Public consultation on the successor to the “Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020-2025”

The Minister for Social Protection, Dara Calleary T.D., has launched a public consultation to develop a replacement for the Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020-2025.

The Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020-2025 was published in 2020. It followed the National Action Plan for Social Inclusion which ended in 2017. This series of plans has been ongoing since 1997.

The Roadmap for Social Inclusion aims to reduce the number of people in poverty in Ireland and increase social inclusion for the most disadvantaged. The ambition is to:

“Reduce consistent poverty to 2% or less and to make Ireland one of the most socially inclusive countries in the EU”.

The Roadmap currently contains 81 commitments, which have been developed with relevant departments and agencies to reflect their strategies and plans. Progress on the Roadmap and its commitments have been reported in annual Progress Reports and Report Cards, which are available on gov.ie.

At the end of 2024:

• 59 commitments were fully achieved or achieved with ongoing delivery
• 22 commitments were in progress

In the 28 years since the first National Action Plan for Social Inclusion, consistent poverty in Ireland reduced to an all-time low of 3.6% in 2023. While it did increase in 2024, the government is working to ensure the overall downward trend continues. (See Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC) - CSO - Central Statistics Office for more information. for more information.)

Some groups continue to experience higher levels of poverty than others, such as members of the Traveller and Roma communities, people with a disability, people unable to work due to long-standing health issues, single parent families and people living in rented accommodation. A new strategy will try to improve social inclusion and reduce poverty across all groups, as well as at a national level.

As we begin to develop the new social inclusion strategy we want to hear your views on the progress made in improving social inclusion and reducing poverty. Please share your experience, or the experience of the people you represent, of poverty and social exclusion, and suggest ways this situation could be improved in the future.

We welcome your comments, ideas and suggestions as to what might be included in the next strategy and thank you in advance for your contribution.

The public consultation will take place from 10 April 2025 to 30 June 2025.

Before making a submission, please review the privacy information below.

Contact the Department of Social Protection

Email: social.inclusion@welfare.ie with “Successor to the Roadmap for Social Inclusion Consultation” in the email subject line.

We are committed to engaging with stakeholders in a clear, open and transparent manner. Any person or organisation can make a submission for this consultation. Responses will help develop a replacement to the Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020-2025.

Responses to this consultation are subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2014 (FOI) and the Data Protection Act 2018.

We intend to publish the contents of all submissions received during this consultation on our website. Personal data will be redacted prior to publication of submissions. Please tell us if a response contains personal or confidential information that you do not want to be published or released under FOI.

For more on Data Protection in the Department of Social Protection,read our Data Protection policy.

Further information on the Roadmap for Social Inclusion 2020-2025: Ambition, Goals, Commitments.

Access the consultation survey.

Written Submissions

We are aware that some organisations may prefer to provide written submissions in response to the consultation questions. We ask that if you and your organisation wish to do so, that they are sent to social.inclusion@welfare.ie with “Successor to the Roadmap for Social Inclusion Consultation Submission” in the email subject line.

Alternatively, by post to Social Inclusion Division, Room 1.1.15, Department of Social Protection, Goldsmith House, Dublin 2, D02 YY17 by 30 June 2025.