in Ireland has changed the nature and experience ofpoverty (give reasons for your answer).a. Is economic growth changing the nature and experience of poverty? - yedno (Please circle answer)b. If yes, in what way(s) IS the current economlc growth changing the nature of poverty?lob. In your opinion what needs to be done to address poverty in the current economic climate?11. In your view is NAPS the best approach to reducing poverty in Ireland or can you suggest a betteralternative?a. Is NAPS the best approach to reduclng poverty? - yedno (Please circle answer)b. If no, please elaborate on a better alternat~veThank you for taklng the t~me to respond to th~short questlonnalre Th~s lnterlm revlew exerclse will help us todevelop a longer term In-depth evaluat~on However, ~f there 1s anyth~ng you wlsh to discuss further at thls stage,please do not hes~tate to get In touchI Appendix2Summary of Main Findingsof the Postal QuestionnaireSurveyThis appendix provides a summary of the main findingsof the questionnaire survey. In relation to the responsesit is worth noting the following:The vlews expressed were in the main consistentacross sectors. In particular, the statutory and thecommunity and voluntary sectors tended to identifysimilar issues e.g. the need for more consultationand greater involvement of the community andvoluntary sector in NAPS, and the need to enhancethe profile of NAPS.Overall, the responses of the statutory sector tendedto be general while the responses of the communityand voluntary sector tended to relate to specificissues. This reflects the concerns of their work.?. Achilevemrer+s irn ?he"anllllernera:a*i~n aC h"RSnnr~a~?r~~4e~*eThe three most commonly ~dent~f~ed ach~evements In theimplementation of NAPS infrastructure werepoverty-proofing;Target-setting;establishment of institutional structures, such as theCabinet Subcommittee on Soc~al Inclus~on, NAPSInterdepartmental Policy Comm~ttee and NAPS Unit.Other achievements identifled by the respondentsIncluded:~nter-aqencyl~nter-departmental approach to poverty,Improved coherence of policy-mak~ng,natlonal focus on address~ng poverty.Increased awareness of poverty,Improved cohes~on, co-ord~nat~on and consultatlonaround poverty ~ssuesalack of involvement of key individuals, organisat~onsand sectors;inadequate public awareness raising and educat~on;inadequate resourcing;weak political backlng;staff turnover, in NAPS Unit in particular;the language of NAPS.3. cans Wnm&i";p# in *%eh6yac*y y cau-r vp"nwrqn

'Lack of resources (human and financial) and trainingIncrease resources e.g. NAPS staff and budget;Resource NGOs;/ Improve training.ILack of consultation and exchange of information withinand between organisations.Consult community and voluntary sector;lnform and1 involve the public through a structured mechanism.1 Lack of on-going evaluation.j Conduct regular revlews and produce progress1 reports through independent body.I F.. A~Q;RWGYW~*S iq menpt:~n1 *l*q Slgnf~n? hlAm*Fi1 Flve maln achlevements In relat~on to the content ofI NAPS were ldentlfled They wereThe setting, achievement and revision of the targets;1 The official acknowledgement of poverty;IIAgreement on the definition and analysis of poverty;Support to people living In poverty;lnlttatives to poverty proof policies."T9e se++in

1 Appendix 3Appendix 4. . . s~ ~ fM-ip;~mm i 5 fl\K":cmv~ , p , ~ : n * aerrnl a, ram,.,%, 4 menJoint Chairpersons:i Assistant Secretary-General - Deirdre Carroll1Department of Social, Community and Family AffairsAssistant Secretary'i1'Department of the TaoiseachDepartment of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands - David MonksDepartment of Health and Chlldren - Charlie HardyDepartment of Social, Community and Famlly Affa~rsDepartment of An TaolseachDepartment of Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the IslandsDepartment of Health and ChlldrenDepartment of Flnance- Cathy Barron, Paul Ryan, Yvonne Whlte- Brlan Colllnge, Gerry Kelleher- Pat Gernon, Davld Monks- John Coll~ns, Chrlstlna McCarthy- Joe Mooney, Tom ClarkeDepartment of F~nance- Joe MooneyDepartment of Publlc Enterpr~se- Eugene Coughlan, Mary FarrellDepartment of Publlc Enterpr~se- Gerry McDonaghDepartment of the Marlne and Natural Resources- Brlan O'NelllDepartment of the Marlne and Natural Resources- Tony FitzpatrickDepartment of Agr~culture and Food- Tony Burke, John FahyDepartment of Agriculture and Food- Frank O'DonnellDepartment of Tourlsm, Sport and Recreation- Agnes Aylward, Tara WhartonDepartment of Tourism, Sport and Recreation- Susan McGrathDepartment of An Tao~seach- Mary ButlerDepartment of Justice, Equallty and Law Reform- Margaret O'ConnorI Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment - Leo SheedyIiDepartment of Just~ce, Equallty and Law ReformDepartment of Enterprise, Trade and Employment- Garret Byrne- Brendan Ward; Hugh Hayden, Department of the Environment and Local Government - Joe AllenI1I Department of Education and Science - Patrlcla O'ConnorDepartment of the Environment and Local Government- Aoife NIC Reamoinn: Department of Forelgn Affalrs - John NevllleDepartment of Education and Science- Patrlcia O'ConnorDepartment of Forelgn Affairs- Dermot McGauranADM Ltd- Tony CrooksCombat Poverty Agency- Hugh FrazerFAS- Gerard Walker

