Sir, - Further to Dr Garret FitzGerald's article in your edition of August 4th and the letter from Tadhg B. Kearney (August 13th), I wish to point out that Dr FitzGerald's assertion that we have failed to deliver resources towards tackling social inequality and poverty does not stand up to scrutiny. The range and depth of this Government's response to the issue of poverty and exclusion are evident in the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness, in the National Development Plan, in Government budgetary policy and in the National Anti-Poverty Strategy.
Furthermore, it is widely acknowledged that the benefits of Ireland's economic progress over the past few years have in fact translated into significant reductions in many of the key indicators of social exclusion.
Even savings on public spending which have accrued from this success, for example unemployment assistance, have been redirected to areas such as old-age pensions, child support, etc., which have been substantially increased.
Of course the Government acknowledges that not everyone has benefited proportionately from the growth of recent years. That, precisely, is why the promotion of social inclusion is a central component of the National Development Plan 2000-2006. In fact, under the NDP some £15 billion is being targeted at a range of social inclusion measures. This is by far the biggest investment in social inclusion undertaken by any Government in the history of the State. Indeed, it represents over 37 per cent of the total expenditure envisaged under the National Development Plan.
Mr Kearney is right in his assertion that it is the mechanisms for the delivery of some of these initiatives that need to be addressed. In the area of local development, the lessons learned from the pilot Integrated Services Process about the closer integration and better co-ordination in the delivery of State services will be reflected in the new RAPID programme (Revitalising Areas by Planning, Investment and Development) which I was privileged to launch in February. This is designed to prioritise investment under the National Development Plan at those areas of greatest disadvantage. - Yours, etc.,
Eoin Ryan TD, Minister for Local Development with Special Responsibility for the National Drugs Strategy, Dβil ╔ireann, Dublin 2.