The Government's National Anti Poverty Strategy, launched yesterday, is a praiseworthy attempt to put the issue squarely on the national political agenda for the medium to long term. It is based on substantial research and consultation with people in poverty and those agencies and organisations which are active in the field and it proposes coherent targets for tackling the problem. As the Taoiseach, Mr Bruton put it yesterday, this is not only a matter for those who are poor but for the whole of Irish society, which is itself impoverished by the systematic exclusion of a large group of citizens. It is also endangered by the associated problems of crime and drugs which reflect these inequalities.
The antipoverty plan was inspired by the United Nations Social Summit in Copenhagen two years ago and has been a commitment in the Partnership 2000 agreement recently concluded with the social partners. The research programme and analysis revealed that a number of key areas have to be addressed if poverty is to be tackled effectively. They include educational disadvantage; unemployment; income inadequacy; disadvantaged urban areas; and rural poverty. The document published yesterday brings together very usefully research and consultation materials under these headings and objectives as to how they should be tackled. It aims over a ten year period to reduce those who are classified as consistently poor by nearly half and to reduce unemployment to a rate of six per cent and long term unemployment to 3.5 per cent.
These objectives are set out in the context of the strong economic growth Ireland has experienced and of the fiscal constraints imposed by the Maastricht convergence criteria. This State has become something of a laboratory for the combination of fiscal stringency and high growth, demonstrating that they are not incompatible. It is undoubtedly true that poverty will most effectively be tackled by providing employment, which in recent years has been happening in the Irish economy after a long period of jobless growth. The outlook for the economy is relatively bright for the medium to long term, because of favourable demographic and social trends, as has been made clear by a recent publication from the Combat Poverty Agency. This gives an unprecedented opportunity to implement the aspirations set out in yesterday's document.
And yet it will take hard political will to do so. It cannot be assumed that all boats will automatically be lifted by economic prosperity. There is disturbing evidence that inequalities and social distance have been increasing, whether between the employed and the unemployed, those on welfare and those in jobs, or between PAYE and self employed groups. Wealth and power continue to determine the distribution of resources, while the welfare state in Ireland has proved of particular benefit to those who are relatively comfortably off, as well as providing a social safety net for the most disadvantaged.
Yesterday's initiative is a good start. It is not accompanied by any significant extra resources, but promises a more dedicated response to the issue of poverty and a more clear cut political and administrative framework. Now that it is in place, it would be good to hear continuing debate on how best to accomplish the objectives it identifies, whether by taxation policy or the provision of a basic income for all, as proposed by the Conference of Religious in Ireland.