I 1 Appendix 5"An SMI team based in the Department of SocialNote: Where information was not available for comparison across the reports, an appropriate reference is provided insquare brackets, i.e. [ ]Welfare will be established which will t )ecomp lemented a t central lei /el in the DI epartment I z~f the F;Taoisc ?ach by the existing sul oport struct ure. The S MI., . .. . ,. ...team w~ll De provlded wlth core stattlng and w~ll ainclucrepre:will libl~r WI~II.--a~IIU CUIIIVIYIIIYII~will d' raw on the Agency's e: xpertise on anti-povertpolicic 2.5, progran- lmes and re &search8'. p 20c2dcIcn ~ntime or a p art-time ba sis.om other C )epartmenP s ... The te,.A ,-- LL- - -L LLLIIY rule UI ule - r-"CrH ~IIU4 dedicated NAPS Unit [i.e. SMI team] has beenitablished in the Department of Social, Community and;with respc msibility for co-ordinat~ng andmental action in support of socialcluslon Inltlatlves. The Unit also acts as a secretariat toe IDPC and I liaises with all Government Departments,her agencic ?s, both national and international, and the._:_I__*_^.~UCI~I V ~ Irategy". p111~1s in promoting and progressing the1NXPS ~t=t of Strategy NAPS Annual ReportGovernment of Ireland (1997) Sha ring in Pro! ares -National Anti-Poverty 5 trategy. Du lblin: The S' tationeryOfflceInter-D epartment; 31 Policy Co mmittee (1' 999) Social InclusionStrateg - 1998/9! 3 Annual RE port of the Inter-Depar tmentalPol1cy 1 Committee. Dublin: Th e Stationer y Office__._" .m"istittitional Stru&;es'~t?h-ei"A Cabinet Sub-committee to deal with issues of poverty "The Cabinet Committee, chaired by the Taoiseach andand social exclusion will be established. It will be chaired including eight relevant Departments, meets on a monthlyby the Taoiseach, and include all Ministers whose brief basis. It provides an integratea basis for Government'sincludes policy areas relevant to tackling poverty". p 20 activities in the social exclusion area in general, ensuringthat the strategic priorities are being pursued and thateffective co-ordination takes place". p 8"Departments have been required to address thequestion of poverty in the development of theirstatements of strategy under the StrategicMana gement lnit :iative they will form at I input into I thefurthr ?r developl* lent of the Strategy. St ate agencif ls andlocal , 3nd region; 11 bodies wi II also be re quired toaddre ss the ques tion of povl erty in therr statement:strate gy under tt- le SMI.". p"Departments will produce annual progress statementsto the Inter-Departmental Committee settinq outprogrcj over the 1 xevious ye; Ir in relatior 1 tothe St20n line with the principles of the Civil Service Strategicanagement Initiative (SMI), NAPS recognises the multi-ceted natur .e of the problem of social exclusion and, asa ., ,su cn, rne rocus at all times is on a cross-Departmentalar ~d Integrated approaches to tackling disadvantage.E;~ch Department retains the lead role in progressing~licies under its own areas although there have beenveral initiatives specifically resulting from NAPS, most~tably perhaps, the introduction of a poverty proofingprocess . . . " . p 8[These progress statements form the basis of NAPSAnnual Report][Senlor Offlc~als Soclal lnclus~on Group]"This group, comprising high level civil servants fromrelevant Departments, meets on a monthly basis to preparethe agenda and recommendations for the CabinetCommittee. It maintains a broad overview of socialinclusion issues and ensures that emerging topics arebrought to the attention of the Cabinet Committee. It ischaired by the Department of An Taoiseach". p 8[The appointment ot NAPS 1 .ia~son Offic :ers is notmentioned in NAPS Strategy r Statement . However, it is..+-&;..-Icited in subsequent documel IL~LIUI 11"Each relevant Department has appointed a NAPS Lia~sonOfficer who fulfils an important commun~cation and co-ordination role within Departments. They act as a firstpoint of contact in relat~on to NAPS issues withinDepartments and are supported by each DepartmentisIDPC representative as well as the Senior Officials Grouprepresentative, where applicable". p 9%?he Administr'ative L&--"The question of the impact of poverty will also be a "One of the most significant developments during 1998key consideration when decisions are being made was the introduction of a system, known as Poverty"NAPS Inter-Departmental Pollcy Committee [which was "This Committee ... continues to meet four to five times perabout spending priorities in the context of the national Proofing, whereby significant policy proposals would beestablished to develop the Strategy] will remain In place. year and provides the principal strategic focus for NAPS. Itbudgetary process and the allocation of EU Structural assessed at des~gn stage for their impact on poverty. ItIt will be jointly cha~red by the Department of thecomprises senior civil servants as well as representatives ofFunds". p 21was agreed at the first meeting of the lDPC that such aTaolseach and the Department of Social Welfare. The FAS, Area Development Management Ltd (ADM) and thesystem would be developed and a framework document,within which the Poverty Proofing exercise would bemembers of the committee will comprise senior officers Combat Poverty Agency. It considers the ongoing progresscarr~ed out, was agreed by the soclal partners In thefor ensuring that NAPS provisions relevant to thelr on implementation of the Strategy as well as progresscontext of P2000. Following a declston in July 1998,Departments are implemented". p 20towards achieving NAPS targets. This Committee remainsPoverty Prooflng was Included as a requirement in thethe key agent for addressing central NAPS Issues andupdated Cabinet Handbook for the preparat~on ofagreeing the future plans and programmes of activity. Thememoranda for Government" p 12-1 3Committee is co-chaired by the Department of theTaoiseach and the Department of Social, Community andFamily Affairs". p 8-9"The current Cablnet Handbook, ~ssu~d In October 1998,requlres that Memoranda for Government should, Interaha, "tndlcate clearly, as approprlatc, t h Impact ~ of theproposal forpersons In poverty or dt rlsk of fall~nq intopovprty, In the case of slqn~flcant policy propos,lls ' p 13-_.An Initial Assessment of the Nationat Anti-Povertv Stratedv part 2

