Prime Minister Bruce Golding says it is the economy and not the budget, which has to provide the opportunities and the resources for poverty to be reduced and contained.

The Prime Minister was speaking this morning (November 23) at the joint launch of the 20^thAnniversary Edition of the Human Development Report 2010 and the 2008/2009 Jamaica Survey of Living Conditions.

The survey is the result of a partnership involving the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), and the Statistical Institute of Jamaica (STATIN).

Mr. Golding says the results of the Survey of Living Conditions for 2008 and 2009 are disappointing but not surprising as they reflect a reversal of the progress made for the preceding years in reducing the level of poverty.

He says one of the areas of concern is that much of the improvement recorded from 2000 to 2007 is derived from social intervention initiatives, such as PATH and the school feeding programmes.

The expenditure for PATH increased by 75 % in the last 2 years and the school feeding programme by 130 % for the same period.

The beneficiaries of these programmes are the most vulnerable in the society.

However, Mr. Golding says he is still not satisfied that the resources are being utilised to achieve their maximum outcome.

He wants the programmes revisited to see whether the beneficiaries can be empowered so that they do not need to be on the programme.

The Prime Minister has expressed the hope that the data provided by the reports will be used to inform decisions effectively to ensure that the country can stay on the right path.

Meanwhile, in his remarks, Director General of the PIOJ, Dr. Gladstone Hutchinson, said the body of work is extremely vital to Jamaicas growth and development and in realising the objectives of Vision 2030.