Tánaiste welcomes establishment of EQUAL Mainstreaming Policy Group

The Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Mary Harney, TD. today (Wednesday, 7th May, 2003) welcomed the establishment of a new policy group to examine the potential for mainstreaming into national policy and practice the lessons and good practice learned from the ESF co-funded EQUAL Community Initiative Programme.

The membership of the Group encompasses representatives from Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, the Department of Social and Family Affairs, the Department of Education and Science, the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, FÁS, Equality Authority, IBEC, ICTU, SFA, community and voluntary pillar, IFA, NESF, BMW and SAE Regional Authorities, National Disability Authority, Development Partnerships and the National Centre for Partnership and Performance. The Group is jointly chaired by the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment and the Equality Authority.

The EQUAL Community Initiative Programme, which has been operational since the end of 2001, seeks to identify and address fundamental forms of discrimination and inequality in connection with the labour market through the development of new and innovative policies and practices initiated by EQUAL Development Partnerships.

EQUAL is funded by the European Social Fund (ESF) and will operate between 2001 and 2008 with a total ESF budget for Ireland of €33.9million. There are two funding periods. The first funding round is currently supporting 21 Development Partnerships in Ireland. A second call for proposals will be launched in 2004.

The Tánaiste said "the potential is there for significant learning to be captured from the activities under the Programme as a whole and that Nationally serious questions and issues would arise for mainstream labour market policy, social policy, education and the equality agenda in Ireland and, potentially, in the EU. The problem with some of these European Programmes in the past has been that no formal mechanisms were put in place from the outset to facilitate the formal dissemination and capturing of innovative ways of approaching policy and practice. Mainstreaming activity took place either too late or at the end of the programme when there was no time to assess the impact of projects. I welcome the approach which is being adopted under the EQUAL Programme where the outcomes at a policy and strategic level are seen as equally important to those impacts for individual participants who will be involved in the Programme. The setting up of the EQUAL Mainstreaming Policy Group forms part of that strategy."

The success of the investment in EQUAL will be measured in terms of the shared views and participation by beneficiaries, policymakers, the social partners and other relevant organisations in the operation, analysis and mainstreaming of the outcomes of the project work to be undertaken by the Development Partnerships. The new mainstreaming policy group aims to facilitate such interaction and cooperation.

The Tánaiste said "the setting up of this Group is in itself an innovative approach and may serve as a model of best practice in inter-agency cooperation on common issues. I welcome the fact, in that regard, that the group is jointly chaired by my own Department and by the Equality Authority which reflects the equality mainstreaming implications arising from the Programme and the activities of the Development Partnerships for the policymaking process and for service delivery. The ability for Statutory Agencies and Government Departments to take on board new learning and modify old policies and practices has often been criticised. This "meeting of minds" within the EQUAL mainstreaming policy group should provide a golden opportunity to prove the critics wrong."

ENDS