-~ . - "..Monitoring and"The N lational Eco nomic and 1 Social Forunrespon' sibility for IT ionitoring tl 17e social Inc. -~nf , Part, . , .nersh~p 2000 and in that context vspecificall y asked t o report on the progrerimplemer iting the National Ar I~I-Poverty 5"The Combat Poverty Agency will constitute anoth terkey element of the monitoring arrangements. It m (illoversee an evaluation of NAPS process, which willinclude consideration of the views and experience orthe voluntary and community sector, and will presentthe results of the evaluation to the Inter-DepartmentalCommittee. As well as having a role in relation to theproviston of information and education, the Agencyw~ll also support, in an advisory capacity, indiv~dualgovernment departments and local and or regionalstructures In the development of anti-povertystrategies. The Agency w~ll be particularly called uponto advtse on anti-poverty strategtes in the context ofthe local government reform process" p 21[The role of the IDPC In relatton to monltortnq andevaluatton of NAPS IS not outllned in NAPS StrateqyStat~ment]he poverty proofing guidelines are currently beingplemented on a one year pilot basis in Civil ! jerviceDe partments only. The F lrocess will be reviewe d at the endof the pilot ye1 point its EI other areas. ,.. .of the publlc servlce w~ll be cons~dered". p 13"T he Poverty Proofing Fr amework li sts several ; ~eas wherethc ? proofing 1 xocess sho uld be app lied. These are:" . ., .. Whitr Papcv t i~xpecterf to he f~nalisrd by rnrl-Sunimcr 19W ,~rirl w 11,arnonq nth~r thlnqs, c5tabltsh a frarrirwork for morcrohcstvr s~lpport hy thr Stat(, for thca voltlnt,iry ,iri(lrornrni~nltv sf'( tor This w'll '1~';'to 1nfou~1 tlic~ '(itrrrr.cjrvvlo~)m~nf of bJAP5 ,~ri(l rwrtriv-h~r) s.t~i1~1 lLi

At Local and Regional Level" ... Community and tnrerprlse broups WIII t~e [Thls lssue IS nor expllclrly menrlonea ~n lure ~nnualresponsible for developing plans, including local areaaction plans wh~ch will focus on social exclus~on, withntens~ve prl ogrammes across a ral ige of actiinay involve the develc lpment of IN ocal anti-pcitrategiesi. 1 P 21Report1"--7also subm~tted the~r 1998 workplans sett~ng out whatthey Intended to pursue and ach~eve In terms ofprogramme development and expansion as well as newlnltlatlves ~dent~f~ed over the shorter-term of the~mmed~ate year ahead" p 12106I ne ~UDIICneeas ro continue to be informe 'dconcerning the extent, depth, trel ids in and location ofpoverty in Ireland and of its negai tive conseql uences for.+,.A,.A +h .+ +hdlL I l r.--"Aall of society. In this rkqalu, ;+ ;,. ;II I, IIILCIIUYU UIprovision of informatic In to the gc tneral publi c relating t~the Strateg! {will be of key import ance to bo th individu;-Government Departments and the Combat F h\,artw ,., ., . .. .. - ...Agency as t he Strateg) 1 develops""A survev , on oublic , oerce~tions of ooverty conduc ted byn 8Researl ch Evaluatic In Serv~ces, on behalf of the Corr tbatPovert) I Agency, a s part of th e lrish Soci; 31 Omnibus Survey,i n n.,n,3c r01 I ~ ~ C O A nrnrnhnr 1 c IOQ Thn tr..rtm..;n*;+s.nfU I(81%) felt that the G overnment should be I nvolvedntl-poverty strategy w hile only 8' YO were aw, are that. , . ., . ,~xlqt~d Th, IS snowea tne Intormarlon gap that exlsts~n term IS of public awareness of poverty. To addres s thisISSUe, i 3 NAPS Pro1 filing Grou~ has been convened.. ...L.^^ ?^I^_& -A r,-^--&- .-..&-ICO~P~I>III~ >~I~CL~U UYV~I LIII~IIL~I rlem "------A ,-c----drlu IIIIUIII iationOfficer s as well as representa tives from . the CombaPovert) / Agency ar id NAPS Ur lit, this gro up will adviraising the prot~le ot NAPS and ongoing developm~, ,,, ,,,tacklln~ g social exc lusion andlntation of NAPSInform ation and F 'ublic Educ:gy approve' d by.n " ., ...--NAPS l PDC in 19515. An ourllne reporr on IuAr:, w, 3sinvited and submitted to the UN for incl usion in thcUN Human Development Report". p 37"Up-to-date reliable data is also essential for the"The ESRl has now finalised the report Monitoring Povertyongoing development of the Strategy. In th~s regard Fends, c~mmissi~ned by the Combat Poverty Agency andrelated research will contlnue to be undertaken and the Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs.commissioned by relevant Government Departments, This report is based on the 1997 Living in Ireland surveythe Combat Poverty Agency and other bodies toand it updates the 1994 data on which the original NAPSstrengthen the collection, analysis and discuss~on of core tar9etswere based". P 36data on poverty and Identify gaps". p 22"A survey on public perception of poverty conducted byResearch Evaluation Services, on behalf of the CombatPoverty Agency, as part of the Irish Social Omnibus Survey,was released in December 1998 ... ". p 37"The need to bu~ld responslb~ltty for tackl~ng povertyInto the strateq~c oblectlves of all governmentdepartments and aqencles has been recoqntsed and 1s[for additional information on this study see sectlon on'NAPS profile and publ~c op~nion' above]"In the f~rst half of 1998, Departments subm~tted