National Action Plan for Social Inclusion NAPincl

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National Action Plan for Social Inclusion
(NAPincl)
July 2007 Paul Ginnell, EAPN Ireland
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Current Context

• Employment Rate 67.1 (EU avg. 64)
• Unemployment 4.4 (EU avg. 7.9)
• High inward migration - 10 of population is
  immigrant (mainly migrant workers).
• Population 4.24million
• Ireland GDP at 144 of EU average (2005)

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Context

• Redistribution of wealth In 2005 Ireland
  relative Poverty rate 19.7, EU avg. 16 (EU SILC
  - Survey of Income and Living Conditions).
• Income Generally Improvement in minimum social
  welfare payment to equivalent of 30 GAIE but
  still below poverty 60 Poverty level. Poverty
  Traps when moving from welfare to work.
• Services 2003 GDP Expenditure on Expenditure on
  Social Protection/Ed./Health/ 28.1 (GNI 32.9)
  EU avg. 41.2
• Employment Some groups still mainly
  marginalised. (Employment Rates 2006 Overall
  67.1 - Females 58/Males 76.2 - lone parents
  43, Travellers 16 and people with disabilities
  37). Also 7 in work poverty.
• Issues for specific groups e.g. lone parents,
  older people, people with disabilities,
  Travellers, minority groups, homeless people,
  geographical disadvantage

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What do we mean by poverty?

• Relative poverty
• (measure most used in other EU member states)
• Living on less than 60 of median income
• Ireland at 19.7 is amongst highest relative
  poverty in the EU
• Relates to capacity to participate in society
• Specific groups Lone parents 40.7, older people
  20.1, ill/Disabled 40.6, non-Irish nationals
  26.9, At work 7
• Consistent poverty
• (main measure used by Irish Government)
• A combination of relative poverty and
  deprivation indicators (i.e. not having enough to
  afford 2 of a list of 11 basics, such as new
  clothes, heating, second pair of strong shoes
  etc.

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How has overall poverty changed?
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Policy Context

• Towards 2016 (T16) Social Partnership Agreement
• Introduced the Lifecycle approach (outlined in
  2005 NESC Development Welfare State) - policies
  around children, people of working age, older
  people and people with disabilities.
• National Development Plan 2007-2013
• 183.7 Billion Plan - 49.6 bn for Social
  Inclusion Priorities - in Lifecycle approach.
• Reflects NAP Inclusion and T16 commitments
• National Womens Strategy 2007-2013

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Two linked Government approaches to fighting
Poverty and Social Exclusion
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EU Integrated OMC on Social Protection and Social
Inclusion (NSSPSI) How it works

• Overall Lisbon Objective make a decisive impact
  on the eradication of poverty" by 2010
• The Open Method of Co-ordination (OMC)
• Agreed European Objectives
• National Reports (NSSPSI) in each member state
• EU Joint Report on Social Protection and Social
  Inclusion (country chapters)
• Peer review (In November on Irelands NESF
  Social Inclusion Forum)
• common indicators (in Annex 1 NAP Inclusion)

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Irish NSSPSI

• Four Social Inclusion priority policy objectives
• Child poverty
• Access to quality work and learning opportunities
  (activation measures)
• Integration of immigrants
• Access to quality services

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EU Joint Report on Social Protection and Social
Inclusion 2007

• General
• lack of explicit targets in relation to poverty
  reduction
• States that high risk of poverty levels a
  reflection of social welfare system and that the
  continued levels of inequality must be a matter
  for concern.
• Notes that public social expenditure at 15.5 of
  GDP is considerable below EU average of 23.4 and
  the increasing prevalence of people in employment
  at risk of poverty.

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EU Joint Report 2007 (contd.)

• Generally positive re. objectives but highlights
• Need for more flexible approach to training and
  education provision (e.g. childcare provision and
  start times)
• Employment disincentives in the welfare system as
  a serious issue
• Lack of clear targets on migration
• Highlights that Towards 2016 Lifecycle approach
  is gender-blind diminishing the visibility of
  gender mainstreaming and lack of specific targets
  in the NSSPI.
• Challenges
• Sustained investment in service provision (esp.
  childcare and eldercare)
• Addressing high proportion of at risk of poverty
  and high level of income inequalities. Repeats
  concern over lack of targets for poverty
  reduction.- Hopes to see this addressed in Irish
  NAP Inclusion 2007-2016.

