Plans must be implemented if poverty is to be eliminated, says agency

REPORTS, strategies and action plans on ways to reduce poverty prepared by the Government must be implemented if we are ever to really help the country’s poor, the Combat Poverty Agency (CPA) said yesterday.

CPA director Helen Johnston called for a systematic reform of the way government policies are implemented and urged a “whole of government” approach to ensure targets to reduce poverty were realised.

“While Ireland has consistently demonstrated its ability to produce detailed national plans and strategies to tackle poverty, we have been less effective at ensuring that these plans are fully actioned,” Ms Johnston said.