the~rbasel~ne documents whlch prov~de a broad strateg~cOn social lncluslon policy relevant to eachof severalyears and ~t IS Intended that they w~ll be updatedper~od~cally In August 1998, the Department of Soc~al,Communlty and Famlly Affa~rs publ~shed ~ts baselinedocument ~Soc~al lncluslon Strategy of the Department ofSoc~al, Communlty and Fam~ly Affa~rs" Departmentsnow belno done' p 8 Department These documents cover a per~od"Pursu~t of the targ ets set will require a g reater empt iasison mea: uring the Ir npact of pr ogrammes and improv 'ingI;\,,,,\, tntheir design and dellvcly ru aculcvc7-1 -;,%,,. +hrgjr*,. ". ...,.A v--,IC~UIIEU ~r>ult~. .Insofar ; IS addit~ona I resources are require1 3, this willrequlre ; 3 re-orderin' g of Goverr iment spen ding priorit ies0.. .with lncl '-eases In expenalrure In some are;-, 2~ P -.,. nmeasurecom penalong-term unemployment, beingI reduction: ; in other areas". p 7-8"While i 3 further £5 825 mill~on vvas committed for socialinclusior I under Pari :nership 20130, the challenge for NAPSwill be tc 2 re-distribi ~te resource IS in the most effectiveway on anti-poverty pol~c~es across the spectrum ofpublic e) cpenditure ; 3nd taxation programmes". p 8"T- &--I. 1- &LA Am--IU LdCK IY L I I ~ urrp-seated underlying structuralinequalit ies that create and perpetuate poverty " ...governrr lent departments and agencies are settingtargets to ensure that their pol~cies and programmescontribu te to achiev~ng a fairer distribution of resourcesand opp ortunities in all areas of day-to-day l~fe and do--A ----,IIUL credte or perpetuate excessive inequalit~es". p 8" ... there is also a need to give particular attention to anumber of key areas if any s~gn~ficant advance ontackling poverty is to be achieved. These have beenidentified as follows:(i) Educational disadvantage;(ii) Unemployment, particularly long-termunemployment;(i~i) Income adequacy;(IV) Disadvantaged urban areas; and(v) Rural poverty." p 8-9"What is requlred to advance the Strat~gy IS theadopt~on of a serles of overall oblectlves, overall targetsand supporting pol~cy acttons In the f~ve key areas " p 9"P2000 committed the Government to additionalspending of £525 million in full year terms on socialinclusion measures during the period of the programme.As a result of the various social inclusion measuresannounced in the 3 relevant budgets, additionalspending of some £950 million in full year terms willhave taken place over the per~od. It IS estimated thatgross current expend~ture on social servlces generally in1999, at £1 1.2 billion, will be one quarter h~gher than in1996". p I2"The most recent data available from the ESRl and theCentral Statistics Off~ce show that the main Strategytargets have now been substantially achieved and insome cases exceeded (the original target date was set for2007". p 3" ... there have already been s~gnificant developments inthe areas In which NAPS has set spec~fic targets;unemployment, educational d~sadvantage and incomeadequacy. This ind~cates the need for targets to berevised to take account of the changed circumstances.The rapidity of developments In the relatively short timesince NAPS was launched also brings Into quest~on theapproprlateness of targets w~th a very long, 10 yeartimeframe. Shorter term roll~ng targets w~th per~od~crevlews may be a better model". p 50"G~ven that the ESRl report "Monttorlng Poverty Trends"has only recently been f~nalrsed. ~t has not yet beenposs~ble to glve sufflc~ent conslderatlon to whatappropriate targets may be for the futur? ' p 50Information on Issues aroirnd revlsinq rxh of tti~ tarqrtsIS contained on the follow~nq paqes of tti~IDPC AnnodlReport(11 Global tarqpt, p 50-51.(11) Educational d1satlv~3ntaqc, p 52-53.(VI) Un~mplovni~nl, !)rfrt~r~tlrlrly loncj trrn~iinf~rnnloyni~nt, 1) 51,IIIII Irlcnrn~cjrf~ir~~~y irrt~,~~i ,1r1(I rc~r~~l (~I,,,IC!L~III~,I~~O 1) 5

IIiGlobal iarget--- ." ... in developing the Natlonal Anti-Poverty Strategy itwas decidec 3 to set an overall or g llobal targe t to measu reongoing sul :cess with 1 the implem entation of NAPS overI . ,,,

minimur~ erecommended rby theCommiscia1 Welfare, in line wil :h thecommitr~~t.~~~ 1t.l uclt in Partnershlr, 2000'* - ,7cor isistently pc lor, definec j by referenand 60%of < average ho usehold dis posable inc ome comb1 ined with... . ,.the presence ot baslc deprlvatlon, had reduced trom 9% to15' YO of the pc ~pulation in 1994 to 7' )/O to 10% by 1997wit h NAPS tar1 get, particu larly at the 160% thresh old, almost. .'A,. - 1 .*L .. - ------ack i~eved _ _. TI 11s conrrasrs, nowever, wlrri d luruler IIICI~~S~.In I :he number s of people falling belc IW the relati ve incomeIlnc ?s(40%, 5C )% and 6OC 6 of averac le disposabl e income);A. ---,.A; ." +.