The Taoiseach's office has defended an anti-poverty plan against criticism from the community and voluntary sector of the social partners.
The Community and Voluntary Pillar, one of the four sectors of social partnership, had written to the Taoiseach expressing its disappointment with the content of the recently-published National Action Plan Against Poverty and Social Exclusion.
It also claimed there had been a lack of consultation with the community and voluntary sector and with people living in poverty in producing the document.
In an exchange of correspondence seen by The Irish Times, the Taoiseach's private secretary told sector members Mr Ahern had some concern about their comments.
The action plan is part of a EU-wide drive for co-operation among member-states, all of which submitted documents to the European Commission last month.
This EU plan is separate from the Government's 10-year National Anti-Poverty Strategy which is currently being revised through consultation with the social partners in working groups on themes including housing, health and education. A draft of this strategy will be published in September, with a final text in November.
In its letter to the Taoiseach last month the pillar group said the EU plan was "a disappointing response by the Government to the challenges of persisting poverty and social exclusion, and does not take up the opportunities offered by the rapidly growing economy and by social partnership".
It said it was disappointed at the level of involvement by people living in poverty and the community and voluntary sector in drawing up the plan.
The group acknowledged that this lack of consultation about the EU plan was due to time pressures on the Government and to its being engaged in a parallel process of reviewing the National Anti-Poverty Strategy.
In a response this month, the Taoiseach's private secretary said the EU action plan was "very much a work-in-progress document. This was agreed with the Commission and all the social partners were aware of the position and the reasons for this approach.
"Any other approach would not have made practical sense given that the National Anti-Poverty Strategy is being updated at the moment in consultation with the social partners."
The strategy's working groups are only now considering draft reports. Given this range of factors, "the Taoiseach considers that the format of the plan at this time is appropriate", the letter added.
It said it was intended that the National Anti-Poverty Strategy and the EU action plan process should merge before 2003.
The exchange of correspondence comes amid increasing concerns by the Community and Voluntary Pillar that the revised National Anti-Poverty Strategy will not contain targets it considers credible.
According to sources, the pillar's position is that it will not "sign off" on the strategy unless there is a "dramatic improvement" in many of its targets.