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NSSPI

• Strengths
• Involves Commission Overview including reports
• Involves EU level indicators - including Relative
  Poverty.
• Involves a learning process
• Weaknesses
• EU level process not seen as important by
  Government
• Little political energy to make a decisive
  impact on the eradication of poverty by 2010?
• Poor emphasis on rights
• Little participation or visibility- following
  from Towards 2016

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National Action Plan for Social Inclusion
2007-2016

• Replaces National Anti-Poverty Strategy (NAPS)
  1997-2007
• Overall Goal
• New Consistent Poverty Target
• To reduce the number of those experiencing
  consistent poverty to between 2 and 4 by 2012,
  with the aim of eliminating consistent poverty by
  2016, under the revised definition.

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12 High Level Goals under Lifecycle Approach
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Communities
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Some Commitments compared to demands
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Institutional Structures(Annex 5 NAP Inclusion)

• Cabinet Committee on Social Inclusion (Drugs and
  Rural Development)
• Oireachtas Committees Social and Family Affairs
• Senior Officials Group on Social Inclusion
• Towards 2016 Partnership Steering Group
• Office for Social inclusion
• National Economic and Social Development Office
  (NESDO) Includes NESF, NESC and NCPP
• NDP Monitoring Committee
• Combat Poverty Agency
• Local Government Social Inclusion Steering Group
• County/City Development Boards and other local
  structures
• Social inclusion units in government departments
  and on a phased basis in half of all county/city
  local authorities by the end of 2008
• Social Inclusion Forum
• Community and Voluntary Sector
• Technical Advisory Group (Data Strategy)
• EU Social Protection Committee

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Making it Happen - Delivery

• National
• Government Departments and Agencies
• Office of the Minister for Children
• Activation High Level Group
• Local Government Social Inclusion Steering Group
• New mechanisms to improve co-ordination and
  delivery of housing (national/local)
• Local
• County Childcare Committees
• Local Authorities
• Social inclusion strategies
• Working with CDB and RAPID
• Expanding role re. social capital, active
  citizenship, community development (in line with
  competency of local government)
• Local partnership structures
• Affirms role of CDB as key co-ordination
  mechanism for public service delivery (incl.
  social inclusion)
• Senior Officials Group to review local programmes
  to reduce duplication and improve coherence at
  local level.

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Other Key Elements

• Annual Social Inclusion Report
• Assessment of progress towards set targets and
  actions under lifecycle approach
• Identify new issues which might benefit from a
  more co-ordinated approach
• Report on Stakeholders views
• From national and local level
• Input from Partnership Steering Committee
• Annual Social Inclusion Forum
• Work with all Stakeholders in its development
• Poverty Impact Assessment (Poverty Proofing)
• To assess policies and programmes at design,
  implementation and review stages for their likely
  impact on poverty and on inequalities which are
  likely to lead to poverty with a view to poverty
  reduction
• Technical Advisory Group
• Poverty measurement and Data Strategy

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NAP Inclusion Strengths

• All Government approach to all policies
• Poverty Impact Assessment
• Co-ordination across Departments and Agencies
• Stated targets and commitments are in a policy
  document
• New Consistent Poverty Target
• Linked to other policy processes such as Towards
  2016, NDP and NSSPI
• Funded through NDP
• Potential of Annual Social Inclusion Reports

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NAP Inclusion Weaknesses

• Weak targets
• Consistent Poverty target restated and delayed
• No relative poverty target
• Poor Data
• Poverty Impact Assessment Secretive process
• Lifecycle Approach- Inclusion generalised with
  less focus on poverty and the most excluded,
  gender blind etc.
• Consultation process for final document weak
• No gender mainstreaming (National Womens
  Strategy)
• Length of time to 2016 review period

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How can we engage?

• Being clear on issues and demands
• Know what has been promised (in each or relevant
  area)
• NSSPSI and NAP incl.
• Read alongside NDP (esp. social Inclusion
  chapter)
• Monitoring Implementation (national)
• Social Partnership
• Ensuring engagement with Annual SI Report
• Developing ways of monitoring
• Social Inclusion Forum 15th November
• Lobbying TDs and Officials
• Local Level Implementation
• Engagement with CDBs
• Local Anti-Poverty Strategies
• Monitoring Implementation e.g. health, employment
  (activation), housing/accommodation, transport,
  childcare, education/literacy etc.
• Ensuring understanding of poverty and Social
  Inclusion among agencies
• Lobby local elected representatives and local
  officials
• Networking with local and national anti-poverty
  organisations
• Learn from other countries
• Joint Inclusion report use Commission comments

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Further Information

• EAPN Ireland www.eapn.ie
• EAPN NAPincl www.eapn.ie/policy/23
• Combat Poverty Agency www.combatpoverty.ie
• Office for Social Inclusion www.socialinclusion.i
  e