Minister Gildernew with Philomena McCaughey, Fermanagh CAB, Rural Outreach and Advocacy worker and Gary McIntyre Cross Border Advice Worker.
Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development, Michelle Gildernew met recently with staff of Fermanagh CAB to discuss the charity’s work within the rural community.
The Programme for Government has made a commitment to address rural poverty and disadvantage and has allocated the Department for Agriculture and Rural Development a £10 million package to address these issues over the next three years.
Speaking at the event the Minister said ‘Citizens Advice Bureaux offer a vital lifeline to those in need across the North and have long been involved in the fight against poverty and social exclusion. In addition to undertaking vital pilot programmes which help ensure benefits reach those who need and deserve them, the Fermanagh branch has been dealing with a growing number of people who have hardship in the current economic climate.
During this visit I have been able to chat to staff and see for myself some of the commendable work that has been undertaken. In particular their rural focused schemes like the rural outreach service and their work on identifying the types of debt faced by those living in rural communities.”
Chief Executive of Citizens Advice Derek Alcorn said:
“The work of Citizens Advice was highly relevant to the Rural anti poverty and social inclusion framework. CAB could make a particular contribution to this initiative in terms of its specialist work in benefit entitlement debt and money advice and employment rights”
The Minister was also able to give an update on the consultation on the Rural anti poverty and Social Inclusion framework.
In its response to the consultation, Citizens Advice made a number of recommendations:
• Expanding and funding a specialist regional rural advice service dealing with social issues including telephone advice, outreach and educational awareness would make a very positive contribution to addressing the anti-poverty needs of rural communities. It would also help to address issues arising from changes to EU policies which negatively effect disposable income e.g. review of the LFA scheme , or future changes to single farm payments
• A pilot exercise which using CAB’s standardised IT and Case management systems to analyse the profile and structure of rural poverty would make a contribution to the development of evidence based policy within the Department.
• Access to transport is an important aspect of equality and increased awareness of the Smartpass scheme and further joint working with the DRD Rural Transport fund will improve access for rural communities.
• The DARD strategy could usefully read across to the Lifetime Opportunities anti poverty strategy and the DSD Opening Doors strategy
• Affordable childcare in rural areas is an important component of helping people to access employment. The establishment of a rural childcare funding programme would address this specific need.
• Post Offices and the web of relationships which they sustain, represent important social capital. They should either be allowed to be properly commercial, or should be subsidised on a cost benefit basis.