The downturn in the economy will make it much more difficult for the Government to meets its target to reduce levels of deprivation, the State’s advisory body on tackling poverty has warned.
The Government has pledged to eliminate consistent poverty and to reduce the numbers at risk of poverty by 2016. At present around 300,000 people are living in consistent poverty, which is the equivalent of living on an income of around €11,000 for a single person and being unable to afford essentials such as two pairs
of shoes or a winter coat.
Launching its annual report today, the Combat Poverty Agency warned against deviating from these ambitious targets. “It is people on low incomes who are being hit hardest by increases in the price of food and fuel. There will need, for example, to be above-inflation increases in welfare payments in the next budget,” said the agency’s acting director, Kevin O’Kelly.
“It’s vital, too, that people on such low incomes are not hit with increases in indirect taxes. A higher proportion of such people would feel the effect of VAT increases to a much greater extent that the rest of the population.”
The agency says that tackling poverty and social exclusion need to be at the heart of policies on employment, education and training. It says national policies on tackling poverty need to be shaped at a local level if they are to have a strong impact.
“Policies developed centrally, without local input, are less likely to succeed because they fail to foster support among administrators who are closest to the citizen and most involved in delivering services,” Mr O’Kelly said.
The future of the Combat Poverty agency has been in doubt since the Minister for Social and Family Affairs Mary Hanafin voiced doubts over the role of the organisation recently. The organisation, which is State-funded, is the subject of a wide-ranging review by the Department which is expected to be completed next month.
Mr O’Kelly said the agency has met with the Minister and gave a presentation on its plans for developing the organisation in recent weeks.
“It was an opportunity for an exchange of views. No decision has been made on our future remit. We do a lot of work that is below the radar and doesn’t appear in the media, working with local authorities and communities to support the delivery of programmes and local targets.”
In a recent interview with The Irish Times, Ms Hanafin voiced further doubts over the role of the agency but declined to say what its future role would be.