-. -A, ,AP 91 r-mmnn- ht-rr ;nrl #ding the?I, is largely attributablt to the fac t that incre; Ises inSO( :ial welfare rates have I agged incrf lases in earr lings over. . - . . --.the perrod 1 YY4 to 1 YY /''. D 17Overall Target:"The ov~ erall target IS TO ensure tnat strategies are, ...develop( ?a wltn reg, ard to the ~rovision of services Inrural are as, especlal ly those co~ icerned wit theducatic lnal disadva ntage, une mployment and incorn eadequacle overall ta rgets of Nl \PS arealready rchieved in I 'ural areas" . p 18Progress on Overall Target:The target on rural poverty IS also unspecific and as such,it is difficult to measure progress on achieving this target.A number of initiatives are underway whlch have thepotential to reduce poverty in rural regions. These include:a The Operational Programme for Local Urban and RuralDevelopment (LURD)The Farm Assist scheme* The Fishing Assist schemeThe LEADER programmeThe Programme for Peace and Reconcll~ation. see p27-30,rrn*Urban IA White Paper on Rural Development has also beenprepared. It highlights the need to address poverty andOverall Objective"The ov erall objecti ve in relatio n to urban disadvantac. , -ro orlng about susl :ained socia I and econc ~micsocial exclusion in rural areas and contains a specifrcrecommendation in regard to rural proofing. p 29, . .development in dis; 3dvantaged areas In oraer to lmprcthe lives of people I iving in dis; ldvantaged areas, by'~evised Targets ' -1empowering them to become effective citizens, imprc "It is envisaged that, in the light of progress with the "The Government has agreed, In the lightthe quality of their lives, helpin g them acq uire the ski1Strategy, and the deby Departments of of the latest ESRl data which is now available, toand education necessary to gai n employm ent andtheir SM1 l Statement~y, objectives andambitlous new targets as follows:providing them with employmf ?nt opportu nities". p 11targets \n/ill be refinc ?d, following a process of * Consistent poverty to be reduced to below 5% byig and eval uation". p 9 2004;Overall Target:P~I ogress on Overall Ta rget:Unemployment to be reduced to below 5% by 2002;"To reduce the numbers of people sufferir ~g the great est Th e target on urban disa dvantage i!Long-term unemployment to be reduced to 2.5% byrL ---L--. A:LL: .- ..-- -----.deprivation in disadvantaged urban areas by lncreaslng II~VI~IVI~ UIIIICU~~ to meawt. uruu~t.>> UII IIIYVLIIIUaLIII~2002.their standard of living and providing opportunities forparticipation thus significantly reducing the measuredtar -get. Howe\to reduce urbures have t, aken placethe launch of NAPS."In addition, [the Government] has asked the Interindicatorsof disadvantage in the area, especially the rate These include the follow 8 ,y.Departmental Pollcy Committee to draw up new targetsof unemployment and particularly the rate of long term * The Area Based Partr iership Cor npanies an1to reflect the changed environment, for example Inunemployment over the period 1997-2007". p 16-17Community Groups I ohich are f unded thro ugh therelatlon to education and adult literacy, and to conslder, .Operational Programme Tor ~ocal and Urb; inaction targets In relatlon to particular groups such asDevelopment (LURD)children in poverty". p 3The URBAN initiative* The Housing (Traveller Accommodation) Act whichwas enacted in July 1998* The Supplementary Welfare Allowance (SWA) Rentand Mortgage Supplementation SchemeThe new Urban Renewal ProgrammeThe National Drugs Strategy.Rural PovertyOverall Objective:"The problems of poverty and social exclusion have adlstlnct Impact in a rural context as they arecompounded by aspects of physical lsolatlon anddemographic dependence. The overall objective is totackle poverty and social exclusion in rural areas In acomprehensive and sustained manner by ensurlng theprovlslon of an adequate Income, through employmentand/or Income support and access to adequate servlcesand Infrastructure, co-ordlnatlon of responses andempowerment of local people and communities". p 18"Followlnq t h puhl~cat~on~ of th? Rpnort [of the ExpcrtWork~nq Groups on Ch~ldcarc], the Gnvcrrlrncnt hr15 5ctup an Inter-D~partrn~ntal Cornmittrr. on Ch~ltir,lrc,cha~rf'rl by thr D~partrnent of J~r\t~c-o, Fq11~3l1ty ,?nrl L,?wReforrn, to ton~d~rtho 15511c o' c'iiId(,3rr 111 ,, t,ro,~~lr~rrnritc,xt n 30- -- . An Initial Assessment of the Nationat Anti-poverty Stra*eP,v part 2

Re ,view, incluc ling the intr oduct~on of a needs as sessment,arc 2 currently t ~eing advan ced by the relevant Del.,L-L:-.In LLJI l>UlLdLlUl- .. .:aL LL- -3I WILI I LIIV L~IV UIUUU~3artmentsAppendix 6-isabilities"Ill III lr VVILII LIIC ULJVYII IIIICIIL, I~IIIIIIT> IIIX UUIIO/, a newFa mily Affairs Unit was se t up in the I lepartment of Social,Ccnd Family A ffairs in 19518. Its functi~ on is to. .. . .co-ordinate tam~ly policy, pursue the tlnd~ngs ot 1 ho.a ,LCc ~mrnission c )n the Famil y and to un dertake rev ?arch andDrl omote awal .eness abou t family issu es". r, 31"7ne tarnily ana community bervices Kesource centreProgramme also contributes to tackling social exclusionin local communities. Centres funded under thisPr ogramme lim to comt >at disadva ntage by in iprovingth e functionit ig of the f; mily unit b y targeting families, . . .who are disadvantaged and by outreaching to the mostm arginalised, often prov31 services f or lonewent familit .s, young n I others cor lsideredneed of ex tra supportn January 1998, the Government established thelung Peopltntre the YcPFSF). Mr. f.. ...)gramme \n ; its?'s Facilit~es :s Fundinister of Stlecialresponslb~llty tor ch~ldren, was glven approval by theC, abinet Com mittee on ! jocial lnclur ;ion to sper id £7.2m illion overt he 3-year F leriod, 19913 to 2000, on 14,-& - -. -L- 1- - 8 L . C , - ~L , ,,,pllor projecrs Tor cnlloren ar rlsK F"There has also been considerable progress in cor nbatingthe barriers faced by people with disabilities. TheEstablishment Group, set up by the Minister for JL !UUIIIILLI ?d itsreport to the M~nister in JI me 1998. T he Governrr lentapproved the adoption of the Establis hment Grou p's Reportand the lmplernentation In full of its recommendations. TheDisab~l~ty Authority Bill wa s published and passed by theSeanad in December 19913 ... " p 32-. .I-'-IntroductionStrategic Result Area (SRA) networks are an approach to improving