０９総選挙 生活保障―重層的に支える制度へ

--The Asahi Shimbun, Aug. 24(IHT/Asahi: August 25,2009)
EDITORIAL: Livelihood security
０９総選挙　生活保障―重層的に支える制度へ

Fixing the troubled social security system and rebuilding the weakened social safety net have emerged as major topics on the campaign trail.
　社会保障のほころびの是正、セーフティーネット（安全網）の再構築が大きな争点になっている。

What is notable is that there have been policy proposals that go beyond the traditional framework of social security centering on the pension, health-care and nursing-care programs and which address challenges in related areas such as employment and education.
　注目すべきは、従来の年金、医療、介護を中心とした社会保障の枠組みを超えて、雇用や教育にもまたがる広い分野で提案が出ていることである。

It is important to combine these proposals in an organized way into a multilevel approach to improve the economic viability of households. It is clearly time to promote efforts to develop a comprehensive policy agenda to achieve what can be called "livelihood security."
　これらを有機的に結びつけ、重層的な取り組みで暮らしの安心を実現する。「暮らし保障」または「生活保障」と呼ぶべき新しい包括的な政策体系づくりを進めるべき時だ。

In the area of employment, calls are growing within both the ruling and opposition camps for institutionalizing an emergency program to subsidize living expenses for people undergoing job training. There can be no livelihood security without job stability. Programs to support people seeking job opportunities should be enhanced.
　雇用の分野では、緊急措置として行われている職業訓練期間中の生活費支援を制度化しようという声が、与野党から出ている。雇用の安定あってこその暮らしだ。働く機会を得ようとする人々を支える仕組みは強化したい。

In the area of education, the parties have made a variety of proposals in their election manifestoes, such as making public senior high schools practically tuition-free and the creation of a grant scholarship program. Making education available to anybody is essential for reversing the trend toward increasing poverty and economic inequality.
　教育分野でも、高校の授業料の無償化や、給付型の奨学金の導入を各党が公約で競う。誰でも教育が受けられるようにすることは、貧困と格差の再生産を防ぐためにも欠かせない。

Equally important is the need to establish an effective system to provide housing security. It is still fresh in our memory that many temporary workers were turfed out of their homes as companies slashed jobs in response to the recession. It may be time to consider housing allowances as part of overall public benefits.
　同時に大切なのは「住まい」の安全網だ。「派遣切り」で仕事を失った途端に住む所も失った人たちが大量に出たことは、記憶に新しい。公的扶助の仕組みとして、住宅手当なども検討する時期に来ているのではないか。

In addition, more policy efforts should be devoted to people trying to gain financial independence. A system for providing such multilevel livelihood support would help curb growth in overall social costs.
　また、生活の自立を後押しする取り組みにも力を入れなければならない。こうした重層的な仕組みをつくれば、全体的な社会的コストが膨らむのを抑えることにもつながる。

The government's employment policy should not be confined to providing income compensation for people who have lost their jobs. The government should also bolster programs to help jobless people find new jobs and maintain their living standard. This could be done by providing support for job training and skills development so these people can readily find employment.
　雇用政策では、仕事を失った人への所得保障だけでなく、職業訓練・能力開発の拡充など、積極的な就労・生活支援の中身を充実させ、真に仕事に結びつく支援にすることが大事だ。

Critics say the public livelihood aid program, a symbol of the social safety net, is not really helping poor people of working age, like the so-called working poor, to gain financial independence. They point out that elderly households account for nearly half of all households on welfare.
　安全網の象徴である生活保護にしても、今は、受給世帯の半分近くをお年寄りが占めていて、ワーキングプアと呼ばれるような現役世代の自立支援に役立っていないと言われている。

It could be too late to try to help people after they fall into financial difficulties. A wider range of programs should be readily available at earlier stages. And careful livelihood support by expert counselors should be incorporated into these programs to help people stay financially independent.
　貧困生活に陥ってからでは遅い。その手前で、もっと広く制度を利用しやすくするとともに、専門の相談員によるきめ細かな生活支援を組み込んで自立をサポートすべきだ。

To fine-tune welfare services, it would help if local governments, which generally maintain close ties with residents, were able to play the leading role in providing services tailored to local conditions and needs. That would entail reconsidering the division of roles between the central and local governments by transferring related powers and revenue sources to local governments.
　こうしたきめの細かな行政サービスを進めるには、住民に身近な自治体が中心になって、地域の実情やニーズに合ったサービスを提供できるようにするのが望ましい。どういう仕事と財源を地方に移すのか。国と地方の役割分担の見直しも必要である。

Providers of such services may not necessarily be the central or local governments. The government should try to increase the number of providers outside the public sector, such as private-sector nonprofit organizations.
　こうしたサービスの担い手は、国や自治体とは限らない。民間のＮＰＯ（非営利組織）などの担い手を増やしていくことも課題になるだろう。

The challenge is how to go beyond simply repairing the frayed social security system and reshape it to meet the demands of the times so as to create a society where people support each other with a sense of solidarity.
　今の社会保障のほころびを繕うだけでなく、時代に合った形に組み替えながら、みんなで支え合う連帯社会をどう作り上げていくか。

All the political parties owe the public detailed explanations about their visions for the future of livelihood security.
　各政党は生活保障の未来図について、とことん語る責任がある。