The new National Development Plan Brian Harvey EAPN, Dublin 8 th February 2007

Transforming Ireland – a better quality of life for all National Development Plan ► 4 th National Development Plan ► First two were structural fund plans ► was part structural funds, main part was not ► This plan has NO structural funds, although it follows EU financial timeframe ► They are in National Strategic Reference Framework and OPs for ESF, two regions, INTERREG, Peace III

NDP consultation ► 77 contributions ► Many statutory bodies ► Social policy bodies well represented incl EAPN ► Short analysis of contributions (p33) ► Social inclusion emerged as a priority and theme ► But a limited model of consultation compared to rest of Europe

Social inclusion ► Was originally to be separated from the plan (August 2005) ► It is here as a ‘high level goal’, chapter in its own right (11), features in all-island chapter, specific spending area with €49.6bn of €183.7bn ► Plan recognizes ‘concentrations of deprivation and lack of opportunities in certain areas, both urban and rural’ (SWOT, p31)

Social inclusion priority (ch 11) ► Children€12.3bn ► Working age education€4.3bn ► Working age – social & economic€1.2bn ► Working age – justice€300m ► Older people€9.7bn ► People with disabilities€19.2bn ► Local & community development€1.9bn ► Horizontal programme€800m

The social inclusion spend (€49.6bn) ► Three large spending areas: Disability 40% Children35% Older people20% ► They account for 85% ► Remaining headings are quite small ► Most are within framework of Toward 2016

Social inclusion analyzed ► Two introductory sections The challenge of social inclusion, The strategic framework for tackling social exclusion ► The persistence of poverty despite economic success, avoiding questions of how success is structured, distributed ► Delivery within the framework for tackling social exclusion: recites initiatives in place

The spend analyzed (1) ► Children: child welfare, special needs, youth programmes, Youthreach, youth justice, childcare, Traveller education ► Working age education: BTEI, VTOS, PLC, third level access ► Working age participation: activation, BTW, BTE allowance ► Working age justice: sentence management, reintegration offenders

The spend analyzed (2) ► Older people: living at home, residential care, home help, meals on wheels ► Disabilities: health services (mainly), education & built environment ► Local & community development: CDP€861mVolunteering€197m RAPID€67mDrugs€319m LDSIP€417m

The spend analyzed (3) ► Horizontal programme Immigrant integration€36m Language support€637m Racism, Travellers€27m Equality & women€148m ► Not all of ch11 necessarily socially inclusive ► Some targeted parts financially small ► Some other parts are inclusive as well ► New: volunteering, community policing

Social inclusion elsewhere ► Public transport in 7 Economic infrastructure ► Rural social and economic development (CLAR, LEADER, rural social programme) ► 9 Human capital priority includes: lifelong learning, second chance education, ESL, activation of groups outside workforce (e.g. unemployed, lone parents, Travellers, offenders, women, older workers, migrants) ► 10 Social infrastructure includes social housing ► Specifically iterated in 5 All island cooperation

Monitoring arrangements (1) ► Note not required, but previous NDP concepts used ► Central monitoring committee ► Includes four social partner pillars ► Equal opportunities and environmental interests to be represented by government ► No social inclusion representatives

Monitoring arrangements (2) ► Section Monitoring and reporting on social inclusion (p280) ► Annual report by Office for Social Inclusion (OSI) ► Will consult with ‘all stakeholders, including departmental liaison officers and policy owners, with inputs from the partnership steering committee, the senior officials group on social inclusion and other for a as appropriate’

The plan analyzed ► Follows structures, concepts, model, legacy of earlier plans ► Social inclusion proportion, 27%, broadly in line with previous plans ► Social inclusion parts include elements that belong elsewhere e.g. older people ► Human capital, Social infrastructure, includes socially inclusive elements ► Little new money ► No significant departures from Toward 2016 ► Community development areas unaffected

Critical comments (1) ► Not poverty proofed: Energy, but not fuel poverty Waste, but not low income families Communications, but not digital divide Enterprise, but not low-income groups, social economy Sport, but not deprived communities ► Some commitments extremely vague esp. health services ► How much housing for Travellers, homeless, disability? ► Transport investment still favours private:public ► More prisons questionable as ‘social infrastructure’

Critical comments (2) ► Inequality seen as spatial, regional, not social ► Pointed commitment to tackle consistent poverty (not relative poverty) ► Little utilization of poverty data ► No learning obviously transferred from ► No indicators, despite work of agency ► Little engagement with civil society

Challenges ► Providing a critical commentary ► Challenging the model of development ► Ensuring adherence to the social inclusion commitments ► Strengthening them where they are weak ► Develop opportunities: island cooperation, volunteering, community policing ► Monitoring committee & issues ► Annual social inclusion report

And then there are the structural funds… ► NSRF draft out ► OPs for two regional programmes, ESF ► Peace III, INTERREG IV and making them follow the imperative of social inclusion. Thank you.