strategic management in New Zealand's publicservice management system. They have been suggested to address problems which have been identifled in the existingsystem. These problems include:lack of clarity about government strategic objectives;lack of leadership/sponsorship for individual SRAs;weak accountability for outcomes;lack of co-ordination across government strategic priorities;weak 'intervention logic'3 from outputs to outcomes to SRAs;weak alignment between the Budget and strateg~c management;lack of 'double loop'4 learn~ng.Overview of How the Proposed SRA Networks OoerateSRA networks are des~gned to refocus the publlc servlce on the ach~evement of the government's key pr~orltles Theyoperate on an three-year cycle, wlth an emphas~s on clear strategy, good leadership and good co-ordinationSRA networks are based on good SRA specification. For example, from the government's vlsion of what sort of societyit wants to promote, and drawing on strategic policy advice, government ldentlfles a select number of areas (8 to 10)on which to focus. Each of these areas is encapsulated in an SRA. It is important that only a small number of SRAs areset to keep the focus on the main priorities.At the start of a three-year cycle, each SRA is dlsaggregated Into a set of SRA outcomes drafted to 'ex ante' (before theevent), SMART (spec~f~c, measurable, ach~evable, realistic, and tlme-bound) crlterla At the same tlme, performancelndlcators for ex post (after the event) assessment - strategic results lndlcators (SRls)- are established, and ~nformationrequirements for these SRls are also spec~f~ed Thls whole process makes up an SRA statement which forms the exante' speclficatron The SRA statement IS wrltten w~th a three-year focus, but w~th annual revlewEach SRA is championed by a senlor Minister, known as the SRA M~nlster, who is responsible to Cablnet for theach~evement of the SRA. Each SRA Mlnlster IS also the Mln~sterespons~ble for co-ordinat~on related to that SRA TheSRA M~nister chalrs an SRA Cornrn~ttee. The SRA is thus the organislng princ~ple for the SRA networksSRA Cornm~ttees conslst of those Ministers (Network Ministers) whose departments havc str

_~-a-ISRA NetworksCa'I 1NetworkMinisterlinister----..-SRA Cornittee ,,Networ, Ministe* enhanced Ministerial demand: SRA networks require evaluation information, therefore Ministers have an incentiveto demand it;better links between outputs and outcomes: SRA networks are based on better specification of outcomes andmake it clear that organisations are required to provide information on links between their outputs and desiredoutcomes;budget incentives: departments will realise that they need good evaluation information to prove that their activitiesshould be funded as crucial to strategic priorities.Integration of the Budget Process into Strategic Management - It is important that resources are allocatedaccording to SRAs. For SRA networks to provide government with a better facility for strategic management, theidentification of resources for SRAs should occur early in the Budget process. Only at this stage can trade-offs bemade, so that desired SRAs in one area are weighed up against desired SRAs in another.Watt SKA StatementThe SPA is resourced through either baseline or baseline-plus-new initiative funding. The SRA Committee's role is to; Identify the mix of interventions and related outputs to achieve the SRA. Each Minister is responsible for providinginformation wh~ch shows how the outputs contribute to the achievement of the outcomes set out under the SRA.IEffective operation of networks requires considerable co-ordination - of people, information and resources. Therefore,the effective functioning of networks depends on the number of SRAs being kept small. This is consistent with theprinciple that the SRA networks are designed to enhance the effectiveness of the public service in advancing thegovernment's key priorities. They are not deslgned to capture all desired outcomes.Clarity around resourclng is dependent on the quality of the SRA. SRAs should provlde better alignment withgovernment strategic prioritles because they embed discussion of strategic priorities into the Budget cycle. ThusSRA allocations, and trade-offs, will be more transparent. The creatlon of SRA Ministers and SRA Committeesprovides a more co-ordinated approach to the allocation of resources for the achievement of strategic prioritles. Intime, the SRA evaluation and reporting information required for SRA networks should feed into the annual Budgetcycle to inform resource allocation. While not all resources in the Budget would be linked to a SRA, the level ofresources attached to SRAs send signals about their relative importance. If resources are marginal, or confined tonew initiatives, there is a risk that SRA networks will not achieve the aim of refocusing resources and energiestowards government strategic prioritles.Whlle they focus on how to deliver a government's priorities, SRA networks are also likely to have spin-off benefits forthe publlc sector as a whole. They will provide the starting point for shifting the behaviour of the publlc servlcetowards generating the sort of information Ministers need to determine a desired set of outcomes - including the mixof outputs that is likely to help them achieve those outcomes. The good practice they promote, and the sort ofInformation generat~on they facilitate, should also permeate to other non-prioritylnon-SRA activities.Better SRA specification - the success of SRA networks is dependent