Anti-poverty group criticises Govt plan

from the Irish Times

The Government's national action plan for social inclusion is "disappointing" and ignores the needs of migrant workers and asylum seekers, an anti-poverty group has said.

Speaking following a series of workshops around the country last week to assess the National Plan 2007-2013, the Irish branch of the European Anti-Poverty Network (EAPN) concluded that the State plan was "lacking ambition".

Unveiled in February, the plan outlines the Government's commitment to building an inclusive society and, along with the ten-year social partnership agreement, Towards 2016, eradicating consistent poverty by 2016.

It sets out plans to reduce literacy difficulties, target early school leaving, enhance the value of the State pension and help foreign nationals to integrate into Irish society.

However, over 100 community development and anti-poverty professionals attending the meetings in Athlone, Sligo, Dublin and Mallow last week found that migrant groups' needs were being hampered due to the introduction of the habitual residency requirement for child benefit and claimed a "scandalously low level of direct provision for asylum seekers" was also problematic.

EAPN acting co-ordinator Paul Ginnell said: "There is a lack of clear targets throughout the plan, and those that are in place are in some cases recycled from the previous plan, while other targets, such as the elimination of long-term unemployment, have disappeared entirely."

While acknowledging the Government's efforts to build childcare facilities, the organisations said there was no similar level of support for the hiring or training of staff working in childcare.

"The EAPN does welcome the positive elements in the new plan, and the fact that the government is clearly wedded to a process of addressing social exclusion," Mr Ginnell said.

But he added: "The sense we are getting from people working in the community sector is that they see the plan as disappointing and lacking in both ambition and a real determination to address social exclusion as a priority for this government."