Action Plan on Poverty and Social Exclusion sets targets

The Malta National Action Plan on Poverty and Social Exclusion 2004-2006, launched yesterday, is aimed at tackling poverty and social exclusion.

This could be done by increasing the overall employment rate, namely female, and develop policies to make work pay while promoting more and better jobs for both women and men, who were currently inactive or who were recipients of social benefits.

Another approach would be to combat illiteracy and improve the educational attainment of both young students as well as adults in advanced age.

The welfare system also had to be strengthened so as to cater for the most needy and increasing social and affordable housing conducive to well-being.

The plan, which was launched by Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi and Social Solidarity Minister Dolores Cristina, is setting a number of targets, namely to:

¤ reduce the early school leaver share of youth unemployment by 8.5% to reach 10% by 2010;

¤ decrease school absenteeism by 25% (6.8 days per pupil) of the overall absence rate by the end of 2006;

¤ increase the share of 18-24-year-olds with higher secondary education or above by 24%, to stand at 75% of this cohort;

¤ increase the employment of persons with disability to four-fifths of the national employment rate;

¤ raise the female employment rate by 12% points to 45% by 2010; and

¤ review the pension regime by January 2006, so as to ensure adequate and sustainable pensions.

The plan follows a joint memorandum on social inclusion signed between Malta and the European Commission in December. The plan presented to the media yesterday was submitted to the Commission in July.

Dr Gonzi described the plan as a commitment by the government and Maltese society to ensure and promote a concerted and co-ordinated effort to combat poverty and social exclusion and promote social understanding of the situation, identifying those at the greatest risk of poverty and social exclusion and recognising the co-ordinated efforts that were necessary to effect positive changes in the lives of those in most need.

He said that there was a link between this plan and that on employment, which was in its final stage of consultation.

Both these plans, together with others addressing various sectors of Maltese social and economic life, would feed into the intensive process leading to Malta's national development plan, a process that will take place in 2005.

Ms Cristina said that an extensive consultation process had taken place in preparation for the plan and it had included five focus groups, a questionnaire and a national seminar.

The questionnaire had been very demanding but Ms Cristina said, she would have liked it to be answered by more organisations for a clearer picture to be obtained.

The plan identifies 12 key priorities, the first being to increase employment and the employability of vulnerable groups. For example, unemployed persons in Malta were at 50% risk of poverty, which was significantly higher than in the EU15 (39%).

The second key priority is to increase the current low female employment rate. Inactive women were at a higher risk of poverty, (19%), than inactive men, (10%). Only 45% of all inactive women surveyed by the ETC stated that they would be willing to work. Only 8% of single mothers held full-time employment in contrast to 36% single fathers.

Another priority was to raise the current, low employment rate of persons aged 55 and over. The participation rate of 55 to 64-year-olds was only 32% against the 40% in the EU25. Only 13% of older female workers were employed against the average of 31% in the EU25.

The fourth priority was to make work pay. It was government policy to make work as attractive as possible for men and women, and particularly those from disadvantaged groups.

Another priority was to ensure that literacy and numeracy skills were acquired by all members of society reducing school absenteeism and promoting life-long and life-wide opportunities at all levels in a wide range of areas. The overall rate of school absenteeism was nine days per pupil.

The sixth priority was to ensure further inclusion and equal opportunities for students with disabilities or learning difficulties in primary and secondary schools.

Four per cent of all primary school pupils were students with a disability. There was, however, a lack of statistical data on educational qualifications and professional skills of disabled persons.

The seventh priority was to further support families in need and families at risk of social exclusion, particularly victims of domestic violence.

Social protection expenditure on family and children outlays equalled 6.2% of total social expenditure in 2002 and 40% of all Maltese believed that domestic violence against women in Malta was fairly common.

Another priority was to promote public awareness of children's rights and to provide services to protect and empower children and youths.

Children aged up to 15 in Malta were at a far greater risk of poverty (21%) than children in the EU15, 19%.

The ninth priority was to ensure adequate and affordable housing to vulnerable groups by providing a wider range of services and schemes.

Persons in rented housing were 29% at risk-of-poverty, 2.5 times more than the home owners' average (11%). In the EU15 the respective figures were 24% and 12%, respectively.

The tenth priority was to promote access to services by disadvantaged groups, such as persons with mental health problems, single mothers, victims of domestic violence, substance abusers, refugees and illegal immigrants.

The at-risk-of poverty of single mothers in 2000 stood at 55%. In January 2002, Malta assumed full responsibility for the management of its asylum seekers. In 2002 1,686 illegal immigrants entered Malta, in 2003 there were 502 new cases and by mid-2004, there were another 355 cases.

Another priority was to ensure adequate and sustainable pensions.

The current pension system was running a moderate deficit of 1.2% of the gross domestic product in 2003 and based on projections from the World Bank, this would accelerate to 3.5% by 2015 and to 4.7% by 2030.

The twelfth priority was the regeneration of the Grand Harbour Area so as to increase access to housing, employment and community care and social facilities. 19.5% of all dwellings in the Grand Harbour area were vacant, 39% dilapidated.

There was a higher level of school absenteeism in this area and 16% and 12% of men and women in the south-eastern district were illiterate.

Moreover, pupils attending schools in the inner harbour region, had significantly lower average scores in Maltese and English than pupils in other regions.