on good quality SRAs. In essence thereshould be a cascading strategy from outcomes to outputs. SRAs are the main drivers of the strategic managementsystem because they represent targeted priority areas. Therefore it is essential that any proposed strategicmanagement system has clear, well specified SRAs. Having good quality criteria is critical for the development ofgood quality SRAs. For example, SRAs can be judged against the following criter~a:* matenal the goal should clearly relate to the welfare of ordlnary cltlzens, and be a key lever to Improve well-be~ng," controllable results should be able to be directly Influenced by government actlon wlthln the tlme-frame chosen,s~mple an SRA should comprlse a slngle overall objective, be easlly understood and be able to be operatlonallsed," assessable an SRA should be deflned In a way that allows progress In worklng towards the deslred outcome to bemon~tored It should be possible to offer regular updates on the current status of the SRA, and to set targets for~mprovements." robust a SRA needs to be perceived as durable over a glven tlme per~od Thus, each SRA needs to be expllcltenough to be meanlnqful, but broad enough to remaln relevant In the face of changlng cond~tlonsImproved Evaluation - SRA networks are based on good lnformatlon about what works and what does not Thlsreqillrps Systemic evaluation, both at the level of the SRA Comm~ttee (to test the mlxes of lnterventlons and pol~cysettlnqs) as ivell ,is at departmental level In the absence of evaluatlon, SRA Mlnlsters and Network Mlnlstersc'innot know whether the outputs they llnk to the SRA will actually have an Impact on outcomesResettingprorltles should only be based on evaluat~on/review of current pollcles and lnterventlons SRA networks createsignificant lncentlves to evaluate These Include115Ptr, !n:+;a' ~sc.Ps+~P~+ nC *be "'p*:nn=' ,4n4;.~qyclL1t $4t.7+pdn+part 2

~'Appendix 71 Poverty Today (CPA 1 Combat Poverty AgencyQuarterly Journal) - ~NAPS Speclal Issue,I 11 articles on NAPS /Producer Date Dissemination Irish version Comments-Comprehenslve reactlonto NAPS from a rangeof perspectives+T?ZZI Producer Date Dissemination Irish version Comments/ Poverty Today - Combat Poverty Agency JulylAugust 1999 CPA Ma~l~ng LlstI Specral Issue - NAPS2 years on, 4 art~cles11IviewpointPoverty TodaySupplement - Poverty-Prooflng Ch~ldcarein the context of NAPSCombat Poverty AgencyNoRange of views on progresson NAPS and how ~tcould be strengthenedJulyIAugust 1999 I CPA Ma~llng Llst No Example of povertyproof~ng In actlon-2Poverty Today - 4page Gu~de to NAPSPoverty Today - 1art~cle on lmplement~ngNAPS by BernadetteLacey, Pr~nc~pal Officerof NAPS Un~tCombat Poverty AgencyCombat Poverty AgencyPoverty Today - 1 art~cle 1 Combat Poverty Agencyon Assessing NAPS byHelen Johnston ofCPA + V~ewpolntPoverty TodaySupplement- NAPS andthe 1998 BudgetIiCombat Poverty AgencyPoverty Today - 1 article : Combat Poverty Agencyon Poverty Proofing byBernadette Lacey,Prlnc~pal Officer ofNAPS UnitPoverty Today - d~rectreferences in 2 art~clesCombat Poverty Agency1July 1997October 1997September1October 1998December11 January 1999CPA Mail~ng ListCPA Ma~l~ng ListCPA Ma~l~ng ListCPA Mailing LlstCPA Malllng L~stCPA Ma~llng L~stFactual summary of NAPSOutline of the structuresbeing put in place todeliver NAPSAn initial assessment ofNAPS progress one year on .Budget '98 assessedagalnst NAPSArt~cle on the des~gnand ~mplementat~onof poverty proofingPoverty Today - 1 art~cle Combat Poverty Agency AprillMay 1999 CPA Mailing LlstOutl~nes progress onon NAPS Stmteqyroqress by De~rdreCarroll AsslrtdntSccrrtary atDcpdrtnicnr ofToci,il Commiin~tv,111d F,imllv Aff.ilr5Pol-rri Tt~riabReference to knowledgeof NAPS In Publlc Att~tudessurvey and UN crit~cal ofNAPS in relat~on to childpovertyNAPS In 1998Conih~t Poverty Aqcncy AprillMay 1999 CPA Malllnq Llst No I Budqet 99 assessed agalnstSr ~pcl~rni~nr - NAPS NAPSsntl the 1999 BudoetICombat Poverty AgencyAnnual Report 1997Combat Poverty AgencyStrateg~c Plan 1999-2001Combat Poverty AgencyAnnual Report 1998Nat~onal Anti-PovertyStrategy Sharing inProgressSoclal lnclus~on StrategyNAPS Unlt LeafletCombat Poverty AgencyCombat Poverty AgencyCombat Poverty AgencyApr11 1999 1Government 1 Apr~l 19971Department of Social. August 1998Commun~ty and Fam~lyCPACPA Ma~llng Llst 1 lr~sh ForewordCPA Ma~llng Llst ( lr~sh ForewordNAPS key element ofI , Chalrperson's ForewordIand Ovew~ewa n g s t Yes Object~ve 1 focuses on NAPSIPublicly ava~lable &through GovernmentNoPubl~cat~onsiNAPS key element ofChairperson's Foreword, and OverviewThe maln NAPS document- Strategy and AppendicesPubl~cly ava~lable & NO I Comprehenslve NAPSthrough GovernmentAffalrs (DSCFA) Publications DSCFANAPS Un~t, DSCFA1998199 Annual Report Governmentof NAPS Inter-Departmental Pol~cyCommitteeIIAugust 1998 From NAPS Unlt NoJune 1999Monrtor~ng Poverty ESRI, CPA and DSCFA June 1999TrendsBaseline documents, Individual Governm~nr 1997 - 1999annual workplans andannual report5 fromGovernmentDepartmentsPolicy Proofirirl In rllpConr~xr of rlicNafional Anrr-Pov~rtyS tratpqvDepartments - centrallyh~ld by NAPS Un~rNAPS il)PrPublicly ava~lable &throuqh GovernmentPubl~cationsPubl~rly avd~lahlc Rthrouqh Governn~rritPuhlic,itionrNoNilBaseline Document ofOutl~nes funct~on of NAPSUn~t and gives contactnumbersDocuments progre\s onNAPS over 2 year 1)~riorid11rI 5?t5 mne I~I>VL~ tC~rq~~r~,

