Social benefits not the answer to poverty

Around 15 per cent of Maltese live at risk of poverty and, if social benefits were to be removed, the figure would shoot up to 30 per cent, according to a British poverty expert.

However, Chris Burston, who was in Malta for a seminar on social exclusion organised by the European Commission and the Ministry for Family and Social Solidarity, said in an interview that the European Union was acting to curb poverty in its member countries.

"Governments are realising that countries will not reach their full economic potential if people are excluded," he said.

Mr Burston, team leader of the Family Poverty and Financial Exclusion Division of the UK's Department for Work and Pensions, stressed the need for action to be taken so that people were not left behind in a globalised economy. He said that both in the EU and in the US effective action was being taken to deal with the problems of the most disadvantaged.

There was no clear-cut definition of poverty, Mr Burston said. He explained that poverty was a complex problem which had many dimensions, the obvious being low income, and not having a place where to live. However, he said, there were other aspects, including a lack of skills, health problems, poor housing and lack of social cohesion.

As society became richer in most countries, people's expectations rose. Mr Burston explained that 20 years ago nobody would have believed that in a couple of decades many people would own a mobile phone. He explained that the economy had moved in a certain way, and had provided a number of opportunities for part of the population. On the other hand, others became more disadvantaged.

"If economic growth is managed properly, it can create opportunities," he said.

Mr Burston said there was "definitely" a poverty problem in Europe, with around one-fifth of the population living in some state of poverty.

However, he said, the EU gave importance to these issues, maybe because it was aware of them.

"We certainly have a problem since there are a lot of people who are held back because of lack of opportunities, among other issues. But we are more aware of them, and are doing something to address them," he said.

He does not think poverty is getting worse in Europe as the continent moves forward in a more globalised world. Mr Burston said that since the EU was trying to curb poverty, Malta's accession was very relevant. He said that within the union there was an open method of coordination under which countries got together to try to identify the problem.

"Every country learns from all the others," he said.

Asked what could be done to address the problem of poverty, Mr Burston said the UK policy was to try and ensure that all those of working age would find a job and keep it. He said it did not make sense for the authorities to provide support when people could earn their living themselves.

"It is better that they find a job, stay at work, and progress in their skills and training," he said.

Mr Burston said social benefits were important for providing the minimum to people in need, but they were definitely not the answer to poverty.

Also of high importance was education, Mr Burston said. He stressed the necessity of making sure that people had the opportunity to complete their education while growing up, as well as opportunities for life-long learning so that people became better able to meet new challenges and made the most of them.

Mr Burston said that poverty had psychological implications. If a person was socially excluded, or did not have access to the life others had, there was a chance that that person would be psychologically affected.

Mr Burston said social exclusion could lead to stress and depression, which in turn could lead to relations breaking down and reinforcing poverty in a vicious circle.

While in developing countries the gap between those considered poor and those who were not was less obvious, the poor were at a greater disadvantage than those considered poor in developed countries.

"The poor in the poorest countries tend to suffer more; they feel more excluded," he said.

Mr Burston explained that poverty in developed countries did not necessarily mean that a person did not have enough to eat and a place to live, although this kind of poverty did exist. He said many times poverty was a "state of mind" in which people did not have all the amenities that others enjoyed, and poverty in these countries was therefore less recognisable.