~mm--. - - " .. '9Material ~iod&er Date Dissemination Irish version Comments1 Guidelines for the NAPS IDPCImplementation ofPoverty-Prooflng1 ProceduresINews & Views - 2IlegsDisseminatedInternally withinthe civil service;available on request!Community Workers' CWC Mailing List Noarticles on NAPS. 1 Co-operative (CWC)on key elements1,and 1 a critique ofthe Strategy 1II1 News & Wews - 1 Community Workers 1 January 1998 / CWC Mailing Lrst; article on NAPS CO-operatrveiprogress by ChrisMclnerneyINoNoFOCUS on implementationof poverty proofingwith worked examplesA factual account ofthe Strategy and anassessment of itsdevelopmentAn assessment of progresson NAPS & a critiquein relation to the '98 Budget1 Bibliography, Baker, T. J., Duffy, D. and Smyth, D. (1 999); Quarterly Economic Review May 1999. Dublin: Economic and Social1 Research Institute.Boldt, S., Divine, B., MacDevitt, D and Morgan, M. (1998); Educational Disadvantage and Early School Leaving. Dublin:Combat Poverty Agency.Callan, T., Layte, R., Nolan, B., Watson, D., Whelan, C.T., Williams, J. and Maitre, B. (1999); Monitoring Poverty Trends.Dublin: ESRI, Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs and Combat Poverty Agency.Cantillon, 5. (1997); "Women and Poverty: Differences in Living Standards Within Households", in Byrne, A. andLeonard, M. (eds) Women and lrish Society A Sociological Readec Belfast: Beyond the Pale Publications.Cantillon, 5. and Nolan, B. (1998); "Are Married Women More Deprived than their Husbands?" Journal of Social Policy,Vol. 27, NO. 2, pp. 151-171.Combat Poverty Agency (1999); "Poverty-Proofing Childcare in the Context of the National Anti-Poverty Strategy"Poverty Today Supplement. JulyIAugust 1999, No. 44.Commission on Social Welfare (1986); Report of the Commission on Social Welfare. Dubl~n: Stationery Off~ceConroy, P. (1996) Equality Proofing Issues; Dublin: Econom~c and Soc~al Forum. (Unpublished)Conroy, P (1999); 'Internat~onal Models for Tackling Poverty' In Poverty Today Apr~llMay 1999, No. 43ICSO (1999); Quarterly National Household Survey - Third Quarter 1999. Dubln: CSO.1CSO (March 2000); Quarterly National Household Survey - Fourth Quarter Dublin: CSOCullen, B. (2000, forthcom~ng); Evaluation of the Combat Poverty Agency's Demonstration Programme on EducatronalDisadvantage. Dublin: Combat Poverty Agency, (Unpublished).Department of Agr~culture and Food (1999); A White Paper on Rural Development. A Strategy for Rural Developmentin Ireland. Dublin: The Stationery OfficeDepartment of the Env~ronment and Local Government (1999). Preparrng the Ground Gurd~lrnes for thc Proqrerr fromStrategy Groups to CountylCrty Development Boards Dublin Stationery OfficeDepartment of F~nance (1998). Strategy Statement 1998-2000 Dublin D~partrnpnt of Firi,iric~Department of Just~ce, Equal~ty and Law Reform (1999). Partn~rrhrp 2000 Workrncj Grorip I i ~ c i ~ ~ Prooirr!cl I r f ~ FiportDepartment of Just~ce, Equality and Law Reform. Dec~mb~r 1999Department of Social. Community and Family Affairs (19981. Snpporrrnq Vi~lontary ActrvrtyCommunrty and Voluntary Sector and rts Rebtlonthrp wrth thfl Starc Dirl~l~ri T l l S'cil~rvir.rt~ O'f~r i)A GI~%(v~ P,I/YI (,I) rtl,Department of Social, Community and Farnllv Affdlrs I 19981. Sorr,>/ /r~i/ci~rr,n Srr,ir~.i~~ 01 r i i r),'l~,~r!rr;~~,rf~ ~r,/ ',or ,.I!Community and Famrly Affarrc Dl~hlln St,itior~r~rv OfficrDenny, K , Hdrwan, C , b.lcF.laiion, D ,S,Sorral Revr~w JU~V 1990. Voi 30 N'3 3 Diihii~ Econr~nilr anrl ic1r12l \'!(!lo;R~rimond, 5 1199 , L,t~r,,rv ,+r;r! E(i .r,:.,r.c r 1.6. ,:I-r: ,, 'b, !i

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(1998); "Book Revlew of United Nations Development Programme Human Development Report 1998: Howlreland Fares" in The Economic and Social Review, July 1998, Vol. 29, No. 3.Nolan, B., Whelan, C. and Williams, J. (1998); Where Are Poor Households? Dubl~n: Oak Tree Press.Howarth, C., Kenway, P. and Miorelli, R. (1999); Monitoring Poverty and Social Exclusion 1999. York: RowntreeFoundation.Nolan, B. and Whelan, C. (1999); Loading the Dice? A Study of Cumulative Disadvantage. Dubl~n: Oak Tree PressInformal Counc~l of Labour and Social Affairs Ministers (February 2000); Intervention by the Minister for Social Affairs1 Ministers. (Unpublshed).IInter-Departmental Policy Commttee (1995); Consultation Paper on hstitutional Mechanisms to Support the National1 Ant/-Poverty Strategy Dublin: Department of An Taoiseach.Nolan, B. and Watson, D. (1 999); Women and Poverty Dublin: Oak Tree PressNolan, B (1999). 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'1Stutt, C. in association with Murtagh, B (1996); National Anti-Povew Strategy: Report on hstitutional Mechanisms.Dublin: Department of Social, Community and Family Affairs.The Co-ordinating Group of Secretaries (1 996) Delivering Better Government - A Programme of Change of the lrishCivil Service. Dublin: Department of An Taoiseach.1 The lrish Times (January 22, 2000); "Literacy problems for 1 in 10 leaving primary school. "The lrish Times (January 22, 2000); "Primary schools literacy initiative launched. ", UNDP (1998); Human Development Report 1998. Oxford: Oxford University PressUNDP (1 999); Human Development Report 1999. Oxford: Oxford Univers~ty Press./United Nations Economic and Social Council (12 May 1992) Consideration of Reports Submitted by States Parties underArticles 16 and 17 of the Covenant - Concluding Observations of the Committee on Economic, Social and CulturaliRights. Distr. General Unedited Version, EIC. 1211 Add.35Walsh, J., Craig, 5. and McCafferty, D. (1998); Local Partnerships for Social Inclusion? Dublin: Oak Tree PressPlannin$fot a More InclusiveSociety__